Murder on Millionaires’ Row: A Mystery by Erin Lindsey

    If you’re looking for a different kind of mystery, Murder on Millionaires’ Row is definitely it.  I would call it a paranormal historical mystery.  Is there even a category for that?  Paranormal, yes.  Historical, yes.  Mystery, absolutely.  Combinations of at least two of these genres, certainly.  But all three?  Well, now there is one.

    It’s 1886 and Rose Gallagher, a maid, is in love with her boss.

    Well, maybe “in love” is too strong of a term.  Infatuated would probably be more accurate.  Either way, when Thomas Wiltshire disappears, Rose becomes concerned.  While most employees would be happy to have their boss away, Rose sets out to find Thomas and bring him home.

    Everyone is shocked when Rose actually manages what she set out to do.  She finds Thomas, despite his having been kidnapped and hidden away.  His return home does not solve the mystery around his disappearance, though.  It is still a mystery as to why he was kidnapped and by whom.  Rose wants to help figure out the answer.

    To add more elements to this mystery, spirits have broken through a portal and are walking around New York City.  One of those spirits touches Rose, leaving a piece of herself behind.  That piece is working its way up to Rose’s heart.  If Thomas and his friends don’t figure out how to get the piece out, Rose could die.

Spiritual Energy/Artwork by Kate Dorsey

    Even though I have watched and read things about ghosts for years, the paranormal aspects of this book were sometimes too much for me.  Not in a bad way.  In a “I have to slow down to fully understand what is going on” way.  There was sometimes a lot of explanation and details to put together, but that did not ruin the enjoyment of the book.  I simply had to slow down.

    Pretty much all the characters in the book were good to read about.  Even the very strict Mrs. Sellers, the housekeeper and head of Thomas’ staff, wasn’t too bad.  She just believed everyone had their place.  When you were in that place, there was no reason to try and do anything outside of it or to rise above.  Never outright mean, that was just how Mrs. Sellers saw things.  She did not hesitate to show her disapproval.

    Clara I really enjoyed reading about.  Clara is Thomas’ cook.  She has medical training (a secret she keeps from most), and is called on to stitch people up.  Mostly Rose.  Thomas, after discovering Clara’s abilities, encourages her to study medicine officially.  Unlike most people at the time, he, a white man, does not see a non-white woman in the medical field as a horrifying thought.  Instead, he sees it as a waste that Clara is not officially doing something with her medical talents.

    Rose and Thomas I like too.  While Rose can get herself into trouble, she always means well.  She is lively and determined, yet still cares for others, like her mother and Clara.

    Thomas is a kind man who wants people’s talents to grow, no matter their station or circumstances in life.  For Clara, it’s medical training.  With Rose, it’s detective work.

    This does not make Thomas perfect, though.  He does leap from treating Rose like a detecting partner one minute to treating her like the maid the next.  This is behavior that does improve as the story goes on, but he is still far from perfect.

    With the way this book ended, I am left with a lot of curiosity as to what is going to happen with all the characters.  There are many I haven’t mentioned yet, such as Pietro, the young man who boards with Rose’s mother, and Thomas’ friend Jonathan Burrows.  I like both these characters, but there is something about Jonathan I don’t trust.  It will be interesting to see if I figure out what that exactly is in the next book.