Murder by Degrees is a splendid debut historical mystery novel. The characters are well fleshed-out and very believable. The prejudices of the era (1875 Philadelphia) against women working, and especially against women doctors, are authentically presented. Dr. Lydia Weston is a wise and caring physician whose insights provide much needed input with the two officers investigating the murder. The story keeps you guessing and provides plenty of red herrings to muddy the waters with lots of twists and turns. And just when you’re sure you know whodunit, you’re wrong! My only criticism is that the novel occasionally gets bogged down with too many medical terms and details. Well-worth reading!

Murder by Degrees was an enjoyable historical mystery, with a young female doctor as its main character. The story takes place in Philadelphia, in 1875. Dr. Lydia Weston is both a professor at the Women’s Medical College as well as working at a clinic. At the clinic, she befriended one of her patients, Anna, a young housemaid. When the woman’s body is pulled out of the Schuylkill River, Lydia is drawn into the investigation of her death.
I liked that the story wasn’t based on Lydia investigating on her own. Instead, detectives Volcker and Davies ask for her help in their investigation. The trio works well together, especially as Davies learns that she has something to offer.
Mukerji does a good job of providing a great sense of time and place. All of the characters are well fleshed out. And while there are the class and gender prejudices one would expect, it’s not all cut and dried. She also accurately describes Lydia’s medical procedures and examinations, filling them with the accurate terminology, which makes sense as she’s a doctor.
I thought the ending worked well with a resolution I hadn’t come close to imagining.
This has the makings of a good start to a series, one I will pursue.
My thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

This was a really great read with interesting characters. I liked the fact I couldn't figure out who did it. So many twists and turns. It kept my interest. Loved Lydia, Davies and Volker and the way they worked together. Would love to read more books with them solving crimes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

I was drawn to this book both for the historical setting (not Victorian London), and after reading a bit about the author, Ritu Mukherji. Knowing she too is a doctor and is bringing her knowledge to life in a creative format was intriguing to me, especially laid against the oppression of women and women pursuing careers in the late 1800s.

In her own way Mukherjee reminds me a bit of Deborah Harkness and A Discovery of Witches. Both women are experts in a specific field, and they build a story and imbue it with rich, factual knowledge relevant to their established careers. At times this is both cool or frustrating - sometimes laymans terms are let go of to talk about a very specific issue, and while the new facts are interesting, they sometimes pull you out of the story. I think we see some of that with Mukherjee's medical terminology - we have all had 20 years of procedurals and CSI, but it was still hard to place medical discoveries for myself at times in relation to whether they mattered to the mystery.

That being said, Mukherjee has created an indepth setting and you can tell she has done research to get it right. The mystery itself plays out in multiple layers, and explores the wide range of power and wealth in post Civil War Philadelphia.

Indepth character growth was the only missing element for me - at times Lydia seems emotionless, and switching to viewpoints of Davies or Volker didnt dive deeper into any of them personally. I know much of this is to illustrate women not showing weakness in a time that finds them hysterical at every turn, and should this grow into a series, I'm sure it will evolve, it just seemed her interactions were solely based on her gender and not on her as an individual personality.

All in all this was a fun read, and I enjoyed it.

Story of a woman doctor who helps in the investigation of a woman found in the river. Who is she and what happened to her.

The story was well written and has a strong female story line. I enjoyed the descriptive language used by the author and the fact that there was a solid ending to the story. The story does outline some of the struggles faced by women during the 1800's including how hard it would have been to be a professional, taken seriously, or protect oneself from danger without the help of a husband.

"Murder by Degrees" is a mystery set in 1875 in Philadelphia. Interesting historical details were woven into the story which brought the time and setting alive in my imagination. Some of those details were about the anatomy tools and how they're used or how an autopsy was performed or the sicknesses that Lydia's patients were suffering from and how she treated them. I wouldn't call the details gory as the focus was more on her actions and were clinical descriptions rather than sensational, but I've also done anatomy on animals so I probably have a high tolerance of such details. Also, Lydia's mother's father owned and ran a tea plantation in India; I assumed her a white woman, especially based on how others treated her.

Lydia was intelligent and determined. The detective was initially supportive of her help in asking the women questions since she knew the murdered woman, but he eventually told her to step back from the case. He thought Lydia was finding clues were none existed. She didn't let his opinion discourage her any more than a condescending male doctor that she had to work around (and she wasn't rude, she simply proved them wrong). I really liked her as a person as well as as a sleuth. The mystery was clue-based, but it was complex enough that whodunit wasn't obvious and the final necessary clues came near the end.

There was occasional use of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.

