From Publishers Weekly
In Bowen's engaging third Molly Murphy historical (after 2002's Death of Riley), Molly finds it's not easy to be a female detective with a brogue as thick as ham in 1901 New York. Late one night, two brutish cops haul her off to the slammer because they think she's a prostitute; they don't believe her claim that she was staking out the house across the street. She makes things worse on herself by refusing to mention her friendship with police captain Daniel Sullivan, who could have her released in a jiffy. Instead, she spends a different sort of night in a cell full of whores. Having taken over the detective agency of her recently deceased mentor, Paddy Riley, Molly pursues a couple of cases that form the guts of the story. In one instance, she goes undercover in a sweatshop to ferret out possible industrial espionage; in the other, she looks for an English gentleman's runaway daughter, who is, in turn, searching for her husband. All the threads come neatly together in a fire at a dress-making shop. The question left dangling is a romantic one: will Molly settle for a good friendship with labor leader Jacob Singer, or will she fall back into the arms of her police captain? Only Bowen's next Molly Murphy mystery will tell.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Molly Murphy is starting to think the cards are stacked against her. She's determined to be a private detective, but hampering her investigations is the fact that she's finding many places in turn-of-the-century New York City where women are not welcome, something that's as frustrating to her fiery Irish pride as it is to her rapidly emptying pocketbook.

Then two business opportunities pop up simultaneously. An aristocratic family in Dublin fears their daughter has fled to the New World with her unsavory boyfriend, and they hire Molly to track the two down and send the young woman back home. Before she has time to consider her good luck, she's asked to go undercover as a piece worker in the garment business and investigate a potential case of industrial espionage. Now if she can only solve both cases without the help of Daniel Sullivan, the police captain who claims he loves her but who is engaged to someone else...

Full of the rich detail of New York's teeming immigrant community and the colorful historical personalities of the age, For the Love of Mike is the triumphant third installment in Rhys Bowen's Agatha Award-winning series.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Rhys Bowen, who is also the author of the popular Constable Evans mystery series, continues her Agatha Award￯﾿ﾽwinning historical mystery series set in turn-of-the-century New York City.

Since the death of her mentor, J. P. Riley, Irish immigrant turned private eye Molly Murphy is finding it hard to make a living as an investigator. Divorce cases are definitely not her cup of tea￯﾿ﾽand they all too often lead her to places where it's not easy for a respectable young woman to blend into the scenery. Still, she finds the challenges of investigation more to her taste than the other options open to women in her position: working in sweatshops or the fish market or undertaking an even less savory life on the streets.

Just as things are at their bleakest, two new commissions come her way. First she's hired to discover who is stealing a fashion designer's drawings and selling them to the competition -- a job that takes her undercover, enduring bitter conditions as a seamstress in a sweatshop. Then she's asked to find a missing Anglo-Irish heiress who ran off to America with a handsome Irishman -- a task she accepts with relish. These two captivating mysteries are enriched by vivid descriptions of a time gone by -- from gangs on the streets to spies in the fashion industry, from freethinkers in Greenwich Village to struggling immigrants, crooked politicians, ardent union organizers, and anarchists. Sue Stone

ANNOTATION

Winner of the 2004 Anthony Award for Historical Mystery

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Molly Murphy is starting to think the cards are stacked against her. She's determined to be a private detective, but she's finding many places in turn-of-the century New York City where women are not welcome, something that's as frustrating to her fiery Irish pride as it is to her rapidly emptying pocketbook.

Then two business opportunities pop up simultaneously. An aristocratic family in Dublin fears their daughter has fled to the New World with her unsavory boyfriend, and they hire Molly to track the two down and send the young woman back home. Before she has time to consider her good luck, she's asked to go undercover as a piece worker in the garment business and investigate a potential case of industrial espionage. Now, if she can only solve both cases without the help of Daniel Sullivan, the police captain who claims he loves her but who is engaged to someone else.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In Bowen's engaging third Molly Murphy historical (after 2002's Death of Riley), Molly finds it's not easy to be a female detective with a brogue as thick as ham in 1901 New York. Late one night, two brutish cops haul her off to the slammer because they think she's a prostitute; they don't believe her claim that she was staking out the house across the street. She makes things worse on herself by refusing to mention her friendship with police captain Daniel Sullivan, who could have her released in a jiffy. Instead, she spends a different sort of night in a cell full of whores. Having taken over the detective agency of her recently deceased mentor, Paddy Riley, Molly pursues a couple of cases that form the guts of the story. In one instance, she goes undercover in a sweatshop to ferret out possible industrial espionage; in the other, she looks for an English gentleman's runaway daughter, who is, in turn, searching for her husband. All the threads come neatly together in a fire at a dress-making shop. The question left dangling is a romantic one: will Molly settle for a good friendship with labor leader Jacob Singer, or will she fall back into the arms of her police captain? Only Bowen's next Molly Murphy mystery will tell. (Dec. 8) FYI: The first in the series, Murphy's Law (2001), won an Agatha for Best Novel. Bowen is also the author of the Constable Evans series. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Following the death of her employer, Molly Murphy (Murphy's Law; Death of Riley) continues her investigation business in 1901 New York City. She hates tracking down errant spouses, however, and vows to change her focus: she lands an undercover job looking for a thief of fashion ideas and searches for a Dublin heiress who decamped to America with her unsuitable boyfriend. Meanwhile, Molly's intrepid life among Greenwich Village artists, Tammany Hall flunkies, and various street denizens and her attachment to the family she accompanied to America provide ample historical cement for a lively period re-creation. Highly recommended. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews