Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a digital ARC - pub date 10/17/2023. A period mystery piece that was clearly well researched and written by someone with a clear love of the time and place - Philadephia, 1875, and the burgeoning world of female doctors and social services, Murder By Degrees is not at all a cozy mystery but it reads well and has interesting layers to peel back and absorb you. Dr Lydia Weston finds herself mixed up in a murder investigation when one of her patients goes missing and what you get is just as much about the surrounding world and society as the actual crime-solving.

For the most part, this works well. The details are there, the flavor of the time is downright tangible, and the hesitant reachings towards forensic science add spice. Lydia herself is quite sympathetic and likeable. Unlike some period-piece heroines, she is both ahead of her time and aware of it; she also exhibits the unusual ability to catch herself before she gets too preachy or tropey. Of course, this doesn't make her perfect and she pulls at least one obligatory bone-head move (par for many mysteries, I'm afraid) but she also owns up to her faults and holds her ground. The secondary characters... Well, it is hard to tell if the author wants this to be the start of a Weston & Volker mystery series or the start of a Weston & Davies mystery series. As Davies is given a more sympathetic nature and a better character growth arc, I lean towards preferring that. Mind you, I hope it doesn't devolve into a romantic mystery thing. There is nothing wrong with platonic mystery solving buddies! Plus it lets Volker stick around and maybe get himself better fleshed out.

The weakest spot in this book, ironically, could fall under the heading of a strength - the attention to detail. In places, Mukerji is so determined to show of knowledge of old Philadelphia and its history that the prose waxes into oversharing that borders on a history text or a tour guide's lecture. I am actually from the area just north of Philly and so, yes, I get all of the references and details and know the places intimately... and I got bored of it in places because sometimes details don't actually add anything. I can only imagine how put-off someone who has no inherent love for Philly would react to laundry lists of street names. It is an inconsistent flaw, too. I went pages and pages without a trace of oversharing, just characters and plot and investigation, and then BAM there's 4 paragraphs about the houses or this cul de sac or something else. Your miles may vary.

The other (lesser) weak point in the book is that the murderer becomes obvious somewhat quickly even if it takes longer to figure out why, thanks to the clever red herrings of the author. Some wiggly reasoning has to be applied to overlook some of the iffy results but, if you can suspend disbelief in favor of a generally good book, you will be glad you left the edges fuzzy for yourself. I would be interested in seeing if Dr Lydia Weston gets more outings in the future.

Mystery isn't a genre I normally gravitate toward, but I was pleased to request this title! I learned so much about females in the medical world at this time in our history. I found Dr. Weston admirable, brave and incredibly intelligent.

I don't often review new (to me) authors, because I would feel terrible if I didn't like their debut and had to write a less than glowing review. I'd still write it, but I'd feel bad about it.

Luckily for my feelings, "Murder by Degrees" was a wonderful debut, and I can give it a nice, shiny review.

Lydia Weston is a doctor in late 19th-century Philadelphia. Coming from reduced circumstances herself, she works to help other women advance. The disappearance of a young maid who has been her patient sets her on her first investigation. She's initially condescended to by one of her male colleagues, as well as one of the detectives, but she perseveres, and her knowledge and insights lead her to the truth.

Why you should read this: This is a great historical mystery featuring a woman of color in a non-traditional role. The author gives a lot of information about the times and people involved. Some might call it an info-dump, but I found it fascinating.

Why you might not want to read this: The aforementioned information. There is a LOT, and if you're not particularly interested in 19th-century medicine or detective methods, this probably isn't the book for you.

I received an advance copy from Simon and Schuster via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 out of 5 stars. Recommended.

Dr. Lydia Weston is beginning the new term at Woman’s Medical College in 1875 Philadelphia. She has a thriving medical practice and teaches aspiring female doctors. One of her patients, a young maid, fails to show up for an appointment, and Lydia soon finds herself caught up in the disappearance of the maid, a murder, and a suspicious death. She is convinced the three things are connected. Working closely with the police she knows she is getting closer to a killer when she is threatened then attacked. It’s a race to find the killer before Lydia becomes the next victim.

Ritu Mukerji’s “Murder by Degrees” is suitably atmospheric, but also explores the challenges women in medicine faced in the 19th century. Though Lydia’s practice is thriving and she is a highly respected professor, she still faces questions about her ability to effectively diagnose and treat patients. She is a confident woman and is bolstered by close friends and confidantes. I hope to see more of Dr. Lydia Weston.

