Murder in Greenwich Village (A Louise Faulk Mystery Book 1)

Murder in Greenwich Village by Liz Freeland is an enjoyable book for a number of reasons. It provides a look at 1913 New York that includes everyday details without getting bogged down in those details. It includes a cast of characters who are interesting in their own right with enough unusual characteristics and, in some cases, eccentricities, to keep you interested and wishing for more books featuring them. The back story of victim and protagonist transitioning from a seemingly laid back rural upbringing to the big city with some naïveté, some cynicism, and some personal secrets makes for a good story, but more importantly, makes for an important study in the human condition and how our personal stories are often found just below our publicly exposed surface. The strength of main character Louise Faulk as she deals with murder and her own inner demons almost seems as if the story was written in response to today’s news on topics like the me-too movement, immigrant families being separated at our borders, and other current arrogance and mayhem. (It was clearly written before current news.) And, of course it is a murder mystery and a very good one with false solutions favored by the authorities and multiple relationships that confuse the efforts but also lead to a logical conclusion.While this summary of the attributes of this book contribute to it being a book that can be highly recommended, there are two other aspects that put it on my own “exceptionally good book” list. Clearly, Liz Freeland has done her research with regard to New York - the city and the people - in the early 20th century. But there is more to this research. The book reads as something that could have been written right after the events occurred. I am not sure how to express this, but the words and phrases used come across as very authentic to the time. More difficult to explain, but even more important is that while this is a work of fiction and is intended to entertain, it also struck me as a very intelligent work. I guess the best way I can explain it is that the writing in Murder in Greenwich Village comes across as thoughtful and extremely well crafted. As strange as this may sound, I thought while reading it that the writing level reminded me of the mystery fiction work of Amanda Cross while the mystery plot and character development reminded me of early Sue Grafton novels featuring Kinsey Millhone (and a number of British mystery novelists).The bottom line is that this is a very good book. The author’s biography mentions that this book is the first in a series. I hope this is the case.

I decided to read this book as I enjoy the second book of the series so much. The Louise Faulk series is set in the early 1900's before America entered the first world war and shortly after the Titanic had collapse in the Ocean. Louise had come to New York City to rebuild her life. With aid of another Aunt she has found work at a book publisher as a secretary. She is rooming with a friend, Callie she meet at girl's club. Returning one night they find her roommate's friend dead in their apartment wearing Callie's clothes. Louise is unhappy with the police actions and sets about solving the murder.The description of the time will place you in the City. It is accurate of a life of single girl living alone at that time. I have childhood memories the 5 &10¢ stories of the 1900's and the attitudes of about single girls who had the same misfortune that Louise experience. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND SERIES. I decided to read this book after I finished an ARC second book of the MURDER IN MIDTOWN BY Liz Freeland date of release is March 26, 2019

My son and his family live in the West Village the setting for the girls" apartment. Fun to see NYC through the eyes of this spirited woman. Story was interesting and the characters drawn well. Looking forward to a series for these characters.

The mystery was okay but in general this is not my favorite historical period. Louise Faulk wasn't a particularly engaging heroine, and I frankly didn't like any of the male characters at all. No interested in continuing the series.

This mystery takes place in New York City and the time is 1913. Just one year before the beginning of WWI, but no politics at all plays into the plotline. It's just a straightforward murder to be solved and could have happened at any time and in any place. This is not to say that it's not entertaining, because it is. I enjoyed the characters, who were well drawn and had interesting back stories, and there were enough secondary characters and red herrings that I wasn't able to figure out who the murderer was until a chapter or two before our intrepid heroine did. I liked this well enough to want to read more in the series as they are released. There's even a very, very faint hint at a possible future romance for heroine Louise,but we shall see about that.Just to have a small idea about the story, all you need to know is that 20-year-old small-town Louise Faulk has recently moved to NYC from Altoona, Pennsylvania. Her well-to-do author aunt has found her a job with a publishing company and Louise rents a Greenwich Village apartment with new friend and aspiring actress/dancer Callie. Callie's cousin Ethel comes to visit and overstays for mysterious reasons which become even more mysterious when Callie and Louise come home one night to discover her dead, victim of a stabbing attack.The police, of course, become involved, but Louise and Callie aren't as forthcoming to them as they should be, since each has some little personal issues that don't want generally known. Louise, as a matter of fact, takes it upon herself to try to solve this mystery independent of the police force, much to their annoyance. So the reader just sits back to enjoy how the story plays out. There are plenty of quirky, somewhat mysterious or guilty-looking characters to keep you guessing during the read.And Louise's back story adds an element of human interest not found in some of these female sleuth series. One other in particular that I've been following is Jennifer Kincheloe's Anna Blanc series about a female sleuth in 1900s Los Angeles ( The Secret Life of Anna Blanc ) which has certain similarities, but Kincheloe's protagonist is much flightier and superficial and annoying than Freeland's protagonist Louise. However, in both we do have that early 20th-century female who wants to make it in the man's world of crime solving. I'm hoping Louise will have the success she deserves within the time frame the author has placed her in.