"Who blew up Gregory Van Dyke?"

Sarah Brandt is a midwife in New York City at the turn of the century. An explosion kills Gregory Van Dyke, a wealthy industrialist, in his office. Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt wants Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to find the anarchists he believes are responsible. When Malloy arrives at the Van Dyke home, he finds Sarah and her mother paying condolence calls on them. He doesn't want her to know his true feelings and he doesn't want her to get involved in this investigation. This is hard to do since she can talk to them in ways he can't.

Creighton Van Dyke, Gregory's eldest son, is living with anarchists and his step-mother quickly blames him. Only his sister, Alberta, believes he is innocent. The other son, Tad, worked in his father's business and was present during the explosion. Unfortunately he found what was left of his father.

Malloy must find Creighton. Sarah got the information from Alberta but won't tell him where he is, she must show him. Malloy is not happy, but lets her go along. Sarah's mother has never been supportive of the work Sarah does, but she goes along with Sarah when she goes to the Lower East Side while investigating.

I normally don't like books set back in time, but this series has really captured my attention. Ms. Thompson has recreated New York so realistically. It really comes alive for me. It's hard to believe people once lived like this and that the police treated people like this. I find it to be a wake-up call and make me appreciate all we have.

The characters are well constructed. They seem so life- like. I like the friendship but yet tension between Mallow and Sarah. I do hope that some day they will get together. Only the author knows!

I think if you give this series a try, you'll like it. I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Posted June 23, 2004

Summary

In turn-of-the-century New York City midwife Sarah Brandt is again helping police Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy. This time, an arsonist is presumed to have murdered a wealthy industrialist in an explosion. But Sarah and Frank clash over whether the murder was politically motivated because—as she knows and he is about to discover—the marble facades of Fifth Avenue hide as many dark and twisted secrets as any tenement on the Lower East Side...