Murder on Astor Place (Gaslight Mystery)

Book Description

A Gaslight Mystery-- The new mystery series Catherine Coulter calls "Tantalizing..."

As a midwife in turn-of-the-century New York, Sarah Brandt has seen pain and joy. Now she will work for something more--a search for justice--in a case of murder involving one of New York's richest families.

"Victoria Thompson is off to a blazing start!"--Catherine Coulter

"A marvelous debut mystery with compelling characters, a fascinating setting, and a stunning resolution." --Jill Churchill, author of The Merchant of Menace

Customer Reviews:

Better than Anne Perry's Thomas Pitt series........2007-05-24

I bought this book as a result of my recommendations from Amazon.com
and I figured this book was just an Anne Perry rip-off, but I was
pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it more than all the Thomas
and Charlotte Pitt series.
The historical detail is very good and the characters of Sarah and
Frank are well written and they keep getting better with each book
in the series. It is pretty easy to figure out who the murderer
turns out to be, but it is still a very satisfying read.
I would recommend this book and this entire series to anyone who
likes historical mysteries. I bought all the books in the series
after reading this one.

Average mystery + interesting characters = the start of a promising series.......2007-05-18

Although I usually only read mysteries set in England, I really enjoyed this tale of turn-of-the-century New York.

Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy, the book's protagonists, are quite compelling. The slow reveling of their painful pasts was well done, and I found their personal stories more interesting than the murder.

The mystery may have been somewhat predictable and the climax a bit over the top, but overall the book was entertaining.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Amazingly Vivid Historical Cozy.......2006-08-09

In the 1st book in the Gaslight Mystery series, readers find themselves transported back in time to the early 1900's. Sarah Brandt, a widow who makes a living in New York as a midwife, came from a privileged background and now finds herself helping all economic classes deliver their babies. One evening while delivering a baby at a rooming house, Sarah notices a young woman that she mistakes for an old friend from school. When she goes back to check on the new mother and baby, she discovers that the young woman had been murdered. She also discovers that the victim was the younger sister of her friend from school. The family is quite wealthy and powerful, and Sarah finds it odd that the victim would be staying in such a neighborhood. Determining to look into the murder, Sarah finds herself at odds with the police sergeant in charge of the case, Frank Malloy. After she provides several pertinent clues to him, Malloy grudgingly allows Sarah to help. And when Malloy is thrown off the case at the request of his corrupt police department, Sarah must take on a killer without becoming the latest victim.

I had put off reading this series for several years even though it came highly recommended to me. Normally, I do not read many "historical" cozies, except the Mrs. Jeffries series (which is no comparison to this fascinating series). But these books kept catching my eye, and finally, I gave in and picked up this book. I loved it, and am annoyed with myself for waiting so long to delve into this superb series! I couldn't put the book down, and loved the vivid setting and fascinating characters. The ending to the mystery was haunting, and I could not stop thinking about it for several days.

Overall, I felt like I had stepped back into time, to an intriguing period in American history, and cannot wait to visit turn-of-the-century New York City with Sarah again! The characters were just as wonderful as the mystery was compelling, and I look forward to reading this series for years to come.

The next book in this series is "Murder on St. Mark's Place". Enjoy!

A very strong beginning to a series.......2006-07-30

I have been anxious to begin this "Gaslight Series" set in turn of the century New York for awhile and this book did not disappoint. Even though I had figured out the murderer and the motive before the end of the book it did not detract from Ms. Thompson's strong storyline and even stronger characters. Sarah Brandt is going to be a great heroine, especially backed by Sergeant Frank Malloy. Ms. Thompson takes on this genre head-on, and her descriptions of early New York life are wonderful. The book held my interest throughout, and I can't wait to read the next book.

An enjoyable read.......2006-07-19

This is the first book in the "gaslight" mystery series. I already read books 6, 7 and 8, and enjoyed them, so I went back to read the first book. Thompson has 2 interesting protagonists in Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy. The story line moves along and there are some surprises along the way. Set in New York City in late 1800's this book has the added touch of history. Not heavy reading, just a good quick book.

Murder on Astor Place (Gaslight Mysteries Ser.)

