BETRAYAL ON THE BOWERY (Gilded Gotham Mystery #2) by Kate Belli will be published on October 12th 2021 by Crooked Lane Books.
After avoiding each other at social events for the past years, Genevieve Stewart and Daniel McCaffrey find themselves caught up in another murder/criminal investigation. Genevieve and Daniel are at the docks in New York to send their newly married friends off on a European honeymoon. Rupert and Esmie's honeymoon is brought to an abrupt end when a young man bursts into their stateroom. After screaming something about demons, the man keels over and dies. Genevieve and Daniel race onto the ship and to the rescue. While searching the dead man's body, Daniel finds a medallion from an infamous dive bar called Boyle's Suicide Tavern. With the detective focusing on Rupert as murderer, Genevieve and Daniel put aside the past year of awkwardness and team up to prove that Rupert is innocent. Following the murder of a second young man and the disappearance of a socialite, Genevieve and Daniel find the connection between the three crimes and come to discover an even larger crime at play. Their search for the truth takes them from the elaborate mansions of New York City's elite to dive bars in Five Points and out to the sparsely populated Bronx where a demon haunts the dungeon below an abandoned house. They are just barely one step ahead of the bag guys and they may be the next to die.
BETRAYAL ON THE BOWERY picks up exactly where DECEPTION BY GASLIGHT left off. Yes, the novel can be read as a standalone. But I suggest checking out DECEPTION BY GASLIGHT first so that you are introduced to the main players and understand the history between them. Events in DECEPTION BY GASLIGHT play a direct affect on BETRAYAL ON THE BOWERY. That being said, BETRAYAL ON THE BOWERY is an action-packed historical mystery set in the late 1880's in New York City. Genevieve Stewart is a socialite turned society reporter for the newspaper. Daniel McCaffrey was born in the city's slums, but, following a fortune turn of events, is now part of the city's elite. Genevieve uses her connections and the research available through the newspaper to learn more about the people involved in their latest investigation. And Daniel's childhood ties to the city's gangs come in useful as they traverse Five Points in search of a murderer and a missing girl. There are multiple crimes that take place in BETRAYAL ON THE BOWERY, and all of those crimes wind up being part of something even bigger. There is a lot going on in this novel, and the two main characters are right in the thick of it. I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to the next novel in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.