Cover Image: Deception by Gaslight

Deception by Gaslight

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Member Reviews

This was a great, hard to put down murder mystery set in Gilded Age New York, seemingly pretty accurate to time and place and atmosphere.

Genevieve was a wonderful character, full of determination to find out why her friends were victims. The budding romance between Genevieve and Daniel hit all the right points for me - not the main focus but well done.

The writing style flowed well which made it an enjoyable read for me, along with the well thought out twists and turns, impressive for a first book. I’m looking forward to reading the second book when it comes out!

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Lots of tension, many threads and twists and turns!

The lead is a committed professional who doesn’t appreciate the double standards of the times. Like her colleagues, she wants to write stories that are relevant and be given recognition for a job well done. She is brave, intelligent and inspiring. Understandably, she drives the men in her life to distraction. This includes her ‘partner’ in solving the murder mystery. She takes some at times life-threatening risks and when challenged struggles to understand why her being a woman is the issue quoted back to her!

The storyline was complicated, the characters have such depth. I enjoyed the contrast between the upper and lower sides (the rich and the poor), that the story was more than a murder, rather it was also about the mores of that society, expectations, greed and corruption.

The story was rich, it was just brilliant and had such an unexpected ending.

Well done indeed. A thoroughly enjoyable read. I am so looking forward to picking up the next one.

With thanks to #NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for my free advanced reader copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

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After putting in a long day of work and being shut up duing COVID-19 , this was what I really needed to provide for some rest and relaxation. I thought the story was very well-written and a nice change to see a woman's position as more than just becoming married and wife. The mystery was good and I thought the twists and turns were done very well. Not much into mysteries but this one captivated my attention on finding out who was robbing the wealthy and "who dunnit" on the murder aspect.

Adored Genevieve's character and determination to finding out who harmed her friends and showing her bluestocking side as a journalist. I always love a good romance and liked the attraction between her and Daniel. This was a very entertaining and enjoyable read for this reader by first time author, Kate Belli.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions herein are my own.

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This was a perfect entertainment read during quarantine for Covid 19. As I started it, I thought it might be a sort of regency romance updated to the Gilded Age in New York, but it was more. It's a good mystery. Who is robbing wealthy folks of their jewels? The robberies have recently escalated into murder. Genevieve wants answers because the victims are among her friends and acquaintances. Also, as an aspiring journalist, she wants the scoop. Mysterious Daniel comes into her life very early in the book, and yes, romance is a factor. The plot twists and turns, surprising me several times.
I like this novel well enough that I did a little research. Because it's so expertly written, it's a little hard to believe this is the novelist's first publication, but apparently that's true. Also it's meant to be the first in a series. Hurray! I'll be looking for the second one.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this new entry in the popular genre of period mysteries. All the elements of a good suspense story are present - an entertaining setting of New York City in the late 1880s when society is quickly changing; a fesity main character who is forging her own rebellious life as a young and untested reporter; and a mysterious and handsome man who is navigating immense and unexpected wealth and a hardscrabble gangs of New York youth. Readers will enjoy this well written, fast-paced story and will hope that it is the first of many adventures to come.

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It is a really nice not so bloody crime novel.
Set in New York at a time where Women got to two options.
Get married, or get married.
The heroine in this book, the daughter of a wealthy family was close befor becoming a wife but got stood up in front of the alther and decided to become a journalist instead.
So she caught up on a story of a robber who called himself Robin Hood.
Stealfrom the rich, give to the poor.
And there the fun begins.
Our heroine stumbles upon a conspiracy in the highest ranks of the city and meets a very handsome millionaire with whome she starts to investigate.

It is a nice book, not to cruesome with well written characters.

And I liked the ending because we may see a little bit more of Genie and Dani Boy.

Thanks for giving me the chance to read this book.

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Set in the late 1800s or early 1900s, our main character, Genevieve, is a young female reporter, determined to make her career by solving the identity of Robin Hood. I thought the opening premise was weak (she followed three men because they were discussing Robin Hood, and she continued to follow one of them because he wouldn’t give her more info), but I enjoyed the novel and plunged through the book in a few days. The heroine was feisty, optimistic, and ambitious, and her male counterpart/love interest was mysterious, intelligent and protective; the partnership was a winning combination. It was a guilty pleasure to read and served as an enjoyable way to pass the time.

