Synopses & Reviews
National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert takes readers back in time to small-town Darling, Alabama, in the 1930swhere the Darling Savings and Trust has just closed and the women of the Darling Dahlias garden club are betting their bottom dollar theres going to be trouble
Its the spring of 1933 and times are tough all over. The only businessman not struggling is moonshiner Mickey LeDoux, though he still has to steer clear of federal agents. But banks are closing all over the country, and the small town of Darling is no exception. Folks are suddenly caught short on cash and everyone is in a panic.
Desperate to avoid disaster, several town leadersincluding Alvin Duffy, the banks new vice presidenthatch a plan to print Darling Dollars on newspaperman Charlie Dickens printing press. The funny money” can serve as temporary currency so the town can function. But when the first printing of the scrip disappears, the Darling Dahlias set out to discover who made an unauthorized withdrawal.
Meanwhile County Treasurer Verna Tidwell questions whether she can trust Alvin Duffyand the feelings he stirs up inside her. And Liz Lacy learns her longtime beau may be forced into a shotgun wedding. Seems other troubles dont just go away when theres a crisis. Therell be no pennies from heaven, but if anyone can balance things out, folks can bank on the Darling Dahlias
Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes
Review
“Thompson vividly re-creates the gaslit world of old New York.”
Review
"Victoria Thompson SHINES...Anne Perry and Caleb Carr fans, rejoice!"
Review
"Thompson's Gaslight Mystery series provides a fascinating window into a bygone era."
Review
"Victoria Thompson has a knack for putting the reader inside her characters' heads and...[brings] the setting vividly to life."
Review
andldquo;The Gods of Gotham is a wonderful book. Lyndsay Fayeandrsquo;s command of historical detail is remarkable, and her knowledge of human character even more so. I bought into this world in the opening pages and never once had the desire to leave. Itandrsquo;s a great read!andrdquo; andmdash;Michael Connelly
Review
andldquo;Lyndsay Faye is a superstar-caliber writer. She confidently and exquisitely re-creates the past while her characters live on with you in the present, the elusive gold standard for a historical novel. The Gods of Gotham is a gift to the genre that readers will surely relish while we wait for Fayeandrsquo;s next one.andrdquo; andmdash;Matthew Pearl, bestselling author of The Dante Club
Review
andldquo;Intriguingly complex yet deliciously smooth, Theand#160;Gods of Gothamand#160;is, in a word, stunning.and#160;The vivid characters and deft use of the historical setting read like the work of an establishedand#160;writer at the top of her (or indeed, his) careerandmdash;that Faye is a newcomer is cause for an exuberance of fireworks, at the mere thought of so many superb novels yet to come.andrdquo; andmdash;Laurie R. King, New York Timesandndash;bestselling author of The God of the Hive and The Beekeeperandrsquo;s Apprentice
Review
Praise for the Edgar® Award–nominated Gaslight Mysteries:
“Tantalizing!"—#1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter
“Fast-paced…Another Victorian page-turner!”—Robin Paige, author of Death on the Lizard
“Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery series provides a fascinating window into a bygone era.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Intriguing….”—Kate Kingsbury, author of Herald of Death
“Thompson vividly recreates the gaslit world of old New York.”—Publishers Weekly
“GANGS OF NEW YORK, eat your heart out!—This book is the real thing.”—Mystery Scene
“Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mysteries are first-rate with a vivid historical setting and a hero and heroine that will keep readers eagerly returning to Sarah Brandt’s New York City.”—The Mystery Reader
Review
“
Murder in Chelsea by Victoria Thompson has suspense, murder, great invigorating characters, a touch of love and romance, a child of love, and a ‘who done it that had me turning the pages very quickly, it was hard to put this book down! Victoria Thompson is the crème de la crème of mystery writers and I look forward to reading many more of her Gaslight Mysteries.”—Fresh Fiction
“An intense, well-plotted puzzler that will keep you turning the pages.”—RT Book Reviews
Review
Praise for the Darling Dahlias Mysteries:
“The prolific Albert excels at the period piece, with a gracious plenitude of Southern color and Depression-era detail, and again offers an uplifting meditation on how friends, neighbors, and strangers combined to help each other during Americas darkest economic days.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“This sweet book captures the true tone of a small town.”—The Times-Picayune
“Captivating…Charming characters, a fast-paced plot, and a strong sense of history help make this a superior cozy.”—Publishers Weekly
