A year before World War I breaks out, the sidewalks of Manhattan are crowded with restless newcomers chasing the fabled American Dream, including a sharp-witted young woman who discovers a talent for investigating murder . . . New York City, 1913. Twenty-year-old Louise Faulk has fled Altoona, Pennsylvania, to start a life under dizzying lights. In a city of endless possibilities, it’s not long … possibilities, it’s not long before the young ingénue befriends a witty aspiring model and makes a splash at the liveliest parties on the Upper East Side. But glitter fades to grit when Louise’s Greenwich Village apartment becomes the scene of a violent murder and a former suitor hustling for Tin Pan Alley fame hits front-page headlines as the prime suspect . . .
Driven to investigate the crime, Louise finds herself stepping into the seediest corners of the burgeoning metropolis—where she soon discovers that failed dreams can turn dark and deadly . . .
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In the summer of 1913, Louise Faulk is enjoying her new life in New York City until one evening when she and her roommate, Callie, return to their apartment to find Callie’s cousin, Ethel, dead. Ethel had been staying with them for several weeks, but was from out of town and hardly knew anyone. The police focus on someone that Louise knows would never commit murder, so she starts to investigate. But who could have motive to kill Ethel?
The book starts off quickly, but I did feel the pacing was a bit uneven as the story unfolded. There was one thing that I wasn’t satisfied with at the end of the book as well, but only because I disagreed with Louise’s conclusion. Overall, the plot is interesting and held my interest all the way until we reached the logical climax. Louise is a wonderful main character, and I’m very interested to see where the series takes her next. The suspects are strong, and the rest of the cast is interesting. The book was a little darker than I was expecting, more a traditional than the cozies I normally read. As long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. I will definitely be visiting Louise again. I’m anxious to find out what happens to her next.
Engrossing second book in the Louise Faulk Mystery series set in pre-World-War I New York. Louise is a sharpwitted young woman from a troubled past who joins the New York police – one of the first woman officers in NYC. Fast moving plot, really good scene setting, and likeable characters. Liz talks about her amazing career in a recent Joys of Binge Reading podcast: https://bit.ly/2UX9L3i
Murder in Greenwich Village by Liz Freeland is the first book in A Louise Faulk Mystery series. We venture back to 1913 in New York City. Louise Faulk arrived in New York six months prior and, with the help of her Aunt Irene, she has a job at Van Hooten & McChesney. Her aunt, Irene Livingston Green is an author who hosts interesting gatherings every Thursday evening. Louise meets author, Ford Fitzsimmons whose manuscript she recently read and recommended to her boss. She would like to read more of Ford’s work as well as get to know him better and provides him with her home address. After the party, Louise and her roommate, Callie head home and encounter Callie’s married boyfriend, Sawyer Attinger along the way. Callie is a beautiful woman who works as a mannequin at Solomon’s and is an aspiring Broadway actress. Callie enters her bedroom where her cousin, Ethel has been staying for the last month and lets out a scream. Ethel is facedown on the bed in Callie’s negligee with a butcher’s knife in her back. Detective Muldoon and Detective Robinson are on the case. The next morning, Louise is surprised when an old friend from back home arrives and is promptly arrested as the killer. Louise knows Otto would not harm a soul and, after some encouragement from Aunt Irene, she delves into the case. Louise finds herself discovering new parts of the city as she checks out her suspects and discovers that everyone has secrets including herself.
Murder in Greenwich Village is different from other cozy mysteries as it is set in 1913. Louise Faulk is a perky main character who is hiding a secret. I did not like her secret and wish it had not been included in the book. She is passionate about clearing the wrong people accused of the crime, but she lacks subtly. Louise’s questions come across as accusations offending people. While the author was trying to make the mystery complicated, it ended up being convoluted with too many people involved. There are several red herrings, but they do not detract from identifying the guilty party (it was a cinch). Louise running around the city reminds me of busy work in school (the substitute teacher would give students). It would have been nice if the author had worked to develop the characters (fleshed them out) and eliminate some of the wacky ones (did we need the smarmy son of the landlord and the noisy musicians). There is repetition of information, endless speculation and the book has a slow pace. Murder in Greenwich Village has potential. I am curious to see if Louise will join the police force, and I like the potential romance between Louise and Detective Muldoon. My rating for Murder in Greenwich Village 3 out of 5 stars. For readers who prefer light, historical cozy mysteries, pick up Murder in Greenwich Village to see how Louise fares in solving Ethel’s murder.
I recommend this book . Let me clarify that the plot is kind of slow but interesting. I love historical fiction and the author does a great job describing historical landmarks and framing the main character conflicts within a historical context. The book main plot is finding a culprit to a murder as the tittle implies. However,in that process the author depicts social issues facing women which includes violence and injustice and isolation following a rape. Some of those issues including unfair self blame and shame often follows the victim. I liked the book because the author created a main character that because of her strength and determination did not introject the victimization label. Louise is assertive , creative and proactive and refused to behave as expected by social determination. Louise trusted that even during hard times somebody can extend a hand , and she also follows through with by helping a destitute neighbor and defending the innocents. In a way she was compensating for the injustices that were inflicted on her.Values of friendship , loyalty were discussed. Views on abortion and adoption were also part of the narrative . I gave her a 4 stars because I was disappointed with the ending . I found incongruent and far fetched and did not do justice to the rest of the book. I want to add that the author used a good sense of humor to alleviate the tension and the character antics addeded to the charm of the plot . Overall I liked it
I like how the main character is independent but also realistic
I enjoyed the main character, a feisty young woman who tracks down the murderer of her roommate. Hope this is the first in a new series