Deception by Gaslight

On her quest to find out who is stealing jewelry from the richest in New York City, journalist Genevieve Stewart is saved from a dangerous situation by millionaire Daniel McCaffrey who she suspects is the jewelry thief Robin Hood. When murders start happening, Genevieve and Daniel have to use their unique talents and contacts to find who the criminal is.

Deception by Gaslight is the exiting first installment in the new series A Gilded Gotham Mystery written by Kate Belli, published by Crooked Lane Books. The story is set in New York City 1888 where we follow journalist Genevieve Stewart. She works on getting information about famous jewel thief Robin Hood who is targeting the very richest. In her struggle to get information she sets her show more life in danger, and millionaire Daniel McCaffrey saves her. Genevieve is shocked to meet him again at an Astor 400 ball, and realizes he is not the street thug she thought but she suspects him of being Robin Hood. Jewelry keeps being stolen, and soon murders start happening too. Genevieve and Daniel use their unique contacts and talents to dig up information and as they come closer to the truth, danger to Genevieve’s life increases.

Main character Journalist Genevieve Stewart has suffered a great loss in her life, but is determined to work for a living. She seems a caring woman who treats people well and is a person who anyone would be proud to have as a friend. She is my absolute favorite of this story.

Supporting character millionaire and philanthropist Daniel McCaffrey comes from a humble background. He has learned to live between two worlds and makes this work in his philanthropic work. I found him an interesting character who sometimes struggles with his identity.
The characters felt like they could have been my friends in real life as they felt so well crafted and relatable.

This story was beautifully written and reminded me of Sarah M. Eden’s writing. The plot felt different as it contained an enjoyable and exiting collection of elements starting off with the mystery of Robin Hood’s identity. It had me turning pages into the wee hours of the night to get answers, and I was thoroughly surprised who Robin Hood turned out to be.

My favorite part of the story was the amusing way the relationship between Genevieve and Daniel developed. Starting with mutual distrust, they came to trust each other explicitly and rely on each other’s help as the story progressed. Least favorite part was when Genevieve found herself in a dangerous part of Town not able to escape threatening men.

Thank you to publisher Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: Deception by Gaslight is the exiting start of the very promising new series which will captivate readers of cozy mysteries. It contains a collection of well crafted mystery elements and relatable characters that will stay in your memory for a long time.
I eagerly await the next installment in the series or any other release from this author. Similar authors to explore might be Dianne Freeman or Andrea Penrose.
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Main reason: interesting and entertaining plot, relatable characters, beautiful writing show less

Great, really great, really, really, really great. Loved this book. Loved the characters especially Mr. Pineapple Waistcoat a/k/a gorgeous, hunky, Daniel McCaffrey, and our heroine Genevieve Stewart, loved the political history, loved the mystery and the clandestine goings on, loved the back stories, loved it all. Set in the latter portion of the nineteenth century Kate Belli tackles many if the issues of the times including graft and corruption in politics that make today’s goings on seem like child’s play. The many restrictions women faced in society and the workforce is neatly inserted and put under the microscope as are the Irish gangs that controlled so much of the lower east side neighborhood of Manhattan known as Five Points. show more There is crime, robberies, attempted murders, murder, investigations, a look at the illustrious and monied 400 and their society balls. There was also an ending that made me scream. What next Ms. Belli? Please make it soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC, show less

The story begins with reporter Genevieve Stewart following some men into a rough part of town in her quest to discover who the mysterious "Robin Hood" is. The thief has been preying on members of New York's 400 and sending letters telling about the victim's misdeeds to justify the thefts. Finding out who the mysterious thief is would do wonders for her fledgling career as a journalist. She needs something after being dumped almost at the altar by her fiance.

But wandering around on the Lower East Side isn't particularly safe and she is rescued by a handsome stranger. Imagine her surprise when she sees the same stranger at the next night's social gathering and discovers the he is the mysterious Daniel McCaffrey who was the heir of Jacob show more Van Joost even though no one knows the relationship between them.

The two are working at cross purposes for quite a while in the story. Genevieve wonders if he could be Robin Hood and he has to overcome his prejudice about reporters who have made up all sorts of stories about him in order to sell papers. But, once the thefts become murders, the two begin working together to find out what is happening.

I enjoyed the main characters in this one. They are both intriguing people. The side characters also have lots of possibilities as stars of further books in this series. I also liked the setting. New York City and the changing social landscape when the old rich are being supplanted by the new rich and the political landscape of the city added rich detail to the story and were key features in the plot.

Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this story and its interesting characters. show less

Deception by Gaslight by Kate Belli
Gilded Gotham Mystery #1

Mixed feelings on this one. I enjoyed the beginning…great introduction…then enjoyed the next scene, too, but for some reason I was not hooked enough to read every word. That said, I did skim quickly because I wanted to find out what would happen. I had the sense of watching a movie set in the period while also remembering books I read long ago that were of that era. Why I wasn’t invested in the characters might have had to do with Genevieve, in her mid-twenties, being at times incautious and actually making dangerous life-threatening decisions while chasing a story.

The writing flowed and descriptions appealed to all five senses giving a good feel for the time, clothing, show more etc. and I felt that I was there in some scenes. In some ways the story read like a penny dreadful and in others…not quite.

There were murders, thefts, news stories to follow, social issues relevant to the times, newsworthy happenings, stories given to men that Genevieve wanted, and a bit of romance. I am not sure how I feel about this book and though I didn’t read word for word might give book two a chance to see what Genevieve and Daniel get up to and whether or not their relationship will develop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2 for my interest in the story
3 it is in the middle
4 Stars as I believe it has merit and will appeal to more readers than it doesn’t appeal to show less

I had mixed feelings on this book.