Some of the vocabulary is technical, especially when discussing human anatomy and injuries to the human body.

This book is great for readers who like historical mysteries, historical mysteries in the U.S., or historical mysteries that feature characters from medical fields.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book ended up being a perfectly adequate murder mystery, especially when graded on the debut scale. A medical historical mystery, we follow a female doctor named Lydia who struggles to prove her talents and her worth in a post civil war Philadelphia. When one of the maids who visits her clinic disappears suddenly, Lydia fears that there is more going on than meets the eye.

This book definitely feels like a debut--especially in the first half, which moves at a glacial pace. But just when I was beginning to despair the pace picked up and the back half is a perfectly enjoyable ride. This won’t blow your socks off if you’re an aficionado, and the prose is at its best merely good, but if you love historical mysteries with spunky female detectives, and you’re waiting for the next in a series and want a fix, this will do a perfectly fine job of it.

It also is very much set in Philadelphia, which is not a city I’ve spent a lot of time in, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of the specifics. The author also has a medical degree, so that allows the plot to be grounded in what I assume is accurate medical detail. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this author and I hope that her writing continues to improve as it did over the course of this book.

I received a free advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

"Murder by Degrees" is a dark, atmospheric, historical mystery with interesting characters and several great twists. I could not put it down and finished in one sitting. Recommended for readers of suspense, historical thrillers, and books that take place in the decade after the Civil War when women struggled to get footing in professions like medicine. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this arc. I will admit it did take me a little time to get into this book. But I pushed through as I used to live in Philadelphia and found it interesting to see familiar streets through an old lens. I was also interested in the medical aspect of the story with a woman doctor as our main character and also asked to assist with the Police investigation. I also appreciated the twists and turns in this book! There were plenty. In all I really enjoyed it and hope that this becomes a series of murder mysteries.

Murder by Degrees is an historical mystery set in 1870s Philadelphia. The main character is a female physician who teaches at a women’s medical college and becomes involved in a murder investigation. I enjoyed the medical information and the many details about old Philadelphia. The author clearly did a lot of research and presented it in an interesting and entertaining manner. The mystery was intriguing and clearly laid out. But still the novel as a whole fell flat with me. Each individual aspect was interesting, but it somehow didn’t add up to as enjoyable novel as it should have been. It’s worth reading, if only for the great descriptions of old Philadelphia and description of how medicine was practiced during that era.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This historical mystery is set in 1875 in Philadelphia. Dr. Lydia Weston is a professor at the Women's Medical College, as well as a physician at a clinic. She must fight her way as a woman at both places, as "women doctors" were not the norm at the time.

Lydia treats a young housemaid named Anna, and strikes up a friendship with her, loaning her books and discussing them. When the body of a young girl washes up from the river, she is asked by Inspector Volker and Sergeant Davies to assist in the case. Told with enough medical detail to be believable (the author graduated from medical school, and it shows!), the story has a good balance between the medical side and the mystery side - was the young girl's death suicide or murder? The characters are fully fleshed out, and while there are background characters too that are important to the story, there aren't so many that I couldn't keep track of them. I especially like how strong Lydia was as she faced critisicm from her male peers. Nothing will stand in her way to uncover the truth.

With an ending I didn't expect, I really enjoyed this debut from this author, and look forward to reading more from her. Historical fiction fans who love a mystery should definitely add this one to your TBR stack - pub date is 10/17/23.

My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

Murder by Degrees by Ritu Mukerji #sixtyninthbookof2023 #arc

CW: murder, death, child death, violence, descriptions of autopsy

From NetGalley: a historical mystery set in 19th century Philadelphia, following a pioneering woman doctor as she investigates the disappearance of a young patient who is presumed dead.

I always like a story about a lady doctor fighting for respect in the late 1800s. It doesn’t seem too far off from where we are now. This book has a solid mystery: a missing friend is found and the doctor assists the detectives in solving the murder. But things aren’t always as they seem, of course, and as they get closer to finding the killer, the doctor and her friends are at risk. It’s the same basic storyline, but I liked this one. If you like historical Philadelphia and women forging historic paths mixed in with your mysteries, this is a good one.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the advance copy. (Pub date 10/17/23)
#murderbydegrees #ladydoctor #lydiaweston

This is a delightful historical mystery occurring in Philadelphia a decade or so after the Civil War and at the cusp of women making inroads in various professions like medicine. Dr Lydia Watson is a great character and the novel is full of interesting tidbits about medicine, women doctors and their continuous striving for acceptance, the layout of the area around Philly and the lives of all the classes. I would read more mysteries involving Dr Lydia and her friends. Thank you to #netgalley and #simonandschuster for this arc ahead of publication to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Murder by Degrees, y Ritual Mukerji is a,murder mystery with an ending I didn't see coming!

