Book Synopsis:

Frank is a private detective. A man comes to ask for his services. He claims his niece was put into any insane asylum because her husband wanted to have an affair and begs Frank to prove she is sane and to help get his niece out of the asylum.

Book Rating:
4/5

I have read all the books in the series to this point and it is a series I love. I do wish we had more going on with Frank and Sarah at this point. I sometimes feel like the author is trying to keep us interested with a new couple, Gino and Mauve, and I just don't like them quite as much.

I will say that Mauve was a very big part of this story but in a way I liked and appreciated which surprised me in a good way.

Mystery wise, I absolutely loved this one. There were twists and I kinda guessed what they were early on but it was still very different than a lot of what we have seen in the past in this series and I was totally here for that.

As usual, I love the questions that this series brings up about the treatment of different people in history. This was a great look into asylums and particularly the dangers they posed to women who could be put away by their husband because of the inconvenience they caused even if they weren't actually mentally ill.
I also loved that we got to see Sarah in her midwife role more. The importance of her midwife job varies from book to book. While I understand and appreciate this her role as a midwife was one of the initial draws or me to enter this series and I get super bummed that it doesn't play a very large role in many of the later books.

While I love this series I do feel that it is starting to get a little stale.

I appreciated that this book brought some different and unexpected fun to it and I was very much here for it.
I do recommend this series as a whole but also think it is beneficial to read the books in order. This is a character heavy series and not ideal to just jump into mid series because you miss sooooo much character stuff.

I recommend this series for anyone who loves historical mysteries that are character focused. ( )

Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson is a 2023 Berkley publication.

Frank and Sarah are hired to investigate when Julia, a young mother, is institutionalized by her husband even though she appears to be perfectly sane. Later, even more disturbing information comes to light which suggests Julia's husband is a philanderer who may be responsible for several disturbances within the household, including a shocking death. But as the investigation deepens, they discover a plethora of contradictory opinions about Julia and her husband….

This was a very interesting premise and is also thought-provoking. There was a time when a husband could have an inconvenient wife committed to an insane asylum without her permission or any legal questions about his motives. Naturally, we immediately feel indignation about Julia’s situation, but is there more to the story than meets the eye? Are Frank and Sarah on the right track or have misread the situation?

Victoria Thompson always manages to create an increasingly taut story and this one was no exception. In fact, at one point I caught myself holding my Kindle in a death grip. It was even a bit disconcerting to see Frank and Sarah in such an uncomfortable situation. Thompson reminds us of a time when women were limited and vulnerable but were also underestimated…

I loved touching base with these old friends again, as always. This installment was a bit unsettling- and had a different vibe to it, I thought- but I thought it was well done, and it gave the recurring characters a chance to do a different kind of sleuthing while also facing a dilemma they’ve never encountered before.

4 stars ( )

Another intriguing mystery from Victoria Thompson! This Gaslight Mystery series is a favorite and I always look forward to a new adventure with Frank, Sarah, and now Gino & Maeve. Murder on Bedford Street deals with the all too familiar scenario of a woman incarcerated in an asylum by her husband. The question is does she belong there or is this a huge miscarriage of justice? It’s up to this dynamic team of investigators to find the answers.

Frank Malloy is hired by the uncle of Julia Longly to find a way to free her from an asylum. His main motivation for wanting her freed is to provide his daughter with a scandal free New York season. The uncle provides all sorts of reasons why he believes Julia’s been wrongly committed including the scandalous behavior of her husband Chet. When Frank and Sarah visit Julia, they too believe she’s been unfairly incarcerated by a cruel husband and vow to get her out.

To gather evidence against Chet, Maeve goes undercover inside the Longly’s household as a nursemaid to his small son. But, all is not what it seems. She discovers a history of employees disappearing. As the incongruences begin to pile up, it’s clear someone is a monster who must be held accountable before it’s too late.

This mystery took preconceived notions and turned them on their head. I think this is the first time so many clues were missed by Sarah especially. I usually depend on her to see beyond the obvious, but this time, her prejudices really got in the way. Maeve is the one who really puts everything together.

While I suspected the truth pretty early on, I enjoyed seeing how everything played out. There were some good twists and some suspenseful scenes towards the end. Sarah even gets to use her midwifery skills and I loved seeing her long time, superstitious friend get an unexpected surprise.

While it’s not my favorite of the series, I’d recommend it to mystery fans, especially those familiar with the series. It could be read as a standalone, but it’s better if you’re acquainted with the characters and previous books. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are completely my own and voluntarily given. 3 1/2 stars raised to 4. ( )

https://girllostinabook.com/2023/05/17/review-murder-on-bedford-street-by-victor... ( )

Thompson always has interesting themes and this book is no exception. What is insanity? It is easy to understand why Frank and Sarah are confused because women were expected to behave a certain way and divorce not accepted. So when they are told Julia has been sent to an asylum for the insane, it is easy to see why they would initially think she is being wronged by her husband. It takes the entire team along with some old friends from previous books to solve the puzzle. (And for longtime fans of the series Maeve and Gino's romance is progressing nicely.) ( )