Murder In Chinatown

By: Victoria Thompson

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Edgar Award finalist Victoria Thompson colorfully portrays the prejudices and hardships of turn-of-the-century New York City.

Called to Chinatown to deliver a baby, midwife Sarah Brandt soon helps search for a missing girl. But nobody seems to know where she is. Has she been sold to a brothel, or has she run off with a secret love?

©2007 Victoria Thompson (P)2008 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Vividly recreates the gaslit world of Old New York." ( Publishers Weekly)

horrible narrator

the story was fine. I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks over the years and this narrator was the most horrible one I have ever heard. I almost didn't listen to the book. if she is narrating the rest of the series I will not purchase it

The narrator was god awful.

why do they have to ruin a perfectly good story. The other narrator was great. I want to continue the series but just can not stomach listening to this person. it is a shame.

New Narrator after 8 Books

The book was excellent, but the new narrator really threw my husband and I off at first. She was good but took some time getting used to.

A new Narrator

I love Victoria Thompson's Gaslight series. I listened to the first eight books as if they were one continuing book.
The change of reader to Suzanne Toren was shocking. I find Frank Malloy's voice by this reader menacing and sarcastic. I have a clear picture of this well written character in my mind's eye, that I know from the first eight books. Fortunately or unfortunately, this picture in my head includes the voice and intonations of the reader of the first eight books. To my ear, there is a mismatch between my impressions of Frank Malloy and the snarky voice Suzanne Toren uses.

There are at least two reasons for this jolting mismatch that may be personal to me. I lived in New York City for 15 years and I know that all New Yorkers don't have to sound like James Cagney either in accent or in passive aggressive sarcasm. And I am a bit infatuated with the Detective .Malloy of books 1-8. He is a strong man who sometimes wonders, in his heart, if he's strong enough. He's a Detective with a tough shell, who inside suffers with his handicapped son and still grieves the lose of his late wife. He is strong willed enough to fight what he sees as an ill-fated attraction to Sara, and yet he undestands that his heart won't be controled. He can't be a little in love, and their society will stand in the way of complete love. He will not compromise Sara in any way so he keeps her just out of his reach. Sara is a strong-willed independent woman who is who she is because of who she was born to be. She has always had the inherited acceptance by New York Society, of belonging to one of the most powerful families in New York. Protecting her non-conventional life, is the power of her family name. Though she doesn't usually flaunt her privilege, she will pull out the 'big guns' when necessary. The fact that her family and Teddy Roosevelt's are close opens a lot of doors that seemed locked to her and Mallory until she reveals her true identity.

Murder in Chinatown is another Victoria Thompson win. I am now starting the second book read by Suzanne Toren. I am trying to meld her voice with my idea of the characters. I will not stop listening to these stories but I miss the voices of the friends I know.

Good story, bad narrator

Good story, bad narrator, high, whiney, and difficult to hear. The last narrator was only mediocre, but this is so much worse. Hopefully I will get used to it or she will improve with the successive books.

This is the 9th book in the series.

This book is one of the later books in a series, but this is the first audiobook. If you haven’t read the first books I can’t imagine too many people liking this book. If this is the first book in the series that you've read then I think it would be boring to some since you wouldn't have the background of the character. If you like the other books then you’ll like this one. I enjoy her books but they aren’t for everyone. In each book it’s been very easy to determine who committed the crime long before the characters in the book figure it out. What I enjoy about the book is the interaction between the two characters. There’s no sex or language in her books, I think it’s what some people call a “cozy mystery”.

An author to follow

A new mystery writer to follow! Not only did I get to learn more about the Chinese/American experience in early New York, I got involved in a good mystery about a young Chinese/Irish girl's murder. I did figure out who done it but not until almost the end. I want more! More mystery! More info on a detective who works under Teddy Roosevelt! More about the midwife who seems to get involved in his cases!

I do NOT like the new narrator

I have listened to all the books in this series, and I grew to love the characters as they were imagined and presented by the previous narrator (who got better after the first couple books). The new narrator has completely altered the age/warmth/feel of the characters and I truly did not like it! I hated all the false and annoying accents, and the Molloy/Sarah dynamic was totally obliterated, etc. Ugh! I like to listen to books while I’m driving, but I’m going to have to read the remainder of these and find some new audiobooks. I really cannot abide another one of these read by that narrator.

All Ye Who Complained

Look at all those reviews mentioning the new Narrator. Callie was just fine, I enjoyed her narration. And I'm pretty sure those that complained are the same ones who complain even now. I only take issue with the strange pacing and how Sarah now sounds way too meek and Malloy sounds like he's 50 years old. Great Story besides all of that.

Great story ... poor narration

Frank's voice makes him gruff not at all likeable, but the story is good as usual.