laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
Molly Murphy
4 Stars
On the run from the law, Molly Murphy escapes her native Ireland for the promise of 19th century New York. Unfortunately, trouble follows in Molly’s footsteps when a man with whom she had an altercation onboard ship is murdered at Ellis Island and she must use her sharp wits and Irish charm to clear her name.
The excellent historical background and vivacious heroine make up for the rather lackluster who-dun-it.
Despite its potential the mystery is underdeveloped. There are too few clues to go on and the resolution is achieved far too easily after being based on a series of lucky coincidences rather than any real investigative ability on Molly’s part.
Nevertheless, Molly is a wonderful heroine. While other readers are often ticked off by stubborn and willful characters, they are one of my favorite types and Molly epitomizes these traits alongside other endearing qualities such as intelligence, spirit and a certain amount of naïveté about the realities of immigrant life. The hints at a romance to come with the intrepid Detective Daniel Sullivan adds nuance both the the characterization and the story as a whole.
The historical detail on the Irish in New York at the turn of the century is fascinating and the descriptions of the immigrant experiences of Ellis Island, Hell’s Kitchen and the Bowery for the Jews, Italians, Germans, and Irish who flocked to America makes for compelling listening.
Nicola’s Barbers narration is out of this world and her Irish brogue is both immersive and a pleasure to listen to. Looking forward to continuing with the series and will look into Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series as well.
4 Stars
On the run from the law, Molly Murphy escapes her native Ireland for the promise of 19th century New York. Unfortunately, trouble follows in Molly’s footsteps when a man with whom she had an altercation onboard ship is murdered at Ellis Island and she must use her sharp wits and Irish charm to clear her name.
The excellent historical background and vivacious heroine make up for the rather lackluster who-dun-it.
Despite its potential the mystery is underdeveloped. There are too few clues to go on and the resolution is achieved far too easily after being based on a series of lucky coincidences rather than any real investigative ability on Molly’s part.
Nevertheless, Molly is a wonderful heroine. While other readers are often ticked off by stubborn and willful characters, they are one of my favorite types and Molly epitomizes these traits alongside other endearing qualities such as intelligence, spirit and a certain amount of naïveté about the realities of immigrant life. The hints at a romance to come with the intrepid Detective Daniel Sullivan adds nuance both the the characterization and the story as a whole.
The historical detail on the Irish in New York at the turn of the century is fascinating and the descriptions of the immigrant experiences of Ellis Island, Hell’s Kitchen and the Bowery for the Jews, Italians, Germans, and Irish who flocked to America makes for compelling listening.
Nicola’s Barbers narration is out of this world and her Irish brogue is both immersive and a pleasure to listen to. Looking forward to continuing with the series and will look into Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series as well.
tealadytammy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thegeekyblogger's review against another edition
3.0
Read for Fun (Library)
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 4.00
First Thought when Finished: Murphy's Law was a great start to a "new to me" series.
Quick Thoughts: The characters are what rocked Murphy's Law. Molly is smart, layered, and quick thinking. Her backstory is super interesting and different than what I expected. Though I doubt it is unusual for the time, I am just surprised to see it in a story. Good job Rhys! This series is a bit more serious than her other series but still just as rich in detail. I kind of felt transported back in time to NY. The case wasn't as strong, probably the only downside, but I expect that to change now that the setting and characters have been introduced. I will be continuing this series and I am glad my book club gave the push to read it!
Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Reviews
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 4.00
First Thought when Finished: Murphy's Law was a great start to a "new to me" series.
Quick Thoughts: The characters are what rocked Murphy's Law. Molly is smart, layered, and quick thinking. Her backstory is super interesting and different than what I expected. Though I doubt it is unusual for the time, I am just surprised to see it in a story. Good job Rhys! This series is a bit more serious than her other series but still just as rich in detail. I kind of felt transported back in time to NY. The case wasn't as strong, probably the only downside, but I expect that to change now that the setting and characters have been introduced. I will be continuing this series and I am glad my book club gave the push to read it!
Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Reviews
durantedianne's review against another edition
A solid conventional mystery, set in Ireland and NYC ca. 1900: good atmosphere, appealing characters, satisfying ending, although there were bits that stretched credibility. Recommended if you read mysteries regularly and need your habit fed, although perhaps not as the only book you read this month / year.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This was a quick read that I really enjoyed. The historical details were good, and I especially enjoyed the tough Irish heroine who came over on the ship from England. Set in New York in the era of Tammany politics. I liked the characters and the historical details better than the actual mystery. I will read more of these.
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
3.0
Yay, I have found another mediocre mystery series to binge-read!
author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition
5.0
Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen is the first of at least 17 Molly Murphy historical cozy mysteries. What would you like to know about Molly Murphy? First, she can take care of herself. When an English landowner’s son threatened her honor, he ended up dead and Molly went on the run. Second, Molly has the luck of the Irish, so with barely enough money for the train to Belfast and a boat on to Liverpool, she ends up in New York City. When she arrives on Ellis Island, O’Malley is murdered (throat slit) and Molly and her friend Michael Larkin are the prime suspects.
A delightful romp through 1900 New York City, as fearless, brazen Molly Murphy solves murders and learns about life in the big city.
For my expanded notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2020/12/murphys-law-by-rhys-bowen-117.html
“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
A delightful romp through 1900 New York City, as fearless, brazen Molly Murphy solves murders and learns about life in the big city.
