Another solid entry in this consistent series - this time we get interesting tidbits about patent medicine amidst the murder case - I always enjoy the side topics that get brought up with each book. While this case did not feature a lot of work by Sarah and it could be argued that she's being sidelined in the series that began as revolving around her, I find I like the group dynamic of the agency and the coziness that this series always brings.

"Murder in Rose Hill" is a historical mystery set in New York City in 1901. This is the 27th book in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous mysteries.

During the little investigating Sarah did, she could get people to talk to her, but she just accepted what people told her rather than considering other possibilities. Maeve did undercover work and quickly uncovered many lies, but then Frank accidently blew her cover. Frank and Gino tracked down information and followed up on leads. Gino did a good job at uncovering the truth, but even he was sure a certain person was the murderer rather than keeping his mind open. You'd think they'd all be more suspicious of everyone after solving so many murders.

When the second person died, whodunit became so very obvious (motive, means, opportunity). Yet the whole team totally overlooked this obvious possibility until the very end after everyone else was eliminated. This just seemed hard to believe. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this historical mystery to those who already enjoy the series.

I like this late 19th/early 20th century series by Victoria Thompson starring midwife Sarah Malloy (nee Brandt) and her private detective husband Frank. The characters have continued developing at the rate of approximately one book per year since 1999 beginning with the initial meeting of the young widow and the rare, incorruptible Sergeant Frank Malloy. Thompson does an excellent job with historical detail — inserting each story in pieces of history with deftly integrated details that do not sound like a regurgitation of Wikipedia articles.

In this installment, Louise, a young woman determined to follow in muckraker Ida Tarbell’s footsteps, is digging up information to bring down the patent medicine industry which she is sure harms more people than it could possibly help. (She is clearly correct given that most potions are mixtures of alcohol, heroin, and cocaine!) When Louisa is found dead shortly after interviewing Sarah, her father comes to the Malloys asking for help in finding her killer. The story brings in the new technology of the time (electric motors! the telephone!) along with the mechanics of the police force, the (widely varying) attitudes towards women who choose education and working lives over lives as wives and mothers, and of course, the ubiquitousness and impact of patent medicines. Did you know that the word “flashlight” comes from the fact that the originals gave out only short bursts of light because batteries were weak and bulbs primitive? Pretty fascinating stuff!

The writing is fairly simple, the characters are likable, though not terribly introspective, I never do figure out whodunnit in advance, and the history illuminates the every day details of life in a completely foreign time period.

Sarah Malloy brings her detective husband a new case when a reporter she met briefly is murdered. Is New York City really that unsafe for women or is her death related to her friends and co-workers?

The latest solid, engaging, and entertaining entry in a series that is consistently all three of those things. Further character development for the supporting cast, which is always fun.

This time Frank, Sarah, and the entire investigation team are on the trail of the killer of a young woman involved in muckraking journalism. Patent medicine also feature heavily and I enjoyed learning about the unregulated, often dangerous products that people turned to to relieve pain and cure disease. I’ll always be excited to visit gaslit New York with this group of characters.

A young woman has a secretarial position in a magazine publishing office, but she longs to write and publish an expose on so-called patent medicines. She has no support from her mother who believes that a woman should be content being a wife and mother. Family conflict figures prominently in this intriguing mystery where a former police officer, now a private investigator, seeks to solve a murder that the police have no interest in. The plot is multi-faceted, the characters well developed, and the dialog is well written. I hope to read more by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love the family feeling in this series. Both by blood and by friendship. Sarah and Frank once again have a case to work together. A young woman wants to interview Sarah about the tonics that are advertised and prescribed to women who have illnesses. She wants to know if she thinks they work or just get you addicted to the alcohol used in the making. When she winds up dead, Sarah sends the father to Frank to investigate.
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