Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

I liked the mystery of this one, with its twists, turns and surprises. I also really liked that were were lines and moments that made me laugh out loud. This story was really well done overall. I read and liked the first in this series okay, but this one just seemed to gel better than the prior story. This was a fun read.

This book took me far too long to complete. I probably should have DNF'd it but I pushed through. There was not a lot happening. The setting was fantastic. The characters were also well developed. I had not realized this book was part of a series when I requested to review it and read it. I would probably have enjoyed this a lot more if I had read that prior. I will likely read this again after I have read the first one.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This book wasn't bad but I feel like it took me forever to get through it! I don't really like character like the mc who tend to "Blunder" their way into finding the answer(and/or danger) so that was probably most of it. Not a bad book but just wasn't something I cared for much.

Liz Freeland brings back Louise Faulk for her second pre World War I mystery Murder in Midtown. Louise has just passed the New York police examination and is on probation minding the women in jail. Meanwhile the publisher's house she had worked in buns down with one of the owners inside. Was it family quarrels? Gambling debts? Fratricide. Welcome to criminal New York with lots of red herrings. Enjoy.

Description
In 1913, while the women’s suffrage movement gains momentum in the nation’s capital, the thought of a woman joining the New York City police force is downright radical, even if recent transplant Louise Faulk has already solved a murder . . .

Louise has finally gathered the courage to take the police civil service exam, but when she returns to her secretary job at the midtown publishing house of Van Hooten and McChesney, she’s shocked to find the offices smoldering from a deadly, early morning fire. Huddled on the sidewalk, her coworkers inform her that Guy Van Hooten’s body has been found in the charred ruins. Rumors of foul play are already circulating, and the firm’s surviving partner asks Louise to investigate the matter.

Despite a number of possible suspects, the last person Louise expects to be arrested is Ogden McChesney, an old friend and mentor to her aunt Irene. Louise will have to search high and low, from the tenements in the Lower East Side to the very clouds above the tallest skyscrapers, to get to the bottom of an increasingly complex case.

My Review:

The characters were very well written. The plot kept me interested until the very end. If you enjoy reading Miss Fisher books, you will definitely enjoy reading this book. I highly recommend you purchase, you will not be disappointed.

This book was provided for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

A perfectly adequate historical mystery that borders on cozy with its unique setting and charming cast of characters. While there is a budding romance developing, it is still too budding for my taste, developing painstakingly slow.

Liz Freeland's Murder in Midtown, the second book in her new mystery series featuring Louise Faulk, an aspiring female police officer in pre-World War I New York City., continues the great platform laid in the first, Murder in Greenwich Village. Louise has summoned up courage and applied to sit the police entry exams, but before she knows whether she's been accepted or passed over she becomes embroiled in another suspicious death, this time in the Midtown publishing office of Van Hooten and McChesney where she works..

Louise is an appealing protagonist, with a complicated back story it is easy to feel sympathy for, and there's a satisfying sense that she's getting her feet firmly planted in the Manhattan streets she's chosen as her place of refuge from an unforgiving family and small-minded back-home community.

Loved the sense of place that accompanies the unfolding of a convincing and complicated plot line. Her relationship with real-time police officer Muldoon gives intriguing hints of coming romance.

Strong characterization, satisfyingly complex plotting, and a promising sense of more to come.

"During all my months of preparation for this moment, I'd assumed I was exceptional. An original. Yet the sound of a hundred pencils scritching against paper filled the hall, and all those pencils were pushed by the hands of women with the same dream."

I started this book not realizing it was the second in a series but enjoyed it so much, I'm going back to read the first one! Set in 1913 New York City, Louise Faulk (who assisted in solving a murder in book 1) takes the police civil service exam, a radical move at a time when the women's suffrage movement is just getting off the ground. When she returns to her job as a secretary for a publishing house later that day, she finds the building has gone up in flames, killing one of her bosses. Louise takes it upon herself to investigate the crime, much the chagrin of her "friend" Detective Muldoon, chasing down suspects that run the gamut from her co-workers to the local crime boss.

Liz Freeland peppers this murder mystery with lots of fun details and colorful characters, like Louise's chorus girl roommate, her novelist aunt, the deceased's aviation-obsessed brother as well as real historical figures like Al Jolson. It's a fast, fun read and I'm excited to revisit Louise in the first in the series, "Murder in Greenwich Village."

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I liked the first novel Murder in Greenwich village. This one was a more simple and breezy cozy mystery. Louise is still likable. She is persistent and observant. However, the mystery was very predictable. Overall, I recommend this for those that like light mysteries for a lazy afternoon.

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington Books for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in this wonderful mystery series, and I enjoyed both of them. In 1913, it is almost unheard of for a woman to join the New York City Police Dept. Our hero, Louise Falk, decides to give it a try and takes the exam to join. Meanwhile, a new mystery begins. Louise is a secretary at a publishing company. Much to her surprise the building catches on fire and the body of Guy Van Hooten (one of the owners) is found in the rubble. This is the story of how Louise finds out what happened to him. This is a good, solid mystery with lots of historical details. I would recommend it to other mystery readers!