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Deception by Gaslight is a cosy mystery novel, although it is not one in which there appears no violence. Indeed, there are moments of brutality that a prospective reader must be aware of, but they are neither gruesome nor gratuitous in nature.

It is a fast paced book is set in the late 1888 in the growing metropolis of New York, making it set in the Victoria era, a period of history that is close enough to be well known and yet far enough away to make the time seem murky in our collective consciousness.

We are introduced to the main characters almost immediately. We see the well-heeled socialite Genevieve stumbling into a dangerous situation and the enigmatically dressed Daniel who saves her from certain ruin, but not before she witnesses the unsavoury sight of a decomposing body at the end of the alleyway.
Genevieve and Daniel both move in what is known as the Astor 400, which was a list of the best that New York society has to offer during the Gilded Age. The so-called list was published in The New York Times on February 16th, 1892, making both characters well respected and much fawned over.

Genevieve is considered at advanced age of 26 to be a probable old maid, stood up at the aisle by her fiancé because her mother had been arrested for protesting for the rights of women to vote and she now, with the blessing of her forward thinking parents, concentrates on building a career as a journalist. Daniel, with his questionable past which queried just why he was made the unrelated heir to an affluent socialite and his vast fortune, with his penchant to shift his living arrangements from America to Europe on a regular basis and has shown no known interest in the opposite sex. Of course, it goes without saying that this does not run true for the course of the whole novel, which an enjoyable love story brewing underneath the mystery between the two main characters as they search for clues to solve the puzzle that was befuddling society. At large is a thief who openly markets himself as Robin Hood is stealing items of great worth from the rich and purporting to give the proceeds to the poor after explaining his crimes in letters that are sent to Genevieve’s newspaper, making him a local folk hero with the teaming masses of New York. But this is not the only mystery that Genevieve and Daniel find themselves trying to unravel as a shadowy paper company seems to be undermining the said goal of the city of better housing for the poor under the veneer of respectability.

The characters are drawn well enough over the course of the novel to make them engaging and likeable, but also left open enough to expect new information revealed further in novels yet to be written, which the reader can gauge the likelihood of to be strong with the final chapter alluding to the next mystery that will be tackled by the unlikely heroes. The story is well written and enjoyable, It does not require great detective skills to work out where the mystery is leading, but that doesn’t take away from the pleasure of reading the novel.

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Originally I wondered if the gaslight in the title was a reference to the actual gas-light of that era, or was a story about being gaslighted. Either way, I knew it was a story that I would be intrigued by, not to mention it having a terrific cover.

Set in the times of the Astor 400, which was a fun fact to learn about and look up on the Internet, Genevieve Stewart is a young journalist attempting to track down information about the famed Robin Hood – a jewel thief who has been stealing from the wealthy. During her hunt for information she runs across a handsome Daniel McCaffrey and he immediately becomes a potential suspect or a potential romantic interest. Inbetween times of journalist pursuit she also is a welcome addition to the high society parties and balls since her family is also included in the Astor 400 list. As Genevieve continues tracking down her story, she finds that additional deaths may be related, but what is worse is that Daniel, whom she has started getting close to, may be the culprit.

There are books that you enjoy, but slow read and then there are books that you can’t read fast enough. This was the latter because it was just so likeable. The writing was quick and flowing and there always seemed to be something to keep me interested – be it the investigative work and the danger it brings, the balls, or the potential romance. There truly was never a dull moment. I did, however, wonder about some of the choices Genevieve makes concerning her safety. There are times in the book where you want to go “No! That doesn’t sound like a smart idea considering what has been going on,” but it never kept me from enjoying the overall story. The very, very end also felt a little Hollywood-ish and while I was emotionally satisfied, I also knew that logically it probably would not have happened that way.