“Cozy fans will be delighted…Another exceptional series.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Plenty of charm and period detail.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The author of the popular China Bayles Mysteries brings a small Southern town to life and vividly captures an era and culture—the Depression, segregation, class differences, the role of women in the South—with authentic period details. Her book fairly sizzles with the strength of the women of Darling.”—Library Journal
Review
Praise for the Edgar® and Agatha award-nominated Gaslight Mysteries
“Tantalizing.”—Catherine Coulter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Backfire
“Victoria Thompson has a knack for putting the reader inside her characters heads and…[brings] the setting vividly to life.”—Kate Kingsbury, author of A Bicycle Built for Murder
“Victoria Thompson shines…Anne Perry and Caleb Carr fans, rejoice!”—Tamar Myers, national bestselling author of The Witch Doctor's Wife
“Fast-paced…Another Victorian page-turner!”—Robin Paige, national bestselling author of Death on the Lizard
“A fascinating window into a bygone era.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Vividly re-creates the gaslit world of old New York.”—Publishers Weekly
“Gangs of New York, eat your heart out—this book is the real thing.”—Mystery Scene
“Enthralling…Fascinating characters with a story to tell.”—Fresh Fiction
Review
Praise for the novels of Anna Lee Huber: “Lady Darby is an engaging new sleuth to follow.”—Julia Spencer-Fleming, New York Times bestselling author
“A riveting debut.”—Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author
“An unusual and romantic heroine.”—Judith Rock, author of The Whispering of Bones
“A fast-paced, atmospheric, and chilling debut featuring a clever heroine with a shocking past and a talent for detection.” —Carol K. Carr, national bestselling author of India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy
“Hubers protagonist is complex and likable and the well-plotted mystery is filled with fascinating secondary characters…Youll be engaged right to the end.”—RT Book Reviews
“Hubers debut…reads like a cross between a gothic novel and a mystery with a decidedly unusual heroine.”—Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
From the tenements to the town houses of nineteenth-century New York, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy never waiver in their mission to aid the innocent and apprehend the guilty. Now, the latest novel in the Edgar®-nominated series finds Sarah and Malloy investigating the murder of a Knickerbocker club member who was made to pay his dues… Sarah Brandt’s family is one of the oldest in New York City, and her father, Felix Decker, takes his position in society very seriously. He still refuses to resign himself to his daughter being involved with an Irish Catholic police detective. But when a member of his private club—the very exclusive Knickerbocker—is murdered, Decker forms an uneasy alliance with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to solve the crime as discreetly as possible.
Malloy soon discovers that despite his social standing, the deceased—Chilton Devries—was no gentleman. In fact, he’s left behind his own unofficial club of sorts, populated by everyone who despised him. As he and Sarah sort through the suspects, it becomes clear to her that her father is evaluating more than the detective’s investigative abilities, and that, on a personal level, there is much more at stake for Malloy than discovering who revoked Devries’ membership—permanently.
Synopsis
From the tenements to the town houses of nineteenth-century New York, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy never waiver in their mission to aid the innocent and apprehend the guilty. Now, the latest novel in the Edgar®-nominated series finds Sarah and Malloy investigating the murder of a Knickerbocker club member who was made to pay his dues… Sarah Brandt’s family is one of the oldest in New York City, and her father, Felix Decker, takes his position in society very seriously. He still refuses to resign himself to his daughter being involved with an Irish Catholic police detective. But when a member of his private club—the very exclusive Knickerbocker—is murdered, Decker forms an uneasy alliance with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to solve the crime as discreetly as possible.
Malloy soon discovers that despite his social standing, the deceased—Chilton Devries—was no gentleman. In fact, he’s left behind his own unofficial club of sorts, populated by everyone who despised him. As he and Sarah sort through the suspects, it becomes clear to her that her father is evaluating more than the detective’s investigative abilities, and that, on a personal level, there is much more at stake for Malloy than discovering who revoked Devries’ membership—permanently.
