An Orphan of Hell’s Kitchen by Liz Freeland is the third book in a series focussing on an early 20s female police officer, Louise Faulk, in NYC 1914. I have not read the first two books in this series, however I had no problems diving right in and enjoying the complex murder-mystery investigation.

I enjoyed Louise. She is brilliant, engaging, feisty, and independent. She has scars and a past, but those circumstances leave her changed and impress upon her a new depth which truly adds to her character. She is flanked by a well-rounded cast of secondary characters that I also enjoyed. I enjoyed the setting and time frame as well. Not enough books are set in the 1910s.

Finally, I really was impressed with the murder/mystery plot. It was creative, complex, had many twists and turns that kept me guessing and interested throughout. I made quick work of the novel, as it drew me in from the beginning, and was able to finish in 2 days. It was excellent and everything that a historical fiction mystery should be. I will make sure to read the first two books in this series so that I can catch up before continuing on with future installments.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

An Orphan of Hell's Kitchen is the third book in the "Louise Faulk" series, but the first I've read, and I'll definitely be tracking down the first two. The setting is fascinating—New York City just before the U.S. enters WWI—and the cast of characters is varied and well-thought-out. Faulk is a New York City policewoman, which at that time period mostly meant watching over women in holding cells and keeping one's temper when being condescended to by male colleagues. In this volume, she is present when the bodies of a mother and one of her two twin sons are discovered. The second of the twin boy is found sleeping in the next room. Because the woman is a prostitute, her male colleagues are quick to rule the deaths a murder-suicide, despite suggestions that the situation might be more complex. Faulk sets out to investigate on her own...

The novel includes a housemate who is an actress and a whole coterie of theater people—film and stage actors, composers and playwrights, some well known, some not. Faulk's aunt if a successful writer of mystery novels, quick to pull people into her social circle and always ready to use them as fodder for her writing.

An Orphan of Hell's Kitchen is more than a "cozy" mystery (which I'm not big on), but is also not a gore-fest. It's a solid mystery with interesting turns of plot, engaging characters, and a backstory and setting that fascinate. Highly recommended!

I received a free electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

Louise Faulk has been hired as one of the few policewomen on the New York City police force in 1914. She is relegated to the basement of the precinct to watch over female prisoners. On the night of Thanksgiving she is sent to accompany another officer to an apartment building in the Hell’s Kitchen area of NYC. They arrive to find a prostitute and her baby son dead in a large metal tub. The police rule the deaths murder and suicide. Louise begins her own private investigation into the deaths after she finds three passports hidden in a piece of the woman’s coats, and eventually puts her own life in danger. Louise is a very well defined character, someone you can’t help but like and cheer for during her investigation. I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. The storyline is very food, and it doesn’t take long to read the book. Although this novel is fiction, some of the events in the story are based on real events. I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books. All opinions expressed here are my own.

This book was an awesome third book in the series! Louise continues to be smart and she doesn't like to let things go when she senses there's something bigger going on. I absolutely loved meeting Anna Muldoon in this. Also enjoyable was the mix of fictional and true events that happened in the WWI era.

Full review to come.

The novel takes place before the United States gets into WWI. Louise Faulk is the second policewoman in her district in New York City. She is sent to an apartment in Hell’s Kit hen to investigate a smell. She finds Ruthie., a prostitute, in a tub along with a baby. It appears as though Ruthie has committed murder/suicide but Louise thinks there may be more to the story. Louise finds another baby in the apartment who the neighbors say is Eddie, a mute. The detectives at the precinct are convinced it is a simple murder suicide and refuse to investigate further. The story revolves around Louise’s attempt to investigate on her own whether or not it was a suicide. Three passports are found hidden in clothing of Ruthie’s. Louise starts her investigation with trying to find the men whose passports were found. Along the way she is recruited by the Secret Service-to spy on a German newspaper. It turns out the two investigations are linked. In addition Louise try’s to find Eddie’s family which turns into a side story. The novel is very good and a fast read. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes mysteries or historical fiction. Although the novel is not based on fact you still learn a lot about women’s lives during the beginning of the 20th century.