Average customer rating:

Murder on Astor Place (Gaslight Mysteries Ser.)
Victoria Thompson
Manufacturer: Berkley Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KXOBOS

Book Description

The Tales of the Heike is one of the most influential works in Japanese literature and culture, remaining even today a crucial source for fiction, drama, and popular media. Originally written in the mid-thirteenth century, it features a cast of vivid characters and chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike and changed the course of Japanese history. The Tales of the Heike focuses on the lives of both the samurai warriors who fought for two powerful twelfth-century Japanese clans-the Heike (Taira) and the Genji (Minamoto)-and the women with whom they were intimately connected.

The Tales of the Heike provides a dramatic window onto the emerging world of the medieval samurai and recounts in absorbing detail the chaos of the battlefield, the intrigue of the imperial court, and the gradual loss of a courtly tradition. The book is also highly religious and Buddhist in its orientation, taking up such issues as impermanence, karmic retribution, attachment, and renunciation, which dominated the Japanese imagination in the medieval period.

In this new, abridged translation, Burton Watson offers a gripping rendering of the work's most memorable episodes. Particular to this translation are the introduction by Haruo Shirane, the woodblock illustrations, a glossary of characters, and an extended bibliography.

Average customer rating:

A Picturesque and Lyrical Fantasy
A Good Historical Tale
History
Could have been much more than it was...
A good Effort

Genpei
Kara Dalkey
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Memoirs of the Warrior Kumagai: A Historical Novel (Tuttle Classics)

ASIN: 0312890710

Book Description

From 1155 to 1185, two rival clans, the Minamoto and the Taira, struggled for supremacy in Imperial Japan. During the war and for generations afterward, myths and legends evolved as to the gods and demons who supported the two clans. Some of these legends are written in the Tales of the Heike, which some scholars have called the Japanese Iliad.

Customer Reviews:

A Picturesque and Lyrical Fantasy.......2006-02-07

This is one of the finest fantasy novels I've read (and I've read a lot even by fantasy nerd standards). Dalkey has done a beautiful job of fleshing out the characters of Heike Monogatari and and gives the impression that this is what the Genpei wars would have been like if scientific reality were replaced by the superstitions and beleifs of 12th century Japan. This is one of those books that will keep you thinking and dreaming long after you've set it down.
As far as being a history, it is not advertised as a history. The Tale of the Heike on which it is based is probably accurate in the vague sense that any ancient text written after the fact is valid. But this story DOES help the modern reader to understand the basic events of the Genpei war and is a decent historical fiction in that sense, if imbued with elements of fantasy.
Don't read it if you're looking for non-fiction, but you'll be hard pressed to find a more engaging and beautifully written fantasy.

A Good Historical Tale.......2003-06-21

As a student of Japanese history, I found that learning of this time era in class extemely dull and confusing, but Dalkey is able to tell the same story adding in all the myth of ancient Japan makeing the story of the Gempei wars much more entertaining. The voice of the book was also well done, reminding me of the Tale of Genji, it made me feel like I was reading a true tale of that time without all the confusion that comes with translating ancient texts. Of course if you're not the least bit interested in Japanese history this book is not for you.

History.......2003-05-18

If I am not mistaken, this book is meant to be a history book, not a novel for entertainment. (?)
Then if that is the case, it's not supposed to be "fantastic" or tell stories, it's supposed to give accurate fact and detail as genuine historical record. If you are looking for a sensationalized literature book based upon the Gempei war, then read "Tale of the Heike".

Could have been much more than it was..........2003-03-13

Like samurai?
Like vicious backstabbing and war?
Like demons, angered gods and magic?

Well, keep looking. This book sounds all the right notes, but is deaf to the music.

Apparenly, Kara Dalkey modeled Genpei on ancient Japanese books like Genji Monogatari, and therein lies the chief problem. Those old books are fantastic for historical reference, but in terms of entertainment value, they style is completely unsuitable to a fantasy novel. Dalkey's mistake is in believing that her fantasy chronicle is equal to thousand-year-old tomes -- it is not.

