3.5 stars. I'm so conflicted about Rhys Bowen's works. I've read all of the Her Royal Spyness mysteries, so I'm no stranger to Ms. Bowen's flair for writing infuriating, yet lovable characters. Her heroines are spunky and smart, but with just enough naivete to continuously get them into trouble, aaaaand thus further her plot and get her readers hooked. I found Miss Molly Murphy to be the Irish immigrant version of Georgie. I need to check and see which series came first. 
 Ms. Bowen is an amazing mistress of mystery. I never, never guess the culprit before the end of any of her books, and she lays the clues down so carefully, leading my mind into a handful of possibilities to answer the Who Done It? This book was no different and lived up to my expectations for a good, suspenseful read. It is her complete mastery of writing an amazing mystery that keeps me coming back to her many books and series. 
 However, something I dislike heartily about this book (and the rest by this author) is how much she drags out the romance. Thirteen books into HRS, and Georgie still isn't officially with her love. Her maid still doesn't know how to say, "My Lady." And I saw the beginnings of a long, torturous, drawn out love affair in this book with Molly and a certain handsome police investigator. I kind of can't handle it, and made this book lose a star. The character development is simply too slow, and it makes for an infuriating read in which you wonder if the characters are slightly stupid for not seeing what's in front of their face. 
 Another star was lost simply due to frustration and not due to writing. I get it. A young, attractive, Irish immigrant alone in NYC, Molly wanders around the streets, alone and unprotected. But holy cheese, HOW MANY TIMES is Molly groped at and nearly raped? I'm sure it was completely appropriate to the time period, but I got tired of hearing Molly yet again having to dodge another oversexed (or undersexed?) man who was trying to "steal her honor." I mean, seriously. Nearly all men except our dashing hero was a potential rape threat. THEY'RE NOT ALL BAD, MS. BOWEN. I kind of felt that she needs to hear that. 
 Again, not fair, because I'm sure stuff like that happened all the time and it was historically accurate. I was just annoyed by it and how pervasive the threat of sexual assault was throughout the entire book. 
 Will I continue on with this series? Yep. It will frustrate me for sure, but I can't help myself. The stories and characters are worth it.