Murder and Milk Wars

Shortly after Christmas in 1899, Frank and Sarah Malloy attend a dinner party at the home of Mrs. Ellsworth, their neighbor. The occasion is to introduce Mrs. Ellsworth’s daughter-in-law,Theda’s family. Theda is a lovely girl, married to Norman Ellsworth, but her family, particularly her father are difficult.

Mr. Prichard, Theda’s father owns a dairy. At the dinner party he monopolizes the conversation talking about the merits of his milk as opposed to that delivered by his less scrupulous competitors. Frank and Sarah are delighted when the dinner is over, but they’re not finished with Mr. Pritchard.

When the Molloy’s attend New Year Services at Trinity Church, they encounter Pritchard acting strangely. They try to help him, but he disappears into the crowd. The next morning he’s found dead on Trinity Place near the church. The police are uninterested in investigating, so Frank is pressed by the family into finding out what happened.

This is the latest book in the Gaslight Series. This is a long series taking Frank and Sarah from their courtship to a married couple. I enjoy the series. Sarah and Frank are good characters and the author continues to bring in their relatives, friends and neighbors. I have to admit I preferred the earlier books where Sarah had a bigger role in the investigations. Gino, Frank’s partner, is a fine

addition, but doesn’t make up for Sarah’s ability to see through people and solve the crime.

I do like the way the author adds historical details. I had never heard of the Milk Wars, but they were an actual occurrence in the late 1800s. Although this is a series, the book can be read as a standalone. The author does a good job of filling in information from previous books.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.