Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in late 19th-century New York, Victoria Thompson's cleverly plotted Murder on Marble Row: A Gaslight Mystery, the sixth in the series (Murder on Astor Place, etc.), provides abundant fair play and plenty of convincing period detail. At the request of Teddy Roosevelt, one of the city's three police commissioners, Det. Sergeant Frank Malloy and midwife and do-gooder Sarah Brandt pursue a bomber whose infernal device has killed an influential industrialist. This light, quick read engages the readers' emotions. Agent, Nancy Yost. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
An Irish-American cop is allowed into a Victorian drawing room, though nobody offers him a seat. When the bomb detonated, it spewed nails, wires, and brandy-soaked bits of glass all over Gregory Van Dyke's office and person. Who wanted the well-to-do Victorian gentleman dead? His feuding business partner, Allen Snowberger, had seduced Van Dyke's greedy wife Lilly. Lilly had seduced Van Dyke's younger son Tad and, according to the besotted wastrel, suggested they marry. Daughter Alberta, in the family way, has been forbidden to marry her beloved Lewis because papa considered his private secretary socially unacceptable. But the most obvious culprit is older son Creighton, an anarchist who'd left the family fold. So when Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy, a widower enamored of family friend Sarah Brandt, is assigned the case, he's eager to chat up Creighton. First, however, Sarah, a midwife, must wheedle Creighton's address from Alberta. Apparently determined to meddle in Frank's case, Sarah is soon traipsing about the Lower East Side and the Van Dyke mansion searching for clues. The killer will strike again before clever Frank and pesky Sarah figure out whodunit and gaze longingly into each other's eyes. Just what you'd expect from a Victorian melodrama: hysterical females, pompous males, class snobbery, and boudoir secrets--plus, in this sixth Gaslight Mystery (Murder on Mulberry Bend, not reviewed, etc.), a bit part for Emma Goldman. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Edgar-nominated author Thompson transports readers back to New York City at the turn of the century in her sixth Gaslight Mystery. Wealthy industrialist Gregory Van Dyke dies when a bomb explodes in his office. When Detective Sergeant Frank Molloy arrives at Van Dyke's home to investigate, he finds Sarah Brandt, a widowed midwife from an upper-class family, already there. The two have worked together on other cases, but Molloy swore that he would never see her again because he knows that the rigid social hierarchy prevents the expression of his true feelings. Sarah, on the other hand, is delighted to be involved in another investigation and puts her social connections to good use. As Molloy learns, there are plenty of dark secrets and as many suspects on Fifth Avenue as there are in the tenements. An entertaining mix of history and mystery, complete with cameos from Teddy Roosevelt and Emma Goldman. --Barbara Bibel Copyright 2004 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In their sixth adventure the first of Thompson's "Gaslight" series to appear in hardcover Sarah Brandt, the nurse-trained daughter of wealthy New York City parents, and Det. Sgt. Frank Malloy tackle the bombing murder of a rich factory owner. Owing to the method used, suspicion falls immediately on the "anarchists," who recently enlisted the victim's disinherited son. Other suspects include the victim's much younger second wife, his alienated business partner, and perhaps even the younger son, who likes his step-mom a little too much. Fans of Anne Perry will certainly enjoy this Americanized look at class differences in turn-of-the-century New York and superior sleuthing. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.