Taking place in 1875, Dr. Lydia Weston, a female medical doctor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ended up working with police after a woman who they thought was Anna Ward, a patient of Dr. Weston, was found drowned in the Schuylkill River. After insisting on an autopsy, Dr. Weston, along with Sergeant Charles Davies and Inspector Thomas Volcker investigated first, Anna's employer, the Curtis' then the Curtis' other servants. Through those interviews, perseverance, hard work and a finding that can't be let out of the bag, the case was solved!

This mystery, I felt, was an example of how women in the mid to late 19th century had possibilities that could be pursued and could be taken seriously, but only under the right circumstances at that time.

This is a really enjoyable first novel, set in 1875 Philadelphia. Much like Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight series, the mystery spins out from the main character’s occupation. Lydia Weston is a doctor, an unusual occurrence at that time, and the free clinic she helps to run sees many denizens of Philly’s working class population. In this way, Mukerjee grounds her story, and it’s a terrific way to do it. In the course of her practice, Dr. Weston has become friendly with a young chambermaid, Anna Ward.

Unfortunately, the body of Anna Ward is dredged from the Schuylkill River, an apparent suicide. Because Lydia knew her and was friendly with her, she insists on being present at the autopsy. The author of this novel is a practicing physician herself, and the autopsy details are quite specific, giving a good look inside the mind of a doctor and the ways in which they find the workings of the human body to be beautiful and interesting. If you don’t feel quite the same way, you might want to skim some of these portions of the book.

Anna ends up assisting the two police in charge of the case with their investigation, both because she knew the victim and because she was not only present at the autopsy, but also she keeps uncovering clues. After some initial discomfort on the part of one of the detectives because of Lydia’s gender, things begin to go better when the clue parade is unveiled.

The threads of the novel include unraveling Anna’s character and background (she’s the sole support of her sister and handicapped brother); the background of the family she works for; and the backstory of Lydia herself. She’s an almost anachronistic character, one would think, but her love of learning makes it clear she really isn’t. You can picture a determined, smart young woman like Lydia finding a way to become a doctor, and there were in fact about 500 women doctors in the U.S. at that time, though few of them were surgeons. One of the things I love about mysteries is the fact that I learn things while I’m also reading a good story.

As I polished this book off in a day, I can tell you it’s a fast and enjoyable read. The pacing is good, with the reveals coming in at appropriately strategic points in the book. The characters, especially Lydia, are crisp and well defined, and if the mystery resolution itself was not a complete surprise, it was at least an interesting one. I enjoyed my trip back to 1875 - this feels like a great start to a long series.

When I saw this mystery was for fans of Charles Todd and Jacqueline Winspear, I knew it was for me. By the time I read it a few weeks later, I had forgotten that detail, but every so often I would think to myself that it felt like I was reading an Anne Perry historical mystery set in Philadelphia instead of England. I appreciated the social issues, including women doctors working in a man’s field and the state of the poor just ten years after the Civil War. I am hopeful that, like Anne Perry, Rita Mukerji will develop the characters more deeply as the series continues.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

A proper procedural story and slow moving in spots. I liked the historical aspect but could have done with less graphic medical information.

2.75☆

I was excited about the premise of MURDER BY DEGREES: an unconventional female doctor in 1870s Philadelphia assisting the police when a patient of hers is murdered. While it started out in an intriguing way, by the end I confess I skimmed the last bits.

Dr. Lydia Weston had the potential to be a great protagonist, and while I felt I had small glimpses of the depth of her character, large parts of the story had me feeling indifferent towards her. It’s clear the author has expertise in the medical field, and while I enjoy aspects of this myself, vivid descriptions of autopsies and medical procedures bogged it down. I felt as if I didn’t get to know the detectives Volcker and Davies at all, so more attention to the character development would’ve helped me like it more.

