In Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson, set in 1896, Sarah Brandt, daughter of one of the families in the “400,” the top socialites in America, but estranged from her parents and now a widow, serves as a midwife to all and sundry, mostly the lower classes. She gets called one night to the home of Mrs. Higgins to deliver the woman’s 6th baby in ten years and sees a young girl of 16 poke her head in the birthing room door. Instinctively, Sarah calls out, “Mina!” The girl looks just like a classmate whom Sarah grew up with. A day later, when Sarah goes to check up on Mrs. Higgins as a routine follow-up, Sarah learns that the girl was murdered.
Asked by the police detective, Frank Malloy, to look at the girl’s personal effects, Sarah is shocked to discover that the girl is Alicia vanDamn, the baby sister of Sarah’s classmate she mistook the girl for. Knowing that members of “the 400” won’t stoop to talking to a police officer, especially anyone lower than a captain, Sarah determines to help them out. For the first time in years, she talks to former classmates and even makes up with her estranged mother. Det. Sgt. Frank reluctantly accepts Sarah’s help, and together they work the case.
I really enjoyed listening to Murder on Astor Place. It contains plenty of flavor of 1896 New York, with plenty of references to Teddy Roosevelt, the new police commissioner of New York who came in to clean up the department. I also found the descriptions of Sarah’s job as midwife to be very fascinating. The depictions of life as a police detective trying to navigate the complicated system were also of interest. Another historical detail I enjoyed learning about was the life of “the 400” and how the members of high society lived.
The plot of this book moved creatively and quickly, with plenty of interesting twists and turns. I would start to think I was on the track of the murderer and then learn a new detail with Sarah and Frank that would send us all in a totally different direction. The conclusion was exciting, though darker than I’d expect of a cozy mystery. However, it suited the book well and ultimately satisfied.
I always look out for the quality of the characters of any book I listen to, and Murder on Astor Place could benefit from better development of the characters. For the first half of the book, Sarah and Frank come across as enigmas, with little knowledge about their history. All we know is that she is a widowed midwife who comes from a rich family with whom she is estranged. He is a detective trying to save up all his money to buy a position as captain. Eventually, the two get developed further, and they turn into round characters. The members of the van Damn family gain depth as the book progresses as well.
I enjoyed the performance of Callie Beaulieu as she narrated the audio edition of this book. She creates strong voices for her characters and uses effective expression in her performance. Her recording of the book made listening to it a very pleasurable experience.
I really liked Murder on Astor Place and had a great experience being taken on a trip to 1896 New York. I loved the flavor and history of the book and found the mystery plot to be creative and exciting. I give the book five stars.
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