Book Review: Murder on Pleasant Avenue by Victoria Thompson (Gaslight Mysteries #23)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great story with characters we love

Cons: The final chapter seems a bit forced into things

The Bottom Line:

Kidnapping, murder

Make a great trip back in time

That kept me engaged

Did Kidnapping Lead to Murder?

When I see a long running series I haven’t started, I always hesitate before diving in since I know it will be a long time before I catch up.  I waited to start Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mysteries for that very reason.  But now that I’m almost caught up, I’m so glad I dove in.  Murder on Pleasant Avenue is another reminder why this series is so enjoyable.

This is book twenty-three in the series.  It features Frank and Sarah Malloy.  When we first met them, he was an Irish police detective for the NYPD, and she was a widowed midwife.  Their lives have changed significantly since then, and it’s been a joy to watch that happen over the course of the series.  We are now part way through 1900 as this book opens.

At this point in the series, Frank is a PI, and it is his partner’s sister-in-law that brings their latest case to them.  Gino’s brother and sister-in-law are living in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Italian Harlem, and it is the territory of the Black Hand.  The Black Hand is notorious for kidnapping people from the neighborhood and then demanding a ransom.  Their latest victim is a young woman working in the settlement house, a place dedicated to helping recent immigrants adjust to life in the United States.  Since the place has no extra money to pay a ransom, they need Frank and Gino’s help to find her.

Sarah quickly jumps in to help as well, but just when it appears that they are making progress, a dead body turns up.  Worse yet, Gino is the police’s only suspect in the case.  With the possibility that the Black Hand will be out for revenge against Gino, it’s up to Frank and Sarah to figure out what really happened.  But in a neighborhood that mostly speaks Italian, will they be able to get any leads?

Quite obviously, I love these characters.  While Frank and Sarah have been key characters since the beginning of the series, Gino has become a key regular along with Maeve, the young woman who helps with Frank and Sarah’s two children.  Together, these four make a great detective team.  At various points, all four of them are our viewpoint characters as the action unfolds.  These breaks are always logical and do a great job of keeping the story moving forward.  They all also contribute something to the story as it advances.

As always, the story kept me hooked from start to finish.  I had a few pieces of the puzzle figured out before the characters did, but I didn’t have the complete picture until the characters solved it.  This is often the case with this series, but it doesn’t keep me from being completely enraptured as the story unfolds.  I will say the final chapter felt a bit forced into things, but I did appreciate how it wrapped things up.

While this is a historical series, it doesn’t always deal directly with historical events happening during the time.  This is one of those books that takes the story from life in the era without directly touching historical events.  However, there are a couple of conversations about what are for the characters current events that are very interesting given what is going to be happening in their world very soon.

Fans will note that we don’t see all of the supporting characters here.  Yes, I did miss them, but they would have slowed down the excellent story.  On the other hand, there are some developments that will make fans very happy.  I know I was.  And we got some great laughs from the characters as well.

Murder on Pleasant Avenue is another engrossing trip back in time.  Once again, it has made me happy that I picked up this series and have persisted in trying to catch up.

Enjoy the rest of the Gaslight Mysteries.