Scandal erupts in ‘Murder on Lexington Avenue’

What if the person you loved could never hear you say “I love you”?

In the world of the deaf, emotions are sometimes hard to express. And at the turn of the 20th century, when sign language was first coming into use, the opposition to this new form of language was staggering.

In Victoria Thompson’s latest Gaslight Mystery, “Murder on Lexington Avenue,” she explores this conflict in a suspenseful murder mystery that will have readers holding their breaths until the very end.

Detective Frank Malloy is called in to investigate the horrific murder of businessman Nehemiah Wooten. Wooten, a prominent member of society and supporter of the Lexington Avenue School which his daughter Electra attended, was a follower of Alexander Graham Bell’s theory that deaf people shouldn’t be allowed to marry each other in fear that their offspring would also be deaf. Wooten was also known for being vehemently opposed to his daughter learning sign language, a view that brought much conflict into his home.

As Malloy investigates the murder, he visits the Wooten home where he learns that Electra had hoped to secretly marry her teacher, Adam Oldham, who was also deaf. That's not the only secret in the household. While being interviewed, Mrs. Wooten suddenly goes into labor, and Malloy calls upon his friend, midwife Sarah Brandt, to attend the surprise delivery — made even more surprising by the fact that Mrs. Wooten was pregnant by her young lover, not the recently deceased Mr. Wooten.

Scandals galore erupt in this post-Victorian era mystery as Thompson delights her readers with a fascinating who-dun-it. The 12th installment of the Gaslight Mystery series, "Murder on Lexington Avenue" once again pairs up the charming couple of Detective Malloy and Sarah Brandt as they work together to solve another mystery in the gas-lit streets of New York City. Thompson’s keen eye for detail gives these novels the old-fashioned intrigue that keeps her readers coming back for more.