Murder in Manhattan

By: Julie Mulhern

Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt

An enticing historical mystery that follows a crime-solving female reporter in the glamorous world of 1920s Manhattan, from the author of The Deep End.

“Sex and the City, circa 1920.” —Kirkus Reviews

This writer just found her next scoop … and it’s deadly.

New York, 1925: Freddie Archer frequents speakeasies and wild parties with her friends Dorothy Parker and Tallulah Bankhead. And the best part is that it’s all in a day’s work. Freddie writes the nightlife column for Gotham Magazine.

But Freddie’s latest piece just won her a bit more attention than she bargained for—from the police. A man mentioned in her column has been murdered. And Freddie is asked to keep an eye out for his fashionable female dinner companion. She’s told in no uncertain terms to stay out of the case herself.

So naturally, Freddie throws herself into an investigation that takes her from the elegant stores that line Fifth Avenue to the tenements south of Houston Street. Now, between sipping gin rickeys with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and casting Broadway shows with Groucho Marx, she’s dodging bullets and dating a potentially dangerous bootlegger.

Freddie wanted adventure and excitement. But will she survive it?

This book is meant to be listened to.

Both the lively text and the narrator brought this book alive. It was fun to listen to. I really liked the characters the author created. It was the kind of book that I looked forward to returning to each day. This book is a stand- out. Kudos to the author and narrator.

Fun new read from my favorite author.

I’ll start by saying this book isn’t exactly in my usual wheelhouse. I’m not a feminist, I’m not a heavy drinker, and the 1920s is probably my least favorite decade of the twentieth century. And in Murder in Manhattan, drinking, feminism, and the Jazz Age are front and center.

That said… I still really enjoyed it.

The narrator was a big part of that. She was engaging without being over the top, and she brought the characters to life in a way that made the story easy and fun to sink into. Julie Mulhern also has a real gift for setting a scene. No matter the time period, she somehow makes you feel like you’re standing right there, watching everything unfold.

While these characters didn’t quite resonate with me the way the ones in her Country Club series did, the pacing was excellent. The story moved quickly, never dragged, and the mystery itself was well crafted and kept me interested all the way through.

So even though the themes and era aren’t my personal favorites, the combination of strong narration, vivid scene-building, and a solid, fast-moving mystery made this an enjoyable listen.

Smart, immersive and immensely enjoyable.

Murder in Manhattan by Julie Mulhern is a thoroughly engaging historical mystery with a strong, compelling female protagonist at its heart. The setting is vividly drawn, and the characters are so realistic they seem to step right off the page. Caroline Hewitt’s narration brings warmth and energy to the story, perfectly capturing the tone and personalities. Smart, immersive, and immensely enjoyable—I can’t wait for the next book in this series! Please write faster Ms. Mulhern!

Great story, very well narrated!

Good humour and great writing, I really enjoyed it. Hope its made into a movie!

Superb writing. Insightful, funny and clever. Loved the fashion, the history and the complex interpersonal developments.

Exceptional writing skills Good narrator. First chapter is hard to get into. Totally stick with it. One of my favourite books ever. So hope this is a series.