Recommended for those who enjoy the 1880 American Gilded Age era society stories, and light reads with fast-paced action and story that includes a dash of romance.
Rating: 4.5

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

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An enjoyable mystery with a hint of romance. Genevieve was smart,independent, tough and a bit too brave for her own good. Although they are not sure they can trust one another Genevieve and Daniel make an interesting team as they unravel a tangle of murders and thefts. It is also fun for the reader to wonder how much they should trust one another.

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3.5 out of 5 stars.

A fast paced murder mystery, a cat and mouse-esque relationship and a righteous thief bind this story together.

However, there were at times quite a lot of moments that were just high society scenes that didn't lend itself to the plot at all. I felt that some of the side characters could have played bigger roles or had more depth to them.

I did enjoy the dynamic between the two main characters however, and enjoyed the journalistic side.

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While not the most original of plots I did enjoy reading this light cozy. I love the era...the Gilded Age of NY and this author does a great job describing it and keeping events and characters true to the period. A little mystery, a little romance....all in all time well spent. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

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3.5 stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for giving me this to read early!


This book is a historical fiction mystery, set in the late 1880s in New York. Guinevere is a journalist and she's determined to uncover who this Robin Hood - who steals from the rich and apparently gives to the poor - really is. While on this chase, however, she stumbles onto something much bigger.

I really liked the writing. It was smooth and clear. The setting was done very well, and I loved the descriptions we got about the city and society and surroundings in general. They were to the point and never overdone. There was no excessive description of uninteresting things to the plot, which I really appreciated.

G was overall a really nice character, and Daniel was amazing. Their friends, too, and G's family all have distinct personalities and I enjoyed getting to know them all.

Now, I generally tend to dislike stories about journalists, whether the format is a book or a movie or a tv-show, because their behaviour is normally distasteful at best and downright terrible at worst. I find it difficult to sympathise with characters in this profession, so I tend to just avoid stories that include them altogether. G is a journalist, so I was a little wary going into this and worried it would turn me off the story. Remarkably, however, G didn't annoy me that much. There were a couple of occasions where I felt she acted in a way that any decent person would be ashamed of and she should rightfully be given an earful about, but on these occasions the dual perspective we get throughout the book saves these scenes just in time - whether it's Daniel being a voice of reason or another scene interrupting the current one, I'm either relieved or distracted.
**Mind you, this is just a personal preference for me. Like I say, journalists are characters in stories that I struggle to sympathise with and if I don't sympathise with a character they tend to just annoy me. Luckily G is made to be a moral journalist.

And although I survived her journalistic tendencies relatively unscathed there are a few moments where I admit to being annoyed at G for being dumb in general. She has some of these "yes someone tried to hurt me but I can take care of myself so I don't need your help" moments, you see. I get it. You're tough and you're brave. But when someone has tried to hurt you and you have a friend who can help, who you say you trust, then you let them help. It's called common sense, plus it's smart to use the resources you have at your disposal. If you have a partner who can help, then you let them. If you have a partner that can do something you should not do because it could endanger your life but not theirs, then you let them do it. It does not harm your independence to accept help when you need it.

Anyway.

Moving on to the plot! The mysteries (for there are more than one going on at the same time) are intriguing and there is rarely a proper pause in action. So much is going on! And just when you want something more to happen, it does. Theft? Murder? A past coming back to bite? You get a little of everything here. There are so many balls in the air, and it's so satisfying when they start landing in their place one after the other! I really hardly noticed I was turning pages.

I felt some things could have been done a little better. G's suspicion of Daniel, for example, doesn't really have much solid ground, and her insistence on him having a link to Robin Hood seems kind of baseless and desperate, but it's surrounded by enough other mysteries and developments to be masked pretty well. It's not bothersome by any means, it just doesn't make G seem as professional as I think she's meant to be.

All in all, I think this is a solid 3.5ish star book. I really enjoyed the characters, the setting, the mystery.. I think if you like historical fiction and mysteries then you're going to like this book for sure! And it seems this is to be the first in a series? So if that's the case I'm sure I'll be reading the next instalment as well.

