Murder on Fifth Avenue

Written by Victoria Thompson

Narrated by Suzanne Toren

Victoria Thompson is the Edgar Award-nominated author of the Gaslight Mysteries and numerous historical romance novels. Set in 19th-century New York, Murder on Fifth Avenue follows midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy as they investigate the murder of a Knickerbocker club member. "Thompson vividly re-creates the gaslit world of old New York."-Publishers Weekly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781464036149

Victoria Thompson

Victoria Thompson is the author of twenty bestselling historical romances. She is also the Edgar nominated author of the bestselling Gaslight Mystery Series, set in turn-of-the-century New York City and featuring midwife Sarah Brandt. She also contributed to the award winning writing textbook Many Genres/One Craft. A popular speaker, Victoria teaches in the Seton Hill University master's program in writing popular fiction. She lives in Central PA with her husband and a very spoiled little dog.Please visit Victoria Thompson’s www.victoriathompson.homestead.com to learn about new releases and discover old favorites!

Reviews for Murder on Fifth Avenue

[thecriticaltimes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It took me a few Anne Perry and Victoria Thompson novels to discover that the term 'mystery' has changed from how it was used let's say 10 to 20 years ago. Most readers might still associated a mystery novel with a puzzle and with sleuthing, but those terms rarely apply anymore to modern mysteries. Anne Perry is one of many contemporary authors who writes historical fiction with a romantic inclination, which is probably a better label than mystery. Granted, the reader does not know until the very end who has committed the heinous crime, but then again the reveal is most of the time arrived at by the culprit confessing without provocation and regularly without convincing motivation. You could say: with enough time and social pressure the murderer will eventually show him or herself without the need for evidence. Rarely in these novels is there actual hard evidence linking the crime to the crimee.Traditionally in the context of a murder mystery there are a number of suspects each with the appropriate motivation as to why they wanted to snuff the life out of the poor victim. At the end of the story a sleuth or consulting detective explains why only one of the suspects could have actually committed the crime and why the rest of the bunch are not eligible for the title of murderer, no matter how much they desired that tribute.In an Anne Perry novel the mechanism is reversed, we now have a number of suspects each of which was potentially at the proper place (one will never know) with the right intentions and correct means, but physical evidence and eyewitness reports don't matter that much. The one who has the best motive wins, it's that simple. Instead of the traditional plotting of the author, sleuthing by the detective and puzzling by the readers, we now have novels where the mystery content revolves around veiled dramatic character interactions. Most of these interactions will mostly appeal only to female audiences and ironically portray a rather traditional domestic picture and gender role division.From a historical perspective there is much to be found and experienced. Authors like Anne Perry, Victoria Thompson and Caleb Carr to name just a few, are heavily invested in accurate depictions and appropriately original detail. Reading an Anne Perry is just as much an immersive trip into Victorian Times as it is an ongoing daytime television saga. Readers aren't really invested in an Anne Perry for the story, but for the endless almost but not quite amorous interactions between Charlotte and Thomas. For a Victoria Thompson novel you can swap out Frank and Sarah, everything else stays the same.If you like a trip into a complete and convincing Victorian world with lots of interesting drama and elaborate character interactions through dialog, then you're in for a treat. If you're looking for an Agatha Christie mystery then I suggest you read an Agatha Christie.

[anntstobbs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this installment Sarah and Frank need to solve the murder of a man. His daughter is deaf and is happy that her father is dead since he did not allow her to learn sign language. She is in love with one of the teachers at the school for the deaf that Frank's son Brian attends. The wife of the murdered man gives birth to her lover's child in the beginning and all those pieces intertwine to make this a very good read.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is book fourteen of the Gaslight Mystery series featuring midwife Sarah Brandt and police detective Frank Malloy. Frank is called to the Knickerbocker Club by Felix Decker, Sarah's father, who asks him to discretely investigate the murder of one of the members. Chilton Devries, a nasty but wealthy businessman, appears to have been stabbed by a very thin, sharp object. He didn't realize he was mortally wounded and apparently bled to death internally at the club. Since Devries was such a horrible man, there are numerous suspects. Frank asks Sarah to help him investigate by interviewing the victim's family member. He thinks because she comes from a wealthy society family she may be able to get more information from them than he can.I enjoy this somewhat cozy historical mystery series. The characters are interesting and it's fun to see Sarah dabble in a little amateur sleuthing. She and Frank share a fun and humorous connection that hasn't turned to romance yet. They are both widowed, Sarah has adopted a young girl, and Frank is father to a young deaf boy. I'm not sure why the author hasn't developed their relationship yet, but am confident that she eventually will. I read this as a comfort series, one that is familiar but where I learn a little bit about Victorian New York City. The author portrays it in a very atmospheric way. While this wasn't my favorite of the books I've read, I still found it enjoyable and plan to continue with the next book in the series, [Murder in Chelsea].

