Review: Murder on Madison Square

Murder on Madison Square by Victoria Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The life of Frank Malloy, millionaire private detective, and his wife Sarah continues. Maeve Smith is now not only nanny to their children but now secretary and part-time sleuth in Frank's detective agency and Gino Donatelli continues as his partner. The children are growing up and Mrs Malloy continues to live with her son and his family. She is as delightful as ever, sitting in her corner of the room, knitting and listening to the discussions of cases, with her off-hand remarks as theories are batted around. At one point, Frank says he needs to put her on the payroll and her pithy response,it's about time, brought an audible chuckle from me. Truly these characters are so well defined the reader begins to feel they are real people and that she is part of the story as she reads.

This new case starts with the appearance of a fairly well off lady's appearance at Confidential Inquiries with a request for Frank that he cannot fulfill. She is desirous of a divorce from her husband of nine months but since he has not committed adultery, she is unable to get a divorce in New York. She has been sent to Frank by an attorney with offices in the same building. He has suggested that for a fee an investigator might be willing to set a trap for her husband--having a woman with a photographer catch him in a compromising position thus providing the wife with proof of infidelity and an almost guaranteed divorce decree. Frank, needless to say, is not in the business of such shabby acts. Perplexed at the woman's desire to end a marriage to a man who seems to treat her well and care for her and her daughter with generosity and care, Frank seeks to find the reason. Mrs. Bing becomes agitated and leaves his office abruptly after refusing adamantly to discuss it.

Several pages later, watching Mr Bing with her young daughter at an automobile show, it became very clear to me what the problem was and why Mrs Bing wanted to leave him. The author, however, does not reveal the situation until almost the end of the book. I found this very frustrating since it was so very clear. But, perhaps, because the setting is 1900 New York City and not 2023 when we have become so much more aware of childhood abuse, it would have been less obvious. Nevertheless, despite the knowledge, the question of who killed Mr Bing, when he is found beneath an electric motor car manufactured by his company, is still a quandry leading to many suspects with motive to be free of him. The why of his murder not so much at least to this reader. thus earning a 4 star rather than a 5 star review.

The history of electric cars is fascinating. I remember as a girl my Dad telling me that there had been electric delivery trucks that could get out to Montauk from Queens but could not get back without staying overnight to recharge. He said they used huge, heavy nickel -cadmium batteries that made them impractacal for universal use and eventually they were discontinued. I wish he were alive to see the advent of today's electric cars, though I still think they have a long way to ge to become the next big thing, despite the government's determination to force them down our throats before the infrastructure of charging stations has been built and the solution to disposal of refuse is determined.

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