For my expanded notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2020/12/murphys-law-by-rhys-bowen-117.html
“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
rebzreads100's review against another edition
4.0
A nice introduction to the series, and an enjoyable character. Having read the 13th book already, it was nice to clarify some of the events that are mentioned in that book.
bookladysreviews's review against another edition
3.0
To say that I immensely enjoyed Murphy's Law is an understatement, since I devoured it in a day, which hasn't happened in a while. I'm a huge fan of Historical Mysteries and, naturally, I had to get my hands on this particular gem as soon as I discovered its existence. You might be wondering why I gave it a rating of 3-stars since I enjoyed it so much. I would've done the same, if I'm being honest. Well, the answer is quite simple and not as complicated as one might think, considering my knack for pulling apart a book's plot and pointing out what didn't sit well with me. Let me tell you, dear readers, the only thing this particular book lacked, was length. I really felt like we were rushed through an amazing story line that would've had so much more to offer than its -roughly- 240 pages provided us with.
The book is set in 20th century New York, but the main character is actually from Ireland. There's a lot of Irish kind of politics going on throughout the novel, but it's not something I'm really going to discuss in this review. She flees after murdering someone in self-defense and decides to embark on a long journey to New York, in order to escape the fate that's waiting for her in her hometown and decides to pursue the American Dream, like so many others did at the time. After a chance encounter gives her the opportunity she was looking for, she just has to ''fake it to make it'', basically. Before she reaches her destination though, Molly finds herself in yet another scandal, since someone she was seen arguing with ends up murdered. Things get much more complicated from there and since nobody believes that she's innocent, she takes it upon herself to figure out who committed the crime and clear her name.
Murphy's Law, being the first book in a long series, introduced the characters and the setting in a brilliant way, in my opinion. The plot was easy to follow and its flow was achieved with a simplicity that was neither boring, nor unimaginative. It was such a fun and light read, which made it even easier for me to get lost in its pages. The writing style was quite enjoyable and, most importantly, it made sense. In other words, it was consistent, easily understood and nicely structured. The author got the point across without using unnecessary details, which is usually the case with Mystery novels. Vivid imagery and likable characters made up for the lack of depth in some cases, which brings me back to a major complaint that I've already mentioned. I feel like the book was too short and had much more to offer, in terms of plot and character development. But maybe that's a good thing, since the series consists of seventeen books, as of today.
I was invested in the story from the beginning until the end though, which is the only thing you need to take into consideration, in case you plan on reading it! I would definitely recommend it, even though I wasn't too impressed, the story remains intriguing and the characters have an air of mystery that is definitely fascinating! I obviously cannot wait to see what the future holds for Molly Murphy and I'm so glad that I enjoyed it, but didn't love it, because I will go into the rest of the books in the series with a certain open-mindedness that would've otherwise been overshadowed by high expectations! I've also gone into great troubles to find the rest of the series in these particular covers, which has been the most difficult trials I've put myself through these past couple of months. AbeBooks better deliver them soon and in one piece, because it was my first time ordering from them and I've not heard the greatest things about their customer service.
The book is set in 20th century New York, but the main character is actually from Ireland. There's a lot of Irish kind of politics going on throughout the novel, but it's not something I'm really going to discuss in this review. She flees after murdering someone in self-defense and decides to embark on a long journey to New York, in order to escape the fate that's waiting for her in her hometown and decides to pursue the American Dream, like so many others did at the time. After a chance encounter gives her the opportunity she was looking for, she just has to ''fake it to make it'', basically. Before she reaches her destination though, Molly finds herself in yet another scandal, since someone she was seen arguing with ends up murdered. Things get much more complicated from there and since nobody believes that she's innocent, she takes it upon herself to figure out who committed the crime and clear her name.
Murphy's Law, being the first book in a long series, introduced the characters and the setting in a brilliant way, in my opinion. The plot was easy to follow and its flow was achieved with a simplicity that was neither boring, nor unimaginative. It was such a fun and light read, which made it even easier for me to get lost in its pages. The writing style was quite enjoyable and, most importantly, it made sense. In other words, it was consistent, easily understood and nicely structured. The author got the point across without using unnecessary details, which is usually the case with Mystery novels. Vivid imagery and likable characters made up for the lack of depth in some cases, which brings me back to a major complaint that I've already mentioned. I feel like the book was too short and had much more to offer, in terms of plot and character development. But maybe that's a good thing, since the series consists of seventeen books, as of today.
I was invested in the story from the beginning until the end though, which is the only thing you need to take into consideration, in case you plan on reading it! I would definitely recommend it, even though I wasn't too impressed, the story remains intriguing and the characters have an air of mystery that is definitely fascinating! I obviously cannot wait to see what the future holds for Molly Murphy and I'm so glad that I enjoyed it, but didn't love it, because I will go into the rest of the books in the series with a certain open-mindedness that would've otherwise been overshadowed by high expectations! I've also gone into great troubles to find the rest of the series in these particular covers, which has been the most difficult trials I've put myself through these past couple of months. AbeBooks better deliver them soon and in one piece, because it was my first time ordering from them and I've not heard the greatest things about their customer service.
indianajane's review against another edition
3.0
The historical setting--turn of the century New York--is the best part about this book. (As a genealogist, I enjoyed the Ellis Island portion of the book and found it to match other things that I've read about that experience.) I think that the characters, while somewhat stereotypical, will probably get more interesting as the series continues. One big peeve, for me, is that the language was wrong in many places. The characters used words that wouldn't have been used in 1903. There were other little things, but I will definitely read the next one.