[jalenv_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I spent much of Murder on Fifth Avenue thinking I 'd already figured out the killer and the method. I was wrong on both counts, although dead to rights on one of the monstrous deeds the supposed victim did. Indeed, the murdered man was so horrible that if the second murder hadn't taken place (and if it wouldn't have been a very unchristian reaction), it would have been time to break out the champagne.

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Felix Decker (Sarah's father) calls on Malloy to investigate the death of a member of his Gentleman's Club. Felix in turn also asks Sarah & his wife to discreetly interview the dead man's widow, son & daughter-in-law.

As it turns out the dead man was really a nasty piece of work and more than one person wanted him dead.

I didn't guess who did it.... but I liked the story, it was easy to read, it held my interest, & the ending was a bit of a surprise.

[nancyno5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Gaslight Mystery's are one of the better cozy murder mysteries out in books. The author provides enough historical content to keep the story line intriguing and informative. The two protagonist, Sarah and Frank, continue their unofficial relationship although with the progression of the series one figures there will finally be a breakthrough.This particular novel deals with the manipulation of women by powerful men during the gilded age; particularly how defenseless women were because of their status as property. The author notes at the end of the book how this travesty still continues today. Women are not property anymore but they are still manipulated and subjugated in many parts of the world.

[carlyrose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This installment in the series felt like an improvement. I've enjoyed the others, but recent ones seemed to lack forward motion and character development for Malloy and Sarah. This was an interesting look at the plight of women struggling to survive without a man.

[cfk_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be one of the better ones in the series so far, can't actually say why, though. I enjoyed the plot, the pacing and the characters. Best of all the, "witch" got her just deserts, though I suspect she endured a great deal of provocation over the years of her marriage.

[romonko · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent historical New York mystery. I have been enjoying the Gaslight series for some time now, but this book was even more enjoyable. Actually seeing some movement in Sarah's parents narrow-mindedness helped a great deal, and it certainly makes things easier between Sarah and Frank. Also, the motives behind the murders are motives that are still apparent today. Things have not changed that much really in the extent of peoples' depravity. In this book, a friend of Sarah's father is found dead in a chair at their mutual mens' club. Mr. Decker calls Frank in to investigate what happened to Chilton Devries. As Sarah and Frank investigate they find that the list of possible suspects is a very long one as Mr. Devries has made a lot of enemies in his life. The book is a lot of fun because of the change in the relationship between Sarah and Frank, and it's nice to see them work so well together. A very good effort on Ms. Thompson's part.

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! Sarah's father, Felix Decker, asked for Detective Sargent Frank Malloy to investigate the murder of one his exclusive club member's murder. Frank with the help of Sarah and her mother, Elizabeth Decker, investigate the family and discover their secrets. I love this series and Frank and Sarah and the 1890's period NYC where these novels take place. There's some character growth and hope in this novel and can't wait to read the next one.

[beamis12 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is such a consistent series, always reliably entertaining. This one though I missed the interplay between Frank and Sarah, though reading about the Knickerbocker Club was interesting. So for the most part a quick but enjoyable read.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Victoria Thompson spins a delicious story about New York in the 1890's. In this caper, Sarah Brandt's father asks Frank Mallory to investigate the death of a member of the Knickerbockers Club. Thompson gives a glimpse of life for rich women of New York society. This story lacked some of the punch of prior stories. The murder seemed tame and spiritless, even though the victim was a mean and selfish individual. The story line seemed too trite. The relationship between Sarah and Frank seemed lacking of emotion.