Ratings13
Average rating3.6
Molly Murphy has finally begun to forget the unpleasant murder of a would-be rapist back in Ireland, not to mention her investigation into the murder of a fellow recent Irish immigrant, and is finally free to begin her life in New York City. Given her experiences so far in the New World, Molly has decided that her first order of business is to become a private investigator, a people finder of sorts, working for families in Europe who've lost touch with relatives in America. Not only might this put some food on her table, but her second order of business is to hook the handsome NYPD police captain Daniel Sullivan, and she envisions lots of opportunities to "seek his counsel" in her new profession. Paddy Riley is a tough old Cockney P.I. who specializes in divorce work, and with a little persuasion he's ready to take on Molly as an apprentice. It's not exactly what she imagined, but she plans to make the most of it. That is, until she comes in to work one day to find her new world turned upside down and all expectations for her professional life suddenly up in the air. Before long, Molly has set off on a journey that will take her through the back alleys of Manhattan and into the bars and lounges of the literary scene, where she spends time with writers, actors, poets, and musicians. It's quite an eye-opening turn for innocent young Molly, but she's resolute in her decision to find out exactly what happened that day in the office of Paddy Riley. Armed with nothing more than her fiery will and matching wild red hair, Molly has no idea of the danger her pursuit may bring in this fascinating, well-researched, and suspenseful second novel in Rhys Bowen's Agatha-award winning series.
Reviews with the most likes.
2.5 I was disappointed given how much I enjoyed the first installment. I started this the same night I finished the first book and while it started off fine, toward the middle of the book it went off the rails. There were way too many things happening at once and some ultimately felt irrelevant in the greater scheme of things. Then the conclusion came all too quickly, which I did anticipate as I've noticed this theme in other books by Rhys Bowen, but this tops the others I've read. I can't say why without having to mark it for spoilers, but I can say where it draws from historical events, the reasons behind the mystery Molly is trying to solve is glossed over all too quickly after monotonous (and frankly improbable) steps getting here. I also found Molly's naivety more endearing in the first book than the second — as though she's learned nothing from her first mystery.
All that said, I'm not discouraged from the series yet. It had disappointing and baffling moments but I'm invested enough there are still ends I'd like to see tied up. I do enjoy Rhys Bowen's stories. Even when they don't sit right with me I continue to come back.
Featured Series
18 primary books21 released booksMolly Murphy is a 21-book series with 18 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles.
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