Marilyn's Mystery Reads

Let Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles take you back to Manhattan, 1909, for a fascinating look into what life was like for women at that time.  Some of it will be familiar to you, a lot will be disheartening.

Molly Murphy Sullivan is a young mother living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan with her husband and their three children.  Forced to leave Ireland to escape arrest for a murder she committed in self-defense, Molly landed in New York City where her life took a very different turn.  She started her own successful detective agency, married Daniel Sullivan, a former New York City police detective and now head of the city’s branch of the FBI, and is happy with her life but a bit bored.  Then things change quickly.

Daniel is a new position, and federal funding, although promised, hasn’t come through yet; finances in the Sullivan household are definitely tight.  But when an anticipated houseguest of her friends, Sid and Gus, fails to turn up as expected, the two friends hire Molly to search for her.  Molly is delighted both for the extra income and the opportunity to do the investigative work that she loves.

The houseguest who didn’t arrive is Willa Parker, a Vassar alum as are Sid and Gus.  She and her husband have been working on scientific projects and papers together, although in fact Willa has done most of the work while her husband’s name is the one on the published papers.

Now Willa’s interest have veered in a new direction, one involving the virus that she believes causes polio, but her husband isn’t interested.  Could that have something to do with the fact that although she boarded the train in Philadelphia, she never arrived at Sid and Gus’ house?

To make Molly’s search even more difficult, the densely populated borough of Manhattan is now overflowing due to the celebration marking the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the river named after him.  Parades and carnivals are filling the streets, tourists and residents are everywhere, and in the midst of this, Willa Parker’s husband comes to Gus and Sid’s house, angrily accusing them of hiding his wife.

Dr. Parker has hired a Pinkerton agent to locate her, all the more reason, her friends say, that Molly must find her first in case she has run away from her husband and doesn’t want to be found.

Rhys Bowen and Clare Browles have written a historical mystery that explains the laws and customs keeping women from taking their rightful place in society.  As the book’s heroine, Molly is believable, smart, and determined to return to her detective roots while keeping her family at the forefront of her life.

In addition to the excellent writing, Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles have made Molly a believable woman in the fast-changing world of the early 1900s.  She’s a quiet supporter of women’s right to vote, their right to have a life outside of the home, and all of the other “rights” that women take for granted today.  You can read more about the authors at various sites on the internet.

Check out the complete Marilyn’s Mystery Reads at her website.  In addition to book review posts, there are sections featuring Golden Oldies, Past Masters and Mistresses, and an About Marilyn column that features her opinions about everything to do with mystery novels.