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Deception by Gaslight is the first in a new series by Kate Belli. Genevieve Stewart is trying to make a career for herself as a reporter due to her failed engagement and no marriage prospects due to her eccentric family. The novel begins with Genevieve trying to investigate the new Robin Hood that is stealing from the rich and giving to the poor but the story evolves into something more sinister than just thefts. I enjoyed the story of Genevieve and Daniel and the two POV's through out. I was really was rooting for them but then ending left me irritated and frustrated just because they wanted to lead into the next story.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Really enjoyed reading this book. Good characters and very well written. I enjoyed the story and didn't guess "whodunnit" which is a nice change as its sometimes obvious from the beginning. Would read more by this author and think it would be good to have more books featuring characters from this novel.

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Glittering jewels and jewel thieves and murder. Deception by Gaslight is a mystery with a small dash of romance. The first in a forthcoming series, this novel sets up the sleuthing team and the complex backgrounds of the characters. Guinevere and Daniel are amusing together and I truly enjoyed their clashes and banter as well as the side characters, but the mystery was less captivating for me. I was looking for more character development alongside the mystery. I didn’t realize this was going to be a series at first, so the next book will probably provide what I was missing. Now that the world and characters are established, I will easily dive back into the story as the writing is well-done.

For fans of Tasha Alexander, Deanna Raybourne, and Laurie R. King.

Thanks to Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for my review copy.

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Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for sharing an advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

The story begins in New York in the winter of 1888 when a "Robin Hood" begins stealing jewels from the wealthy and giving to the poor. Genevieve is a 26 year old reporter hoping to investigate but as a woman is struggling to be given the assignment. While checking out some information in a rough part of town she "meets" Daniel in the midst of some shady happenings. They encounter each other just days later at a major ball, discovering neither is who they appeared to be at first.

It's a mostly enjoyable mystery novel with good chemistry between the lead characters and a bit of murder and mayhem added into the mix. I really liked the story a lot and found myself reading late into the night to find out what happens. I look forward to reading more by the writer.

I give this 3.5 stars.

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New York, 1888: At twenty-six, Genevieve Stewart is a single woman due to a failed engagement and who was born to a wealthy family. As such, she is part of New York society, but is trying to make a name for herself as a journalist. She follows a lead on the notorious “Robin Hood” –a thief who is going after the wealthiest members of society. Her ambition leads her into one of the roughest parts of the city where she meets Daniel—a rich man who grew up in the poorest neighborhood. She thinks he is the thief and trails him doggedly. Unfortunately, her investigation leads her into serious trouble—and an intriguing partnership to find the thief—and the murderer who is framing him. The story has a lot of details as to what life was like in 1888 NYC. From the rich and powerful and their lavish parties, to the working poor, living in the slums.

What I liked: The world building. Though light on some sensory details (what did the slums smell like compared to Genevieve’s uptown neighborhood?), there is enough richness of background to embed you in the story. I liked Genevieve and her family. They are “society” but in an unconventional way. I loved Esmie and how she eventually finds herself. And I liked the scene in Genevieve’s friend’s home when she faces two men, one of whom is Robin Hood, and shows how well she can aim a gun! Loved this scene.

What I didn’t like: I wasn’t especially fond of the fact that the ultimate bad guy didn’t get his, but… from what I saw in the “ending” there is more to come so I assume he’ll get his sometime. And, although the mystery in this book is solved, there were enough loose ends left dangling that you know there will be more adventures for Genevieve.

If you like cozy historical mysteries, I do recommend this book. Though I found it a bit slow at first, by the middle/end, I couldn’t put it down. It will keep you turning the pages, even though it's not a real heart pounding story. I look forward to more adventures with Genevieve and Daniel.

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I have mixed opinions and it might take me a couple of days to process all that has happened in this book. I have enjoyed plot for the most part and I think there is still a lot potential to it. The pacing is good and I really liked the dynamics between the main characters. The only thing I didn't like was the ending, about which I still can't stop thinking about.

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A historical fiction in the winter of 1888, with thefts, murder, corruption in high places and an investigative pair of a journalist and a society scion. I like historical fiction for their freshness and background information. This book has the former but lacks the latter. The unravelling of the suspense could have been better. An enjoyable read for fans of this genre.

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