MURDER BY DEGREES was a thrilling page-turner I really enjoyed! I loved even more that the story took place in Philadelphia - my current city of residence. It was great to learn about the history - be it fiction or not - of this famous city. The MC was what did for me: she was fierce, a woman of color, confident, and reminded me a lot of Mary Poppins LOl I mean that in a good way: Mary Poppins was confident in her expertise of life and occasional mischievousness and she didn't let anyone tell her otherwise! Lydia was very much like that. She stayed her course and wouldn't let male figures get in her way. I also really enjoyed the supporting cast, especially the men who supported the Women's Medical College and let the women stand their ground. It's a refreshing thing to read. My only gripe is that some of those characters were just one-dimensional: I would have loved more background on Harlan and his wife and their story; even the policemen that helped with the case. I felt their stories mattered too. As for the plot, there was some really great twist and turns but the ending was kind of flat for me. I had my suspicions but the reasoning behind the killer's motives just didn't feel like it was enough. I understand it but I didn't think it held enough water for me. Overall though, I really, really enjoyed the writing and the story and the characters. Really well done.

A wonderful debut. A historical mystery is one of my favorite genres, and this book did not disappoint. The author is a doctor who studied in Philadelphia, a place I have lived and walked down the streets. The year is 1875,
and there are 4 medical schools, one just for women, The Women's Medical College. That was my first surprise.
Dr Lydia Weston is a doctor whose patient, Anna, disappears. This is the beginning of a very complicated mystery.
There is, no surprise, a lot of misogyny, from patients and doctors, and the women must prove themselves over and over.
The police inspector and his sergeant also believe Dr. Weston can't possibly help them, but of course, she provides many clues.
When a murder victim is found, Dr Weston and her mentor perform an autopsy, which is fascinating as it shows us the state of medicine at the time. Her mentor was a surgeon during the Civil War, and there are interesting flashbacks.
Sometimes Dr. Weston acts rashly, sometimes foolishly, but when her intelligence and skill are needed, she rises to the occasion. I hope this becomes a series because I would really like to see more of all of the characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is an honest review and I hope you all read it.

This is an historical mystery set in Philadelphia in the 1875. Lydia Weston is a female doctor whose patient has been dredged out of a river. Is it suicide or murder? As Lydia gets herself involved in the police investigation of this woman's death, she gradually gains the investigators' respect. The mystery is solid. There are many twists and turns I did not see coming.

I learned much about the history of women in medicine after the Civil War. However, I felt that much of this detail was not essential to the plot and slowed the story. Lydia was an interesting character. I would like to know more about her Indian background. This book feels like the beginning of a new series. If so, it is off to a good start. Thank you, Simon and Schuster and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. The comments expressed are my own.

This is a tricky book to review. The story is solid and the DETAILS of the time period are insane. It’s obvious that the author did her research and triple checked everything. But overall I didn’t enjoy the process of reading the book.
I had two issues with the book that kept me from getting too engaged. These are stylistic issues that didn’t work for me, but for other readers it might not bug them!
First, the main character is a physician, and the descriptions of the surgeries and autopsies were so detailed that it almost needed a trigger warning at the beginning of the book. I had to skim several passages because it was making me queasy! I know doctors have a drastically stronger stomach than the general population, but I doubt most readers will be the same.
The second issue I had was the writing style itself, particularly the word choices. They were, in my opinion, far too high brow for a murder mystery. I’m a college graduate with an English/History/French triple major, and I read constantly and even study etymology, yet there were at least 10 words in the book I’d never even heard of. If I am feeling alienated by the stylistic writing, I’m willing to bet others will feel the same as well. I think the author tried to make it feel like the book was actually written in the late 1800s, but it hindered my ability to connect with the novel or care about what was going on.
I have struggled with what rating to give this book. Personally, the style overall just didn’t work for me, but I don’t in any way think it’s a bad book. The mystery was well done, and really, as someone who has studied American history- this author did her homework on the time period. Every minute detail was put in there for a reason. It just wasn’t what I look for in a murder mystery.

Reading this book made me realize that while I enjoy historical fiction... I'm not really interested in history. So the setting of Philidelphia in the 1870's was lost on me. I could appreciate the research and detail that went into establishing the setting, and making sure it was accurate in one way, but for me it was just window dressing. I was eager to jump into the story.

I feel like because of this, it took me a little longer to really set in and start enjoying the story. The idea of a female doctor, when there weren't many and they still were largely demeaned and unwanted, was appealing to me. To look at the struggles those women would have faced. I wasn't so interested in actually following her through her daily routine - checking in with patients, clinics, the ways and methods of medicine back then. Again, it was well researched and interesting to a degree, but I realized I would have been ok with a cursory look. I was ready for the murder!

