Exclusive interview with author Rhys Bowen and a review of her new novel in the Molly Murphy Mystery series
Rating: 4 Stars
By Gabrielle Pantera
“I knew Molly was about to get married, so I thought I’d explore what it meant in various cultures to be a bride,” says Bless the Bride author Molly Murphy. “I chose the contrasting culture of Chinatown.” This is the tenth Molly Murphy Mystery, set in New York City in the early 1900s.
In Bless the Bride, Molly’s wedding is fast approaching, but instead of preparing for her nuptials and settling down in 1903, she gets caught up in solving another case. This time it’s Lee Sing Tai, a wealthy Chinese immigrant who hires Molly to find a valuable piece of jade and his missing wife. It’s rare to see a Chinese woman in New York, so finding her should be easy. The jade could be the difficult part.
Her husband to be, NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan, really wants her to stop taking cases and be a homemaker. Can Molly keep Daniel from finding out she’s taken one last case before giving it up for good? Not when a murder happens.
Rhys Bowen’s development of Molly, Daniel and the host of supporting characters engages the reader from page one. You don’t have to start with the first book in the series as each is charming in itself. This is a mystery novel first and foremost, but there is humor and some romance to leaven the mix.
In her research, Rhys Bowen found that having visited New York’s Chinatown many times helped. “I have plenty of photos of the period,” says Bowen. “I did lots of research into the whole Chinese immigration into the US and read some terrific first-hand accounts of early Chinatown, including a map of who lived where in 1900.”
Bowen’s husband’s family had lived in the Far East. His mother was born in Malaysia. Among the family’s souvenirs are a pair of shoes for bound feet. “They are about two inches long,” says Bowen. “A tiny child’s shoe. I’ve had them for years, but writing this really brought home to me how helpless Chinese women were.” Bowen says she also found it troubling how poorly the Chinese were treated in this country.
Bless the Bride has not been optioned to be adapted for film or television. However, Bowen’s series, Her Royal Spyness is proceeding with a movie deal.
Kelly Ragland at St Martin’s Minotaur is Bowen’s editor. “She’s been my editor for most of this series, a terrific relationship. We know each other well and respect each other by now.” St Martin’s bought Bowen’s my first mystery in 1997.
“I’m in the middle of the eleventh Molly book, currently called Hush Now, Don’t You Cry.” That’s set in Newport, Rhode Island.
Her next book in the Royal Spyness series comes out in September. It’s called Naughty in Nice.
Bowen’s website is www.rhysbowen.com and her blog, titled Rhys Pieces, can be found at rhysbowen.blogspot.com. She is based in northern California and Arizona. She was born in Bath.
Bless the Bride by Rhys Bowen. Hardcover: 272 pages, Minotaur Books, Release date March 1, 2011. ISBN 978-0312628109. $24.99
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