Somehow I missed seeing the first book in this wonderful historical mystery series and now, having enjoyed this one so much, I can't wait to get my hands on the first one. It's 1913 New York and Louise Faulk is working for a publisher. What she really wants to do with her life is to become a police detective. Having decided that life course, she takes and passes the civil service test to become a police woman. When she finds herself assigned to be a matron at the city jail, she is not thrilled. However, her job with the publishing company Van Hooten and McChesney sort of comes to an end when somebody torches the building and kills Guy Van Hooten. Louise may not be a police detective yet but she turns into one when the surviving owner keeps her on as a typist and also asks her to investigate the arson murder.
Louise knows she is up to the challenge but her budding romance with a policeman sort of hinders things when he makes it clear that he wants her to stay away from investigating. That's not going to happen. She finds herself searching for answers (and more than a few red herrings) from one end of New York to the other, crossing paths with all levels of society.
The characters of Louise and her aunt Irene are well developed - they are two ladies who know what they want and set out to make it happen. The mystery itself was satisfying and worked well as a stand alone. While I eagerly await the third in the series, I will go find a copy of the first entry, Murder in Greenwich Village and find out more about Louise Faulk.

Murder in Midtown is a tightly woven mystery set around the investigation of a fire that brings down the building of the publishing house Louise Faulk, killing one of her bosses, Guy Van Hooten. Louise believes, due to past experience, that she can investigate the incident and bring justice to the people Guy has left behind.
What follows is a journey that is intriguing, with subtle tones of humor. That is, in fact, one of the things I liked the most about the book, the writing. The humor, especially the bits that Louise directs at herself, is so understated. And also such a brilliant way to give depth to Louise’s character; it helps the reader understand the little traits of Louise, little things about her, without directly listing them out. Thus saving the reader from a prose that is lines and lines of adjective-filled descriptions.
And the end! Such a beautiful beautiful one, it almost gave me goosebumps (it turned out to be more intriguing than the real mystery about the murder, to be honest!). It did break my heart a little too.

October 1913 and Louise Faulk has just sat the civil examination to become a Police Constable. Only to discover that her place of employment, publishers Van Hooten and McChesney, has gone up in flames. While friend Detective Frank Muldroon officially investigates the fire and the killer of the body discovered inside, Louise is employed to do her own investigation.
Easily read as a standalone story this was an enjoyable well-written cosy mystery with a varied cast of mainly likeable characters, obviously there are always villains.

1913 America and though women were beginning to have a place in society there were still strict boundaries and conventions to be followed. Many careers were completely out of bounds and Louise's decision to join the Police Force was something that did not go down well. Fortunately her own Aunt was solidly behind her but even at the Police Station the treatment meted out to her was derogatory and unkind.

Louise was a determined girl - she was very focused on what she wanted to do and how she wanted to get about it. Having helped in solving one murder, the next one that crossed her path she was not going to give up on, despite all the pressure to do so. When Guy Van Hooten is found charred to death in a fire which is ruled as not accidental, she is on the case immediately. The fact that Guy belonged to one of the upper rich aristocratic families in the city did not deter her and neither the fact that looking into his death brought her into conflict with the mob were minor details where finding the truth was concerned.

a little unusual for her time this story had lots to give optimism for the future and know that the American girl was going the right way!

Humour despite lots of odds kept Louise going all the way.

I didn't read the first book in this series so I didn't know what to expect, i can say it was a great discovery and I'm happy I requested it.
I loved the plot, the fleshed out characters and well researched historical setting.
The book is entertaining and engaging, once you start you cannot put it down.
The mystery was solid, well plotted, and it keep you guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Who killed Guy Van Hooten and then set his building on fire? It certainly wasn't Louise's aunt, of that she's sure. Louise is a terrific young woman. It's 1913 New York and she wants nothing more than to be a police officer. She's just passed the Civil Service test but finds herself assigned to the night shift at the jail. Not what she really wants but she's got a mystery to solve anyway. Her love interest of sorts, Detective Frank Muldoon isn't happy that she's investigating but regular cozy readers know what that means! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This isn't really a cozy but more a historical mystery. I read and enjoyed the first book; I think you'd be fine with this as a standalone (although you will miss seeing Louise grow). I'm now waiting for the next book!

Louise Faulk is the main character, it is 1913 in New York City and she is an aspiring police woman. The book follows Louise as she hopes to become a detective in the police department. Along with becoming involved in a fire that included a mysterious murder, Louise starts a relationship with a detective, Detective Muldoon. It will be interesting to see their relationship grow.
A cozy historical mystery is what you will get when reading “Murder in Midtown.” It is the second book in a series but can be read as a stand alone.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author, Liz Freeland, for the opportunity to read and review this arc for a honest review.

Very entertaining continuing story of Louise who is now a police matron, but also investigating the fire and death at her former publisher.

Start with: I Loved It!
In 1913 New York City things were different, but not people.
Louise was lucky that she skipped work that morning or she would have been the one to find the body of her boss in the fire ravaged building. Although her job no longer exists, her novelist aunt wants a typist and the other owner of the business wants her to find out who caused the fire and death. She is naturally motivated to do both, but things rapidly become very complicated. Just when things couldn't seem to get more muddled, she finds out that she passed the Civil Service exam and is now a fledgling policewoman assigned to the night shift at the jail! A decidedly convoluted tale with an abundance of red herrings and plot twists as well as some fascinating characters. This one is a winner!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!