Brenna B. (demiducky25) reviewed on 10/18/2009 + 161 more book reviews

This is the 10th book in Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries series. Throughout the series, Thompson has been dropping clues about how midwife Sarah Brandt's husband Tom was killed four years ago. At first, it was thought to be a robbery gone wrong, then it was discovered that perhaps he was murdered for something he might have done to one of his patients. Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy had been investigating the case on and off for most of the series, but he was finally granted permission by Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to investigate the case in earnest. However, this doesn't come without complications. Through Sarah's wealthy and powerful father, Felix Decker, Frank learns that Roosevelt will be resigning his post to take a position in newly elected President McKinley's cabinet. With a limited time frame to work with and Felix Decker's wealth at his disposal, Frank needs to make solving Dr. Brandt's murder his top priority. Working with the information he has about the four mentally disturbed women Dr. Brandt was investigating before he died (he needed the information to treat the one woman of the four who was his actual patient), Frank has to figure out which of their father's had the most motive to kill Dr. Brandt. This story has a number of twists and turns in it and I found it to be the toughest to figure out so far (one element is easier to figure out than some of the others).

This story concentrates a bit less on Sarah than the other stories because she's not allowed to get involved in this case due to her relationship with the deceased. Also, Frank wants her to stay out for her safety. You do get to see a new side to Maeve, the nursemaid Sarah hired a few books ago to watch after her adopted daughter. Maeve has her biggest role yet in this book and becomes much more three-dimensional than just the girl who watches Catherine. You also see a new side of Sarah as she's not always at her strongest in this story (understandably so). Again, as mentioned in my past few reviews, the Malloy-Brandt relationship needs to get moving as readers have been teased & tormented since the beginning. But as other reviews that I've read on various sites have said, perhaps closing this chapter of Sarah's life will help remove at least one of the obstacles facing these two. I know I certainly can't wait to read the next book in the series to see if their relationship can finally turn into something more than friendship!

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