Murphy’s Law is the captivating first entry of Rhys Bowen’s New York Times bestselling Molly Murphy seriesMolly Murphy always knew she’d end up in trouble, just as her mother predicted. So, when she commits murder in self-defense, she flees her cherished Ireland, and her identity, for the anonymous shores of America. When she arrives in new York and sees the welcoming promise of freedom in the … welcoming promise of freedom in the Statue of Liberty, Molly begins to breathe easier. But when a man is murdered on Ellis Island, a man Molly was seen arguing with, she becomes a prime suspect in the crime.
Using her Irish charm and sharp wit, Molly escapes Ellis Island and sets out to find the wily killer on her own. Pounding the notorious streets of Hell’s Kitchen and the Lower East Side, Molly make sit her desperate mission to clear her name before her deadly past comes back to haunt her new future.
Murphy’s Law won the 2001 Agatha Award and was nominated for the 2002 Mary Higgins Clark Award.
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best opening scene!
I LOVE this Molly Murphy series! Gobbled up the first two in a week. Rhys Bowen creates a wonderful world —the thing I look for most in my reading— where you miss the characters and the setting when you’re not reading. I’ve had a hard month with some family tragedy, and these books filled with entertaining mystery, a spunky lead character who makes me laugh out loud and want to be more like her, and a fabulous setting of historic NYC has made this time bearable and I’ll always be grateful to Rhys Bowen for giving me this outlet. I’ll be reading the following books incessantly. So you may not hear from me for a while ;-).
I love anything Rhys Bowen writes!! I have so enjoyed her Royal Spyness series that I decied to try her Molly Murphy series. It did not disappoint. I am in awe of how different the tone and characters are between series. Bowen is a very talented writer who can jump between decades with a disciplined hand, making us really care about her characters. Can’t wait to jump into the next in the series!
It was a romp – quirky humour, a hard-case heroine, bad guys and good ones, excitement and a fast-moving plot. It hooked me on to reading more by the same author, and to continue with the Molly Murphy series.
Molly Murphy is a sleuth to treasure in corrupt, crime-filled New York at the turn of the 20th century. She’s bold, smart, funny, and the fact that she’s immigrating under false colours adds to the intrigue. One of the books I wish I’d written.
The first in a wonderful historical mystery series. You will fall in love with this independent and clever heroine!
Enjoy this series
Irish immigrant Molly Murphy arrives in the rough lower east side of NYC in the late 19th century and is on the run, with handsome police captain Daniel Sullivan tracking her down. Both are flawed, but both are genuinely trying to do the right thing, too. My kind of story!
I absolutely adore everything Rhys Bowen writes and Murphy’s Law, the start of her new series featuring sleuth Molly Murphy, was no exception. Bowen writes historical mysteries that are compulsively readable. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is that makes me unable to put her books down, but they just have this page-turning quality about them that makes her a favorite of mine. Her writing is clever and relatable, her characters endearing, her settings so incredibly vivid, and the mysteries add the perfect amount of suspense. Her books are really becoming the standard by which I judge the mysteries that I read.
This series tells the story of Irish immigrant Molly Murphy and her journey to America and Bowen does an excellent job of immersing the reader in the life and politics of her characters in New York City and adds fascinating details about Ellis Island and the plight of the Irish. The book tugged at my heartstrings several times and had me up late racing to the end. There’s also a delicious romance brewing in the background and I really can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series. I highly recommend this one if you’re looking for an exceptional mystery.
Rhys Bowen’s Book ‘Murphy’s Law’ does not disappoint.
Molly Murphy is a delightful character and once more her shenanigans get her into danger. This quote from the book made me laugh out loud. I knew something good was about to happen, “Maybe it was that Celtic sixth sense working again, because I also sensed the presence of danger.”
Trying to escape a self-defense situation, Molly and her disguised family travel from Ireland to America. After retrieving Molly from the icy cold Sea a kind hearted police officer finds out Molly is not a “Mrs” but a “Miss” leaving them both in an awkward or happy situation?
Great easy read with a great main character
Author Rhys Bowen has acquired a new fan of her Molly Murphy mystery series. Loaded with bravado, sassy, Irish native Molly arrives in America fleeing personal trouble, only to find herself in a searing stew of problems. Homeless, hungry and the prime suspect of a murder investigation, Molly escorts readers through the seamier side of New York City on the daily, tracking other suspects, so she can get on with her new life. Good fortune smiles upon her in the form of police captain Daniel Sullivan who is as captivated with Molly as we are, and gives her the benefit of the doubt time after time. My affection for a bold female protagonist, historical fiction, and authentic cultural depictions is satisfied in this appealing tale. I will be traveling New York City with Molly again.
Great start to a great series.
Slow to start, with a heroine I sometimes found intensely aggravating, but also relatable and engaging. Molly gets into some slightly unlikely but very interesting scrapes. I enjoyed this book once the action really got started. I’ll probably keep an eye out for a sale on the next one in the series.
I like stories that continue. And I particularly like stories of New York in the early 18 and 1900s. The atmospheric details and the actual places make the stories come alive.
This book is the start of the Molly Murphy Mystery series. I really enjoyed it because it brought me to another place and time. Where the immigrants were trying to come to America for a new life. Old-fashioned clothes. Building the subway underground. And I also enjoyed how the author didn’t reveal everything about Molly, but enough to make me wonder about her and her past. Solving the murder took a little longer than I wanted to, but that didn’t stop me from continuing to read the book.
Love all of Molly Murphy series
First of a series. Well written. Makes one look forward to next book.
This is the first book of one of my favorite series. I love the time period and the NYC setting.
The entire series is Grand, and every Irish family should read it. Great research, characters, and what a story to follow! A1