Two Women in New York City

Molly Murphy emigrated from Ireland in the late 1800s under awkward circumstances; she was running away from a possible criminal charge. The landowner's son had tried to take advantage of her and she fought back. Fearing for her freedom and maybe her life, she left.

Now it's the early 1900s and in this seventh novel of author Rhys Bowen's mystery series, Molly (who started a detective agency early on) is very busy going undercover as a street urchin, an extra in a Broadway play, and a mental patient. She has fun and quirky friends that help her get into (and, fortunately, out of) difficult situations.

Reading about Molly and the early days of the city is fun and interesting. The historical details seem accurate. This particular story took place in winter and now I'm looking forward to one that happens in warmer weather.

Just a few year later, in the 1920s, Lillian Boxfish arrived in the Big Apple. Of course, it wasn't called that at the time.This is a title that was listed in Wowbrary - a service to which the my local Public Library subscribes. Every Wednesday morning I receive an email that lists the new books, DVDs, etc. that have arrived at the library and I can reserve whichever one(s) interests me. This one did.

The story takes place on New Year's Eve (winter again) 1984 and 85-year-old Lillian has a dinner reservation at her favorite neighborhood restaurant. Lillian loves to walk around New York, even at night, even when it's cold, and she ends up taking a long stroll from the Murray Hill area where she lives to Wall Street, to Penn Station and ultimately back home. Throughout the evening, she remembers different roles of her life (career woman, friend, wife, mother, ex-wife, mental patient, and many others) and has some unusual adventures along the way. This book is a delight to read.

Take a walk with Lillian sometime soon. You won't regret it.