Away in a Manger

September 28, 2015
Set around Christmas in 1905 New York City, Bowen’s so-so 15th Molly Murphy mystery (after The Edge of Dreams) finds Molly, no longer a PI, preoccupied with being a good wife to NYPD Capt. Daniel Sullivan and mother to their baby, Liam. When Liam’s nanny, Bridie, is moved by the sight of a young girl, Emmy, singing for alms on the cold streets of Manhattan, Molly and Bridie decide to donate some clothes to her. After further encounters with Emmy and her older brother, Molly learns that their mother delivered them to an aunt, who sends them onto the streets to earn their keep. Molly determines to help the siblings by learning the truth about their mother’s fate. A subplot related to Daniel’s professional difficulties stemming from his unwillingness to play ball with the Tammany crowd is basically window-dressing. Some series fans may feel Molly’s sleuthing skills aren’t up to her usual standard. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

September 15, 2015
As Christmas 1905 approaches in New York City, the fates of two children hang in the balance. While she's out shopping with her young son, Liam, and her ward, Bridie, Molly Murphy Sullivan (The Edge of Dreams, 2015, etc.) comes upon a beautiful young girl with a voice like an angel singing in a doorway. Bridie, who feels sorry for the frozen-looking child, brings her some old clothes and insists on knitting her a warm scarf. When they return, little Emmy and her brother, Tig, tell them the scarf was confiscated by their aunt Hettie, who feeds them little and forces them to work the streets and sleep in a freezing attic. Molly learns that the children were left in Hettie's care by their vanished mother. They both have English accents and are obviously very well brought up. The impetuous Molly, certain that their mother would never desert them, resolves to help them. She gets a clue when Tig recognizes his mother's locket in a pawnshop window. Meanwhile, Daniel, Molly's police-captain husband, is shot and wounded just as his mother arrives in New York for Christmas. Molly's good friends and neighbors Sid and Gus take the two children in, fearing for their lives, while Molly tracks down more clues that could help establish who the children really are. Without Daniel to smooth her way, Molly finds it more difficult to get the answers she needs, but she puts her own life in danger to help the children. Although this heartwarming story of the Christmas spirit doesn't rank with Molly's best cases, it details the deplorable conditions poor children suffered a century ago.

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 15, 2015
It's the Christmas season in 1905, and Molly Murphy Sullivan wants a quiet holiday at home in New York with her police-captain husband, toddler Liam, and 12-year-old Bridie, her ward. While shopping, Molly and Bridie are captivated by a poor waif singing for money. They try to help with warm clothes and food for the girl and her brother, and, soon enough, Molly and her family are drawn into the pair's lives. After learning that the kids' mother has disappeared, leaving them under the thumb of an abusive aunt, Molly is determined to find the missing motheralong with taking care of her own family and visiting her husband, who is in the hospital after being shot. The discovery of the mother's locket leads Molly to upper-crust New York, where she discovers surprising connections and a trail of crimes, including murder. Molly remains an intrepid sleuth but one with whom readers identify. This excellent Christmas adventure offers much good will amid the harsh realities of the day.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

October 15, 2015

The 15th entry in this best-selling historical series (Edge of Dreams) takes place at Christmastime in 1905 New York City. Molly Murphy Sullivan is looking forward to an uneventful holiday season with her husband, baby, and her ward Bridie. She and Bridie are out shopping when they hear a beggar girl with an angelic voice singing "Away in a Manger." They're drawn to helping the girl and then her brother, but it soon becomes apparent that these children are victims of a larger scheme involving the scions of Gotham society. Molly will have to tread carefully as she seeks the truth and tries to find the children's family. VERDICT Full of historical details and holiday spirit, this makes an excellent Yuletide read. [See Prepub Alert, 6/1/15.]

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2015

As Christmas 1905 approaches, Molly Murphy Sullivan (of the Anthony and Agatha Award-winning series) gives a nickel to a sweet-voiced beggar girl, then learns that she and her brother have come to New York from England and are living with a truly nasty aunt. Who are they, where is their mother, and why does their story lead to the crustiest upper-crust of New York society? With a national tour.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.