My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Cholera has broken out in London, but Florence Nightingale has bigger problems when people begin dying of a far more intentional cause—murder.
The London summer of 1854 is drawing to a close when a deadly outbreak of cholera grips the city. Florence Nightingale is back on the scene marshaling her nurses to help treat countless suffering patients at Middlesex Hospital as the disease tears through the Soho slums. But beyond the dangers of the disease, something even more evil is seeping through the ailing streets of London.
It begins with an attack on the carriage of Florence’s friend, Elizabeth Herbert, wife to Secretary at War Sidney Herbert. Florence survives, but her coachman does not. Within hours, Sidney’s valet stumbles into the hospital, mutters a few cryptic words about the attack, and promptly dies from cholera. Frantic that an assassin is stalking his wife, Sidney enlists Florence’s help, who accepts but has little to go on save for the valet’s last words and a curious set of dice in his jacket pocket. Soon, the suspects are piling up faster than cholera victims, as there seems to be no end to the number of people who bear a grudge against the Herbert household.
Now, Florence is in a race against time—not only to save the victims of a lethal disease, but to foil a murderer with a disturbingly sinister goal—in A Murderous Malady.
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I really, really loved the first book in this series. And, that makes writing this review a bit tough because I found the mystery in this book was just not on the same level as in No Cure for the Dead. Don't take me wrong, it's an interesting book, but I was more invested in the story in the first book because of Florence Nightingale's own trials and tribulations to solve the case. She just had to solve the case since the murder had happened in her own hospital. This time, her best friend Elizabeth Herbert and her father are attacked while they are traveling in a carriage in London. They survive, but the coachmen die. And, now Elizabeth husband is worried that there is someone out there who wants to kill Elizabeth and he wants Florence to investigate.
Now I'm all for Florence playing amateur detective, but writing this review can't I help be a bit skeptic to why she of all people should take on this role. I mean sure she solved a murder, but she's not a detective. If Elizabeth had wanted Florence to investigate this event would it make more sense, but her husband Sidney? I would have thought someone with a bit more experience would have made a better choice. Anyhow Florence accepts and then the hunt is on for the truth. Personal the side story about King Cholera was way more interesting to read about. All and all, this story was not bad, the case may not have enthralled me the same way as the first books case did. However, I did enjoy reading about Florence and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
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