Murder on Madison Square by Victoria Thompson

Murder on Madison Square
by Victoria Thompson

ISBN-13: 9780593337066
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: April 26th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Former policeman Frank Malloy is frustrated when a woman requests his private detective services to implicate her wealthy husband in adultery, the only legal grounds for divorce in New York state. Although Mrs. Bing seems genuinely distressed about her marriage and desperate to end it, she refuses to tell Frank the reason she absolutely must divorce her husband and admits she has no legal grounds. Frank explains he won't manufacture evidence for her and sends her on her way.

The following week, Frank and Sarah attend the first ever auto show in Madison Square Garden when they happen to meet the woman's husband, Alfred Bing, who has invested in a company that produces one of the electric motorcars on display. A few days later, the newspapers report that millionaire Alvin Bing has been found dead, pinned beneath one of the wheels of his very own motorcar. But who was driving it? The obvious suspect is Mrs. Bing, but Frank and Sarah find that nothing is as it seems in their puzzling, dangerous search for truth.


My Review:
Murder on Madison Square is a historical mystery set in New York City in 1900. This is the 25th 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. Frank, Gino, Sarah, and Maeve helped with the investigation and used their unique skill sets. They asked good questions, but they seemed oddly dense about noticing the obvious considering the information they're told. Sarah, at least, should have caught on to what was happening much sooner based on her experiences as a midwife. I caught on from the beginning, so I only strongly suspected two people. Whodunit became clearer as they collected clues and whodunit was guessable based on those clues.

Some interesting historical details about automobiles and divorce laws were woven into the story. The main characters were nice, engaging 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.