All this being said, when it really came down to it, it was an enjoyable murder mystery. There were some parts where my attention waned, but how the mystery came together, the clues and process to find the killer, those were all very satisfying. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Lydia, Davies and Volker again in the future!

Well written! Mukerji portrays the history of women in medicine after the Civil War as part of a murder investigation. At the same time, the reader is treated to beautiful descriptions of the landscape of the landscape. Mukerji clearly researched history as she presented the storyline within the context of the times. I hope she writes more! I read a pre-publication release of the book. It will be released in October of 2023. Get yourself a copy!

Murder by Degrees was an enjoyable debut novel by practicing physician Ritu Mukerji. While there were a few spots where I felt I had missed something, overall this was a well-written mystery with a strong female lead character. I look forward to more books in the series!

Enjoyable read with an engaging and believable protagonist. In the vein of Charles Todd with a deep level of research lightly explained. .

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder by Degrees which centered around the mysterious disappearance and drowning of a patient of Dr. Lydia Weston, female physician in Philadelphia in 1875. I love historical mysteries, but what really spoke to me was the main character herself. As a woman in medicine, I identified with her struggle for acceptance and respect in a male dominated field. Her calm demeanor and tenacity through adversity was inspiring. She was a pioneer in not only her field, but she also made some headway gaining the respect of the law enforcement community as well. I really enjoyed the intertwining of the forensic medicine and detective work. I really hope that this becomes a series! I would love to continue to follow Dr. Weston as a clinician helping law enforcement. It would also make an excellent television series!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Simon & Schuster for granting me the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

The author is clearly a medical professional (maybe a little too much so - I had to skip over parts of the excruciatingly detailed autopsy). She has clearly done her research on Philadelphia in the 1800s, the history of women doctors in Philadelphia, the history of medicine in this time period, etc etc. The story tended to get bogged down with so much detail, much of which wasn't necessarily relevant to the story. I love reading historical fiction partly because I enjoy learning about history, but I prefer the teaching to both be more subtle and to not have quite so much of it told to me. So... many... descriptions about Philly neighborhoods and streets, institutions, historical figures in medicine. It's obvious the author did her research, and also obvious (IMO) that an editor might have chosen what to include a little more judiciously. I was super excited to be reading a book about a doctor in this time period who was both female and Indian (!), which is awesome... but while I certainly got a sense of the rampant sexism in the industry, I was disappointed that there was so little focus on the heroine's ethnic heritage, which I think would have added depth to the story.

As far as the police procedural/legal aspects of the mystery, I found the story to be underwhelming and unbelievable. Explain to me again why this doctor was given so much freedom and latitude in investigating this case? Why they gave her evidence to take home and peruse at her leisure? Why all the police officers so carefully Mirandized all their suspects many decades before Mirandizing was a requirement? Why the doctor was threatened repeatedly but the warnings were shrugged off/forgotten within the next couple paragraphs? And on and on, including some spoilers and plot holes. The heroine has some TSTL moments with very puzzling motivations and I was rolling my eyes and speed reading towards the end. I absolutely love historical mysteries and police procedurals but this one really missed the mark for me.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a debut novel by Ritu Mukerji, and I hope that this is the first in a series! I absolutely love the female protagonist, Dr. Lydia Weston, and the two detectives she becomes partners to. Lydia reminds me of a Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher type of detective; that being a person who intuits how to investigate a mystery, but that is not her original intention or career. The way in which this is written using such beautiful language and phrasing; I find it very unusual for the mystery genre.

Philadelphia, 1875: It is the start of term at Womans Medical College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lydia Weston, professor and anatomist, is immersed in teaching her students in the lecture hall and hospital. These are times when women were seen to have jobs, and not careers, they are not to be trained in a profession, such as, medicine. However, Lydia's career as a doctor and teacher becomes integral in solving the mystery of the death of a young woman, who is a servant in a rich household.

As an aside, it is an interesting fact, that the Quakers were integral in the early establishment of women being able to study medicine in Philadelphia.

I enjoyed this book, definitely learned some new things, primarily pertaining to the existence of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania. Who knew?? Neither Women's Studies nor medicine being my areas of expertise, this Female Medical College was a revelation to me. I was able to engage with the protagonist, Dr. Weston, to a degree, but often felt the author could have let the reader "in" to her psyche a little more and share more of Lydia's inner-world to help the reader connection. I thought the plot was solid, but had some issue with the dialogue. It struck me as unnecessarily stilted at times, although that may have just been the author striving for authenticity to the time period and speech conventions. All in all, I found this a promising start to a potential new series.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters are interesting and relatable. The setting and time period vary interesting. I can't wait for the next one in the series! A great read for historical fiction fans!