Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson

Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson ISBN-13: 9780399586606 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: May 1, 2018

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Frank and Sarah Malloy are enjoying married life and looking to make their family official by adopting Catherine, the child Sarah rescued and has been raising as her daughter. The newlyweds soon discover, Parnell Vaughn, an actor and Catherine's legal father, must agree to relinquish his parental rights. Vaughn's girlfriend insists that Frank pay them money to sign the legal papers. Even though exchanging money for a child is illegal, Frank agrees and returns with the papers and the money only to find Vaughn beaten to death. Vaughn's girlfriend points to Frank as the culprit.

Vaughn seems at first to be an unlikely candidate for murder--particularly such a violent crime of passion--but Frank soon uncovers backstage intrigue as dramatic as any that appears on stage. Sarah and Frank must use all of their resources to investigate Vaughn's death as Frank's own life hangs in the balance.


My Review:
Murder on Union Square is a historical mystery set in New York City in 1899. This is the twenty-first book in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous mysteries.

This was a clue-based puzzle mystery. Since Frank was arrested for the murder (and so I didn't expect people to talk with him) and he didn't get to study the physical clues at the scene, I honestly wondered how they'd solve this case. But he has a team working for him, and they managed to ask questions and gather clues. Frank, Gino, Sarah, and Maeve asked good questions. I did guess whodunit, how, and why before the team, but I wasn't completely certain until the confession.

Interesting historical details about theaters, actors, and the legalities of adopting a child were woven into the story. The main characters were nice people and had realistic reactions to events. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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