Synopsis
1845. New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two seemingly disparate events will change New York City. Forever.
Timothy Wilde tends bar near the Exchange, saving every dollar and shilling in hopes of winning the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams literally incinerate in a fire devastating downtown Manhattan, he finds himself disfigured, unemployed, and homeless. His older brother obtains Timothy a job in the newly minted NYPD, but he is highly skeptical of this untested andquot;police force.andquot; And he is less than thrilled that his new beat is the notoriously down-and-out Sixth Ward-at the border of Five Points, the world's most notorious slum.
One night while returning from his rounds, heartsick and defeated, Timothy runs into a little slip of a girlandmdash;a girl not more than ten years oldandmdash;dashing through the dark in her nightshift . . . covered head to toe in blood.
Timothy knows he should take the girl to the House of Refuge, yet he can't bring himself to abandon her. Instead, he takes her home, where she spins wild stories, claiming that dozens of bodies are buried in the forest north of 23rd Street. Timothy isn't sure whether to believe her or not, but, as the truth unfolds, the reluctant copper star finds himself engaged in a battle for justice that nearly costs him his brother, his romantic obsession, and his own life.
Synopsis
Sarah Brandt is shattered when she learns that a woman has inquired at Hope’s Daughters Mission for Catherine, the abandoned child she has taken as her daughter. The woman claims she was Catherine’s nursemaid, now acting on behalf of the girl’s mother to reunite them. Unwilling to simply hand Catherine over to a complete stranger, Sarah asks Malloy to investigate. But when he goes to interview the woman at her tenement in Chelsea, he finds she has been murdered. Though her death leaves Sarah’s claim to Catherine unchallenged, her sense of justice compels her to work with Malloy to find the killer. Their search takes them from the marble mansions of the Upper West Side to the dilapidated dwellings of lower Manhattan and into the deepest and darkest secrets of Catherine’s past. And while Malloy helps Sarah determine the fate of the child she loves, he faces a challenge of his own—and his decision could change both their lives forever…
Synopsis
In this Gaslight Mystery from the national bestselling author of Murder in Murray Hill, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy investigate foul play in the secretive high-society world of nineteenth-century New York City
In the midst of Sarah and Franks wedding preparations, Sarah accompanies her mother on a condolence call to the Upper West Side, where Charles Fairfax, the son of family friends, has died unexpectedly after suffering from a mysterious disease. It is a tragic and all too common storyor so it seems. Charless father asks to speak with Sarah privately. He believes his son was poisoned and would like Sarah and Frank to look into the matter with the utmost discretion.
Putting their own personal affairs on hold, Sarah and Frank soon learn that not everyone wants to know more about Charless death, particularly if he was murdered. As they unravel secrets that reach back to the War Between the States, they also discover that they are in the company of a very present danger
Synopsis
Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her dear friend, Lady Kiera Darby is in need of a safe haven. Returning to her childhood home, Kiera hopes her beloved brother Trevor and the merriment of the Hogmanay Ball will distract her. But when a caretaker is murdered and a grave is disturbed at nearby Dryburgh Abbey, Kiera is once more thrust into the cold grasp of death.
While Kiera knows that aiding in another inquiry will only further tarnish her reputation, her knowledge of anatomy could make the difference in solving the case. But agreeing to investigate means Kiera must deal with the complicated emotions aroused in her by inquiry agent Sebastian Gage.
When Gage arrives, he reveals that the incident at the Abbey was not the firstsome fiend is digging up old bones and holding them for ransom. Now Kiera and Gage must catch the grave robber and put the case to rest
before another victim winds up six feet under.
About the Author
Susan Wittig Albert grew up on a farm in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. A former professor of English and a university administrator and vice president, she is the author of the China Bayles Mysteries, the Darling Dahlias Mysteries, and the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. Some of her recent titles include Widow's Tears, Cat's Claw, The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose, and The Tale of Castle Cottage. She and her husband, Bill, coauthor a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries under the name Robin Paige, which includes such titles as Death at Glamis Castle and Death at Whitechapel.