Daniel O'Halleran is the main protagonist and a physician of Murder on Oak St by I.M. Foster. It is 1904 and Daniel is dissatisfied with his work life. He worked as a coroner with the police but still wants more. He is offered a position in Patchogue and is offered a position with fellow physician, Samuel Tennyson's medical office. Before he took this position he was tasked with investigating the death of Cornelius Desmond, who was found in an old tenement building reeking of whiskey, it was presumed that he was drunk and fell over the railing to his death.
Daniel is not so sure but he has another crime to investigate, the death of Thomas Brissedon who was murdered in his own bed. He somehow feels that the two deaths are related as Mr.Desmond is the father of Thomas's stepson Patrick. Daniel has his work cut out for him as there are numerous suspects, above and below the stairs. These suspects include Patrick Desmond, Kathleen Brissedon daughter of Thomas, and Colin, son of Thomas, and Jeremy Radcliffe nephew of the deceased.
This book was very well researched, with modern conveniences mentioned for the time, the motor car, electric lights, flushing toilets, railroads, and cycling was a sport. The book is definitely character-driven, everyone is suspect. Daniel has growing feelings for Kathleen but can't follow up on those feelings, he wants to keep his feelings and work separate, but someday?
I was definitely surprised to find out who the murderer was, didn't see that coming. I really enjoyed this book, the author did a great job explaining the era and left subtle clues as to who was to blame.
I give the book 5 stars.
I received a copy of the book for review purposes only ( )

Really enjoyed this historical suspense. A murder investigation gets pushed aside even though the coroner's assistant doesn't think the facts line up. When he takes a job across the river, another death ties the deceased with his first case, and he tries to untangle all the lies and get to the truth in both deaths. A house full of people leaves plenty of suspects, but can he sort out what happened before someone else gets hurt? This one kept me on the edge of my seat, with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the historical notes at the end, which made the story feel like it could have happened in that very place.

This is a fantastic book. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and suspense. The detail taken throughout the book to make you feel like you were there was amazing and down to every last drop. The characters were so well written. That prologue just grabs you by wrist and yanks you write in to the story. My heart was racing as I read it. I found the plot to be fairly smooth. There were twists and turns that I didn’t quite expect but it all still tied in nicely. A new author to me and, quite frankly, I hope to read more. These are my favorite type of mysteries. I highly recommend you give this book a shot. Well done! ( )