Genpei is a dry and ponderous affair that feels twice as long as it actually is, modelled (as it appears to be) on academic translations of Genpei-era chronicles. Why Dalkey thought this was a wise choice for a prose style, I have no idea; the writing is capable but dry as dust, lacking any particular voice and any trace of flourish. The dialogue is utterly formal and devoid of wit. The method of storytelling, much like a historical chronicle, seems to be 'tell, don't show'; the story tracks decades in the lives of the Taira and Minamoto families, and much of the story is devoted to playing catch-up by tediously summarizing what happened in the timespan between chapters.

It's hard to work up sympathy for any of the characters, as they all seem to be an array of scheming and politicking old men, mostly so similar that it's difficult to separate them -- and not just because of their similar and ever-changing names, as per Japanese customs. It is only possible to recognise the chief villain because he is just slightly more underhanded and scheming than all the rest of the generally despicable characters. I do not believe this is some kind of arch commentary on the degenerate, ruthless nature of Heian court politics -- though with its multiple backstabbings and demonic pacts, it really ought to be.

A fantasy based on the Genpei wars could have, should have, been a fantastic read. It was a fascinating period in Japanese history, a time when courtly peace began its decay back into bickering feudalism. The surviving writings from this time are superior to this fictional appropriation of the setting. Genji Monogatari featured a wealth of psychological realism to its characters, Heike Monogatari is a blunt, realistic war chronicle, and the mythological texts of the period have a haunting beauty that shines through their often clunky translations. Genpei lacks in all areas.

It's unfortunate that any English writer who takes on the daunting challenge of writing about Japanese history always reverts to stiff, bone-dry stylistic formality in doing so (see also the tremendously overrated Lian Hearn). Writers like these apparently want us to believe that sympathetic characters, gripping narrative and rich dialogue are purely Western inventions, unsuitable for application to the stiffly-subtitled samurai. It's not so. If you want to be entertained while reading about feudal Japan, you may as well go to actual translated sources such as Heike Monogatari; at least the events it describes actually occurred.

By all means, read Dalkey's Genpei if your fascination with samurai exhausts the fairly limited subgenre of samurai fantasy, but it really should not be first on your list. If you want a samurai drama with heart, humour and historical accuracy, there is no better than Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi series, which benefits from a breezy translation and cultural insights that we non-Japanese cannot provide. It may not have demons and dragons, but it is substantially better than anything we Westerners have yet contributed to this uniquely Japanese genre.

A good Effort.......2002-02-19

I've never read anything else by Dalkey, but knowing something of the period she adapted to Fantasy, I would have to say this is a good effort, but not an excellent one.

It is a must read for those who eat, sleep and breath everything Japanese. But this is definately not a novel that grabs hold and keeps you rivitted, though for the first forty or so pages it may seem that way.

Average customer rating:

This book is exactly what I was looking for

Wherever You Are....You Too Can Enjoy New England!!!

perfect New England vacation companion

Like a trip to the shore

tastes like home

The New England Clam Shack Cookbook: Favorite Recipes from Clam Shacks, Lobster Pounds & Chowder Houses
Brooke Dojny
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Seafood | Meat, Poultry & Seafood | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
New England | U.S. Regional | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Lobster at Home

ASIN: 1580174736

Book Description

Stop any Yankee on the street and ask the name of his or her favorite restaurant, and you'll be directed to a Connecticut clam shack . . . or a Maine lobster pound . . . or a Massachusetts chowder house. In these rustic eateries, you find the freshest seafood prepared according to classic, decades-old, family recipes. Mountains of whole-belly fried clams. Steaming bowls of rich, creamy chowder. Sweet lobster boiled in seawater. Fresh, succulent cod fillets fried golden brown.

In THE NEW ENGLAND CLAM SHACK COOKBOOK, author and native New Englander Brooke Dojny presents traditional New England fare as it is served up in 25 classic seafood eateries. With a little cajoling, Dojny managed to get the owners to reveal their recipes for such Yankee favorites as chowder (clear, red, and white), lobster rolls, fried clams, sweet New England crab, broiled mackerel, and garlicky mussels. Then there are the side dishes: perfect cole slaw and onion rings, pickled beets, and red bliss potato salad. Of course, no book on Yankee cuisine would be complete without a chapter on those famous New England desserts - apple crisp, Indian pudding, wild blueberry pie, whoopie pies, and a whole lot more.

Along the way, Dojny weaves together the history of these restaurants with local lore. She profiles fishermen and cooks. She weighs in on the Great New England Seafood Debates: red chowder vs. white chowder vs. clear chowder; batter-fried clams vs. crumb-fried clams. Scattered throughout the book are sidebars that offer practical advice on how to re-create great New England seafood in your own kitchen: the proper way to clean and shuck clams, the basics of frying fish fillets. THE NEW ENGLAND CLAM SHACK COOKBOOK will make you want to drop what you're doing, grab your car keys, and head for the New England coast. <

Customer Reviews:

This book is exactly what I was looking for.......2004-05-28

Great, fun book for those of us who know and love New England clam shacks. It's fun to read and to look at, brings it all back to you about what fun those places are, and what a vanishing breed, and if you care to make some of the recipes, why they're there as well. Excellent book, in every aspect, and would be a fun gift book or memorabilia from travels to New England. Just love it. Very light-hearted content and lovely visual presentation, but informative as well. Nothing boring here.

Wherever You Are....You Too Can Enjoy New England!!!.......2003-06-29

One year before I moved to Maine, I was visiting a friend in Yarmouth and we went for seafood at Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster. I was hooked! The meal consisted of 2 lobsters, fries and fresh native corn. The place was also packed, itself a tribute to the popularity of the food served there. The fried clams are dipped in batter which the people 'from away' aka tourists, seem to prefer. You can also purchase fresh shellfish for the home clambake or lobster boil.

I am a SCUBA diver and the cove near Two Lights Lobster Shack is a great place at high tide. And no dive could be complete without a lobster roll from the Lobster Shack. In fact, the opening and closing dates for this establishment are announced in the local paper...sure signs of the arrival of spring or fall.

Clam shacks are 'real' seafood restaurants. They aren't fancy but the food is outstanding. Brooke Dojny has captured the essence of this New England cuisine and provides a wonderful insight to this uniquely Yankee culinary tradition. Lest you think that this book is only about seafood, there are chapters about chicken, sides and desserts. After all, what's a seafood dinner without a good cole slaw?

Ms. Dojny also covers in detail the differences and preferences of various regions within New England. For instance, Maine folks prefer chowder made with soft-shell clams and milk(with a little cream for a thicker base) while in Massachusetts, hard-shell clams called quahogs are used along with milk and flour for thickening. Southern New England features clear or red chowders with hard-shell clams and tomatoes. Mainers consider it heresy to serve 'that red stuff' and you won't find it unless you make it yourself.

Chowders aside, the book is easy to read and a wealth of information about New England. Did I say that the recipes are great too? There is even a recipe for Whoopie Pies!! No cook in this region is without a recipe for them and if you haven't tried one, buy the book or stop by Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster for a scrumptious treat!

In short, buy the book! That way you won't have to wait until spring to enjoy this delicious fare.

perfect New England vacation companion.......2003-06-27

If you are going to new England this summer, be sure to take along this book. It's a combination of tour guide, restaurant guide and beach read. Following the clam shack trail provides a perfect itinerary for the trip. I can't say that I ate in all of the places suggested, but enough of them to recognize that Ms. Dojny knows what she's talking about. This stuff is the perfect summer food. (and cheap!)

You'll also find the edit informative and fun. I recommend it highly. Hope that she does New Jersey next.

Like a trip to the shore.......2003-06-26

Brooke Dojny is in her element with this book. A love and expert on all things "New England", Brooke is especially knowledgeable and passionate about the clam shacks that dot and define the New England coastline. Even if you live 3,000 miles from New England, this book will bring you right to the "shore" with each and every recipe.

tastes like home.......2003-06-24

As a transplanted New Englander I am thrilled with this cookbook. I have access to all the products, but just couldn't make them taste the way I remembered. My mom sent me this cookbook and now I am making Spanish lobster taste like Maine and Spanish clams taste like steamers. And to people here clam chowder is a revelation! I am using these recipes at dinner parties and my friends here think I have created something new! Little do they know this is just exactly what it tastes like on the East Coast!

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