Away in a Manger: A Molly Murphy Mystery (Molly Murphy Mysteries)

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Rhys Bowen’s mysteries. I enjoy her Molly Murphy mysteries, and her Royal Spyness stories as well. I was very excited when I received an opportunity to read Away in a Manger, the 15th Molly Murphy mystery.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Molly Murphy series, allow me to provide a brief introduction. Molly is a young Irish immigrant living in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. She worked as a detective before settling down with handsome police captain Daniel Sullivan. Her son Liam was born a couple of books ago, and he is now a lively toddler. Daniel does not approve of Molly’s detective work, and expected her to stop after the wedding- but Molly cannot help getting involved when people need her help.

Away in a Manger begins with Molly preparing to celebrate the holidays with her family. She and Bridie, her ward, encounter an angelic little girl singing Christmas carols in the street. Molly notices the girl’s English accent and that she is singing Away in a Manger the English way rather than using the American version. Both children speak with a very posh accent. Molly’s husband Daniel thinks that the children are more of the typical street children that he encounters during his work as a police officer; they are simply con artists posing as beggars, and they can’t be trusted. Molly is convinced that there is more to these children, and that they do not belong begging on the streets. She only has the recollections of two small children to work with, but she is determined to figure out if these children have any family in the city.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the Christmas theme went very well with the plot. The children’s situation seemed especially desperate because of the cold and snowy weather. The holiday season enhanced the plot by giving Molly the perfect opportunity to visit the big new toy store- FAO Schwarz. The historical details of the period combined with the Christmas season, making this a very satisfying story. Bowen also contends well with the ongoing problem of Daniel not approving of Molly doing detective work.

I would absolutely recommend Away in a Manger. This is a wonderful story for fans of the series: there are many appearances from familiar characters from Sid and Gus to Molly’s mother-in-law. If you are new to the series, reading the books in order provides the reader with an appreciation for the characters, who have grown and changed as the series progresses. That said, the books do function as standalone novels, so feel free to start with a Christmas story as the holiday season is almost upon us.

Former "female detective" Molly Murphy—now Molly Murphy Sullivan with a toddler son—is doing some early Christmas shopping with her young ward Bridie when they come upon a tiny blonde girl singing Christmas carols with the voice of an angel. Bridie is intrigued by the girl, and in the process of being kind to the child, they meet her brother, find out the children must earn money under the tyrannical rule of their "Aunt Hettie," and notice that both of the youngsters speak with cultured British accents. Molly can't understand for the life of her how these two ended up on the streets—but if you are familiar with the Molly Murphy mystery series you know she won't leave the situation alone, even though her husband Daniel, a newly-minted, unbribable police captain, warns her that they may be part of a confidence ring.

While the usual Molly regulars appear, including Daniel's imperious mother and Molly's loving but eccentric neighbors Sid and Gus, Bowen has done this one one better by writing it in the plot fashion of a Victorian Christmas melodrama, with the primary characters, two well-bred children of evident aristocratic heritage, immediately in place. So don't be surprised when some of the villains of the piece appear Dickensian or sound like they come from a 1900 novel (this means you can pick out one of the bad guys just by how that person is described), all wrapped up in modern sensibility. Just sit back and enjoy the Victorian machinations and the evocative descriptions of Christmas in New York at the turn of the last century: slippery sidewalks, crossing sweepers, the new technology of mechanical figures in store Christmas display windows, mistletoe, buying a fresh Christmas tree from a streetcorner vendor, hot chestnuts, cold sleet, home-baked Christmas goodies (even from Sid and Gus!), charity, and a character losing hope...

And of course there's the usual massive coincidence as well. Never mind: it's all about family and finding a home and making happiness out of the small things. This one has jingle bells upon it.

Over the past few years, I’ve started saving some Christmas stories to read in December. Of course, it is easy to do that when one of your favorite authors releases a new Christmas book the middle of November. That’s what happened this year since last month, Rhys Bowen released Away in a Manger, the fifteenth in her long running Molly Murphy mystery series. Those looking for a great mystery with Christmas spirit will be delighted with it.

It’s mid-December 1905, and Molly is hoping to enjoy a nice quiet Christmas at home with her family, including her fifteen month only son. Since her husband, NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan, has been coming home for dinner on time, it looks like this could happen, too.

While out doing some Christmas shopping, Molly and her ward Bridie hear a little girl with a beautiful voice singing Christmas carols. Bridie can’t get the girl, Emmy, out of her head, and insists they do things to help her since she is out in the cold. But on each return visit, Molly learns more about this girl and feels compelled to help her. Her mother left her and her brother Tig with a stranger months ago, saying she’d be back soon. With very little to go on, can Molly figure out how to help them?

Never fear, if you are new to Molly’s world but want to jump into a Christmas book, you could easily do that here. Yes, there are references to a few of the previous books, especially the last couple, but there is nothing that will spoil them. Instead, you’ll find everything you need to understand the characters and their relationships in this book.

And you’ll find Christmas spirit to spare. There is talk of holiday foods and snow and shopping and windows, even a few traditions from 110 years ago that we don’t have any more. It’s exactly the kind of book that will make you want to wrap yourself in a blanket and read long into the night next to your Christmas tree.