As far as the mystery itself, it clipped along at a fair pace at times but lagged at others. A few twisty bits added interest, but the ending felt somewhat convoluted. Overall, I liked this book and if it’s the start of a series I will give the next one a chance, but it definitely wasn’t a must-read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*rounded up from 2.5 stars

I was afraid I was being overly critical of this book. But after skimming through other reviews, it's clear I'm not the only one who was bothered by things like:
-unnecessarily long, detailed clinical/medical scenes. I get having one or two, to help establish the main character's background, education, competence, etc; but it really went overboard here, especially since some of the instances had absolutely nothing to do with the main plot
-the book felt a LOT longer than it was. Since it was an e-book, I wasn't aware that it's (expected to be) barely over 300 pages; based on how long it took to read, even after starting to skim over the detailed medical stuff, I would have guessed it was closer to 400 pages
-after finishing the book, I'm not really sure what the title actually 'means'...

All that aside, I didn't hate the book. The author is clearly very knowledgeable about much of the book's subject matter and location. The writing itself was done pretty well, and the actual mystery was unique. If this was the first book in a new series, I'd at least consider giving the second entry a try.

This was enjoyable but at times I had to re-read due to not understanding certain sentences. It took me a little to get used to the way they talk. I love how it had a FMC who is educated in this time period.

In the 1860s, a women's hospital was founded in Philadelphia. By the post Civil Wat 1870s, this hospital was partially used as a training hospital for female doctors. This is the setting for the mystery involving one of these doctors and a patient she has been particularly fond of. When this patient goes missing and a woman's body washes up, the doctir is brought in by the police to aid in their investigation.
So far, so good. The leaps of faith necessary in much historical fiction are there but not too pronounced. Unfortunately, this isn't as far as the author wants you to suspend disbelief. Things get a little wobbly , historically speaking. The book touches on the difficulties of a woman being included and accepted in the medical field but it doesn't really impact the lead character too much. She is still included in the investigation. This is a fairly dubious practice for the time. Even more dubious is the inclusion of aseptic practices in medical settings. This was very uncommon at the time by about 1-3 decades. But sure. I'll accept it. She's a female doctor so she's likely a rebel in many ways. The real "jumping the shark" moment for me was when a key plot element hinges on her diagnosis of a patient with PCOS and the claim that it would render her infertile. I personally have 2 children to prove that wrong. But it's also highly unlikely that she would have even been diagnosed at the time. Let alone there being discussion that surgerry was being considered. The book really started to lose me there. It's such an unrealistic claim for the historical setting. Why not just set it later if you want to include those historically inaccurate details?
At that point, already annoyed, I probably started to get more critical.
I wish the author hadn't included small mentions of the main character being half Indian and then dealt with that not at all. No mention of prejudice about her race, just her sex. Highly unrealistic and sadly unexplored.
Then the story fell into a common downfall of mysteries-the ending really went off the rails.
THe book showed promise but just didn't live up to it

In 1875, Dr. Lydia Weston is a professor and anatomist in Philadelphia. Her patient, Anna Ward, is found dead and it is deemed self-inflicted. Dr. Weston suspects foul play instead, and finds herself a part of the police investigation due to her sharp questioning skills, dedication to Anna, and her overall intelligence. During a time when women were expected to take care of the home; she is met with significant pushback at every turn. However, this doesn’t stop her from unraveling all of the secrets that were being buried along the way.

I enjoyed this debut novel! The genre mashup of historical fiction and mystery was appealing and well done. It was authentic - you can tell Makerji did a lot of research of what it was like to be in Philadelphia for her characters at this time. This was crucially important - as the range of characters was vast. We had old and young, wealthy and poor, men and women, etc. She did well transporting the reader into the setting. I also think everything tied up well in the end - it wasn’t predictable, but it wasn’t completely random either - just how I like it.

On the other hand, I didn’t love the extensive medical scenes - it felt like they went on for too long. I can appreciate it; but I think in this case “less is more” as it did pull me out of the story a bit instead. The pacing of the book also felt slow - it picked up for me personally around 70% - which does tend to happen with mysteries as the scene needs to be set; however, I wish there was more in the beginning/middle to keep me WANTING to read it until the end, instead of feeling like I HAD to because it was an ARC. Finally, I didn’t connect with any of the characters on a personal level. Of course I was rooting for Lydia; but I don’t feel connected to any of them (which is one of my favorite parts of reading).

TLDR: I liked it, but didn’t love it. I think it will appeal to specific readers. Read it if you enjoy a cozier historical fiction mystery, don’t mind slower pacing, don’t mind reading about characters that you don’t really have a chance to connect with on a personal level, and prefer to let the setting shine.