Book Review: Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson (Gaslight Mysteries #26)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in a thrilling mystery

Cons: Now that I’m caught up, I must wait until April for my next visit

The Bottom Line:

Proving woman sane

Creating a thrilling story

Great historical

Rescuing a Woman from a Mental Institute

I honestly can’t believe this day is here.  I’m reviewing Murder on Bedford Street, which, as of this writing, is the most recently published book in the Gaslight Mysteries by Victoria Thompson.  It’s taken me seven years to get here, although the first couple of years, I didn’t devote as much effort to catching up on the series as I have the last few years.  It’s been worth it, and Murder on Bedford Street is another great entry in the long running series.

This series is set in New York City roughly 120 years ago.  When we first met Frank and Sarah, he was a police office and she was a midwife in the 1890’s.  At this point in the series, they are married, and Frank has inherited a fortune, meaning he doesn’t have to work.  But the life of the idle rich isn’t for him, so he operates a PI business, which continues to bring them cases to solve.

Hugh Breedlove comes to Frank’s office one day looking for help.  His niece, Julia, has been committed to an insane asylum by her cruel husband.  Hugh is concerned how this will reflect on his family, especially his daughter, who is about to come out in society and is looking for a good husband.  He hires Frank to find evidence that Julia is sane so she can be freed from the asylum.

Sarah goes with Frank to meet Julia, and Julia is thrilled to hear that someone is going to help get her released.  A meeting with Julia’s husband just confirms how cruel he can be.  But can Frank and Sarah get evidence that will sway a judge?

Since this is book twenty-six in the series, I assumed I knew where this book was going to go from the setup.  It became obvious fairly early that this wasn’t the case.  While it took the characters a bit to catch up to what I thought was going on, I was still engrossed in the story.  Before it is over, this turns into a thriller.  I always have a hard time putting the books in this series down since I am drawn into Frank and Sarah’s world, but this became even harder to put down than normal.

Long time fans will be happy to hear that all the usual characters are here.  We even get to see a couple of the supporting characters who aren’t in every book.  The plot allows some of the characters to play different roles than normal, which I always enjoy.  The new characters feel just as real as the series regulars.  As always, we got scenes from multiple character’s points of view, which just add to the story.

As I said earlier, I am always pulled into the time period when I am reading, and this book was no different.  While this book doesn’t use real people or events, I still feel like I’ve learned something about the time period as I read.

Catching up is a mixed bag.  It’s nice to finally be up to date, but I am going to miss my frequent visits to Frank and Sarah and the rest of the gang.  Fortunately, I just spotted the preorder link for the new book this morning, so I can start planning my next visit.

Whether you’ve been a fan for years or are new to the Gaslight Mysteries, you’ll enjoy Murder on Bedford Street.  It will leave you exactly where I am, looking forward to their next case.

Enjoy more trips back in time with the rest of the Gaslight Mysteries.