Of course, there’s also a good mystery. It might start a tad slowly, but that’s a minor quibble. Molly’s investigation takes us to a solution I never expected and a climax that had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would all play out. In many ways, the book has some bittersweet elements to it, but that is balanced out by the Christmas tones for a richer read.

Fans of the series will be delighted to spend the holiday with all their favorite characters. They are in fine form, and I think we might have seen a shift in one relationship, or at least the potential of a shift. The new characters are wonderful as well and help pull us into the story.

At 250 pages, the book is a little shorter than a normal entry in the series, but that’s not an issue at all. In fact, any longer, and the book would have felt padded.

So whether you are new to Molly’s world or a longtime fan, buy a copy of Away in a Manger and then build a fire and settle back for an engrossing Christmas mystery.

Oh dear, oh dear. No, no, no.

Inane silly, and of misused words, anachronisms, and errors. Very unlike Rhys Bowen. Who wrote this?

As usual, Rhys Bowen describes the streets of New York during the early 20th Century in vivid detail. I love Molly, but Daniel is really the most ungracious man. After all Sid and Gus have done for Molly and they are always nice to him even if he doesn't always reciprocate, yet he still makes snide comments about them and can barely conceal his dislike when in their presence at times. Well, guess what, Daniel Sullivan? You're no prize yourself and I think it's a shame Molly is stuck with such a boor. She certainly deserves better.

There are two reasons I knocked off a star. First, Molly didn't even consider the obvious suspect when he was first brought to her attention and actually turned over a crucial piece of evidence. Nor did she guess the obvious reason for his perfidy. Second, I cringed at the careless way she imparted important news to the children.

Rhys Bowen does a nice job of portraying the relationship between Mrs. Sullivan and Molly in a realistic way. All in all, an enjoyable read, although it would be more enjoyable without Daniel.

Having a Christmas installment of a favorite series to read at holiday time is always a treat, and this newest Molly Murphy mystery by Rhys Bowen does not disappoint. The book is filled with memorable characters in addition to our heroine Molly. You will meet well-drawn personalities including two abandoned children and their kindly grandfather, their wicked aunt, and another conniving relative, Molly’s husband and her mother-in-law, their neighbors Sid and Gus, and the intrepid Miss Van Woeken.

As the story unfolds, the author’s deft descriptions will have you feeling frozen slush around your feet as you walk along the streets of New York as the street boys sweep crosswalks clear and smelling the popcorn at Sid and Gus’s as tree decorations are planned and made. Tension builds as Molly worries about her husband’s gunshot wound and as the mystery deepens around the children, their missing mother, and their seemingly ill grandfather. The intriguing threads of the story come together with discoveries that lead to a desperate chase, search, and rescue in the snow.

This is an altogether satisfying story that will leave you feeling the Christmas spirit in more ways than one.

I was especially thrilled when I learned earlier this year that there would be two Molly Murphy books out in 2015, The Edge of Dreams last spring and Away in a Manger this November. I truly cannot get enough of Molly, her family, her friends, and the city of New York City at the beginning of the 20th Century. Rhys Bowen has gifted readers with a Christmas story bonus that I wasn't able to wait until Christmas to read. Having been lucky enough to receive an ARC, I even got in a bit early before the November 17th publication date. This series is such a favorite for so many readers, and fans will be delighted with Away in a Manger. It's Molly at her detecting best, clever and resourceful with a maturing confidence in herself and her abilities. The author's meticulous research is evident in the historical details of New York City coming into a new century, where the newness of motor cars is in high contrast to the struggling problems of the immigrants, especially the untended children of the poor.

Molly is preparing for Daniel's mother, the other Mrs. Sullivan, to visit for the Christmas holidays, and while running errands with her baby son and twelve-year-old Bridie, two young immigrant children catch their attention. Under-dressed and obviously underfed, the two children, whose names are Tig and Emmy, are brother and sister out on the cold streets trying to earn money, as are many children at that time. First Bridie, then Molly are drawn to these children in particular, the very young Emmy with an angelic singing voice and the well-spoken Tig. They are not the usual children of the street encountered. So, Molly is pulled in by her heartstrings and Bridie's concern to see that Tig and Emmy have some warm clothes and food. It, of course, gets much more complicated, with the mystery of their missing mother and an "aunt" who isn't really an aunt, who lets them stay at her boarding house, but only at nighttime. Molly is determined to find out who these children are and what has happened to their mother, and her best friends Gus and Sid become involved and enchanted with the two beggar children. Molly's investigation will take her from the dregs of society to the upper echelon of it, and will reveal a dark, twisted plan of greed and heinous acts.

And, there is Christmas. Molly and her mother-in-law have never been completely comfortable with one another, and the Christmas that Molly hoped would show Daniel's mother how happy Daniel was with his family turns chaotic. Even the steady Daniel presents a major problem with which Molly must deal. There is much to do to save Christmas for everyone, the Sullivans and the two orphaned children, and a happy ending seems a desperate reach indeed. Much is at stake for many in Maggie's latest challenge.

Great characters, fascinating plot, and Christmas magic. Rhys Bowen never fails to deliver a fascinating, thrilling tale. This Christmas season she gives readers a gift that is sure to please.

All of her books are well written!

it's fun. It's almost like a guilty pleasure, having read two of these mysteries. Perfect for a long flight when you want to be engrossed but not too surprised.

This is another series well worthy reading as are most of Rhys Bowen's mpvels