I love historical mysteries, and this premise caught my attention. While there was a lot to like, it took me a long time to get into this story. Most of the time when this happens to me, the problem is the characterization.

That’s not the case here. I did like the main characters. Genevieve is a delightful heroine. Left at the altar by her fiancé a while back, she stays away from romance and concentrates on her career in journalism. Now if only her editor would let her write more than society columns about engagement balls, flower shows, and PT Barnum’s “Best Baby” contest, she could prove that she’s just as good a journalist as her male colleagues. If she could only have that break-through show more story. Like the identity of Robin Hood . . .

Daniel is the heir to the late Jacob Aster’s fortune, though no one knows why. Is he Aster’s illegitimate son? A nephew? A distant relative? Who is this man? Ever since he inherited it, journalists and society have dogged his steps, determined to find out more about this good-looking bachelor. Needless to say, he has no reason to like the persistent Genevieve Stewart, especially once she becomes convinced that he’s Robin Hood. The problem is, he needs her help digging up information buried in newspaper archives, information that points to a larger conspiracy . . .

It was fun to see the two leads develop a working relationship. Yes, there’s a romantic element to it. But there’s more to Genevieve and Daniel’s relationship than their subtle physical attraction. These are two people who can complement each other’s strengths. I sense the beginning of a true friendship between them.

Unlike most of the Astor 400 families, the Stewarts are delightfully eccentric. One brother is an archeologist in Egypt, battling sand and bugs. Another brother is a rising star in architecture, and Genevieve senses that he’s hiding something. Her mother has gone to jail for speaking on such unladylike topics as the women’s suffrage and birth control. Her father is notorious for his court battle to protect an almost-extinct bird species. The wealthy Mrs. Bradley wishes to use their feathers to decorate a hat, and Mr. Stewart braves public ridicule to protect the Koola bird. (Mrs. Bradley hasn’t forgiven him, either.) They love and support each other, including Genevieve’s fledgling career as a journalist.

While I enjoyed the book, I did have some qualms about the mystery itself. Much of the plot relies on the characters’ gut feelings: Daniel senses that he can trust Genevieve (though he trusts almost no one); Genevieve senses that Daniel is connected to Robin Hood (though there’s little proof beyond an overheard bit of conversation); a certain character’s death is connected to these robberies, and so on. It’s not bad. Maybe once or twice is okay. But it’s not satisfying. I had to rely on the characters telling me their intuitions rather than seeing evidence to make those connections myself.

There are also too many coincidences. Sometimes people are conveniently and unrealistically available and willing to give information to Genevieve and Daniel.

I also had issues with certain things from a writing craft perspective. (I have spent too much time beta reading fiction not to notice certain weaknesses.) It bothered me a great deal and made it difficult for me to concentrate on the story. Yet halfway through the novel, my interest picked up. Someone I had dismissed as a nasty-ish minor character acts unexpectedly brave in an unanticipated and very public manner.

From there, I was hooked. Several characters who had appeared shallow ended up playing more decisive roles in the action. I also enjoyed the mystery’s resolution. But I had mixed feelings about the book’s ending, which felt like the beginning of another book.

This appears to be the start of a series. There’s certainly plenty of potential material for future mysteries. The Stewart family alone would cover a few books! Genevieve’s BFFs, Callie and Eliza, as well as Daniel’s close friend Rupert, all have potential as stories. Save for a cousin, Daniel’s own family is dead. But his servants are all from the wrong side of town and could play larger roles in future mysteries. I’m especially hoping Asher, the prizefighter-turned-personal secretary, will have a sizeable role. Kate Belli’s created a cast of intriguing characters who can be explored in greater depth.

Overall, this was a good start to the series. Despite my problems with certain aspects of the writing and plotting, the characters have enough depth to keep my interest. I will be interested to see where book two takes Genevieve and Daniel.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. show less

No me gustó el final. La novela tiene partes cuestionables, pero me mantuvo entretenida hasta el final.
Lo mejor es la prota femenina.

Deception By Gaslight is the first book in the A Gilded Gotham Mystery series by Kate Beli.

This book’s setting is the winter of 1888 and the middle of the Gilded era in New York City.

Genevieve Stewart is a reporter for the NewYork City Globe. Genevieve is getting tired of covering society balls and cutest baby contests. Genevieve is sure getting one big story; the editor will assign her to more newsworthy stories. One day she hears of some society matrons have been robbed of their valuable jewels and that the thief has sent letters citing these people’s misdoings and signing them Robin Hood.

Genevieve has gone to the Lower East Side’s seedier part and hears three men discussing the Robin Hood exploits and starts to follow them. show more She soon finds that they have led her to Bottle Alley and confront her. They begin to threaten her, but one of the men, who Genevieve has named Mr. Pineapple Waistcoat, calls off the other two. She asks him for information on this Robin Hood, and he suggests she leave well enough alone and for her safety should leave the area.

A few days later, Genevieve is attending a society ball and spots Mr. Pineapple Waistcoat sporting a very nice tux. She asks a friend who he is and finds out he is Daniel McCaffrey. They have a couple of dances, and Genevieve continues to try to get him to discuss whether he is Robin Hood.

Very little is know about Daniel, and he likes it that way. The only thing learned about Daniel is that he had been the sole heir to VanJoost fortune.

Finally, after being followed by Genevieve, Daniel asks to have dinner with him. Still not trusting each other, they agree to work together to determine the identity of Robin Hood. They will soon find themselves in political corruption, tenement housing reform, and paper corporations.

I love historical mysteries, and this was no exception. I find it very interesting to read about how people lived and socialized then. The book is well-written and plotted. I found the characters well-developed, engaging, and believable. There were plenty of red herrings in the story that kept me guessing until the end.

I will be watching for the next book to see what Genevieve and Daniel will be up to next and if there will be a chance of romance for the two. show less