by Rhys Bowen
Minotaur Books, $24.99, 262 pages
Private Detective Molly Murphy is preparing for her upcoming wedding when she is hired for one last case before becoming a married woman. A mysterious Chinese businessman wants Molly to find his missing bride in Rhys Bowen’s Bless The Bride. This is the 10th book in the series and Bowen does a nice job of mentioning a few bits of information that a new reader should know, but also presents it as a stand-alone novel. In some ways, Molly seems like a typical Edwardian woman. She agrees that her husband’s career comes first because he is the man and the breadwinner. Yet at the same time, she is far from the prim wife her new mother-in-law expects her to be. Different cases have taken Molly all over New York, but this is her first visit to Chinatown. She is shocked at how culturally different things seem. It is clear that Bowen has done her research. She paints a vivid portrait of early 20th century New York and she captures the feelings of Chinese immigrants finding their place in a new country where the majority does not accept their differences.
Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin