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Liked It “A young girl is missing in Chinatown and Sarah gets involved when the distraught mother asks her for help. Her father soon finds her married to an Irish immigrant and living in squalor. Tragedy strikes again when the girl’s strangled body is found in the tenement courtyard. The Chinese suffer...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A young girl is missing in Chinatown and Sarah gets involved when the distraught mother asks her for help. Her father soon finds her married to an Irish immigrant and living in squalor. Tragedy strikes again when the girl’s strangled body is found in the tenement courtyard. The Chinese suffer terrible discrimination and are loathe to trust the police. Detective Seargent Malloy finds himself up against a wall of silence as he enlists the aid of midwife Sarah Brandt to try to understand these people who are so different from his own ethnic background.”
Kaydee wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I've heard this series is good. I like murder mysteries :)”
Baritone Buddie says, "Y'all get down wit yo bad selves! ;)" wrote this review Sunday, November 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I've read all her books and they are very well researched and well written. Enjoy her characters and her depiction of NYC in the 1900's. Very well done”
Mary M wrote this review Monday, July 7 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“If you're interested in murder mysteries that involve a female "detective," then this novel might be of interest to you.
Rhea C wrote this review Tuesday, April 15 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Sarah Brandt, the female protagonist, is a nurse midwife in the early 1900's, in NYC. Once she gets called to assist in the delivery of a chinese-irish baby in Chinatown, she ends up getting involved in solving the disappearance and murder of the new mother's chinese-irish teenaged niece.
I found it to be a light and entertaining read. (I borrowed it from the public library, but may purchase it later.)
”
“Murder in Chinatown by Victoria Thompson is the latest entry in the Gaslight mystery series. I've fallen in love with Thompson's tales of Knickerbocker turned midwife Sarah Brandt and her ally Detective Frank Malloy, and while this tale doesn't satisfy on every point, it's definitely a good read. Sarah is summoned to Chinatown to attend the birth of Cora Lee, a Irish girl who's married a Chinese businessman. Sarah soon meets the rest of the Lee family with both its Irish and Chinese roots and sees the effects of American xenophobia. Chinese women are not allowed in the US, so Chinese men marry Irish girls who are hoping for something more than life in a tenement and aren't afraid to face the racism they will face with their mixed marriage. When Cora's biracial niece, Angel, disappears, Sarah does her best to investigate without infuriating Malloy who wants her to stay out of trouble. Sarah's newly acquired daughter Catherine encourages her to watch her own safety as well. Maybe that's why this story has a little less teeth than previous entries. Soon, Angel turns up dead, and Malloy is on the case, both to make sure it is solved in New York's climate of ignoring crimes against minorities and to ensure that Sarah stays out of it. Thompson has created considerable heat between her lead characters in previous books, but in this one, only a few glances are exchanged. Perhaps because Sarah and Malloy are thinking so much about each other, they miss the obvious clues to the real killer, or maybe Thompson is making a statement about how judging purely on appearance can lead to tragic consequences. The climax is powerful as both Malloy and Sarah realize what they have missed. The denouement promises interesting things to come for the Gaslight series. I can only hope for a little more romance and a little more excitement. ”
clockstein wrote this review Wednesday, August 29 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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