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Home / Series / Molly Murphy

Series

Molly Murphy

The Molly Murphy mysteries follow an independent Irish immigrant who arrives in New York at the beginning of the twentieth century and becomes a private investigator. Molly searches for missing people, works undercover and investigates murders across Ellis Island, Greenwich Village, Fifth Avenue, Chinatown and the city’s political and theatrical worlds. Her determination repeatedly brings her into conflict with police captain Daniel Sullivan, whose protection she resists even as their relationship deepens.

After Molly and Daniel marry, she continues investigating while navigating pregnancy, motherhood and pressure to abandon detective work. The series expands beyond New York to Ireland, Paris, Newport, San Francisco and the Catskills, using crimes to explore immigration, women’s rights, political corruption, early cinema and the rapid social changes of Progressive Era America.

Reading order

Books in this series (22 books)

Murphy’s Law cover

#1 – Murphy’s Law

Rhys Bowen

After killing a man in self-defence in Ireland, Molly Murphy flees the country by taking another woman’s place aboard a ship to New York. Her arrival at Ellis Island appears to offer a new life until a man with whom she argued is found murdered and…

Death of Riley cover

#2 – Death of Riley

Rhys Bowen

Determined to earn a living as an investigator, Molly persuades private detective Paddy Riley to take her on as an apprentice. Her training ends almost immediately when she finds Paddy dead in his office and discovers that his current cases may have brought him into conflict…

For the Love of Mike cover

#3 – For the Love of Mike

Rhys Bowen

Molly inherits several of Paddy Riley’s cases, including the search for a runaway Irish heiress and an undercover assignment in a garment factory where dress designs are being stolen. When a woman’s body is recovered from the East River, Molly fears that the missing young woman…

In Like Flynn cover

#4 – In Like Flynn

Rhys Bowen

Molly goes undercover at the Hudson River estate of Senator Barney Flynn to determine whether two visiting spiritualists are frauds. The senator’s wife hopes the sisters can contact her son, who disappeared during a notorious kidnapping, and Molly quickly concludes that the old case was never…

Oh Danny Boy cover

#5 – Oh Danny Boy

Rhys Bowen

Molly intends to distance herself from police captain Daniel Sullivan, but he is arrested and imprisoned on charges of taking bribes. Daniel insists that he has been framed and asks Molly to investigate the case that may have provoked his enemies. The trail leads to a…

In Dublin’s Fair City cover

#6 – In Dublin’s Fair City

Rhys Bowen

A New York theatre impresario hires Molly to carry out private family business in Ireland, giving her a risky chance to return home. She sails aboard the Majestic under an assumed role, where a celebrated actress disappears and another passenger is found dead. Molly investigates the…

Tell Me Pretty Maiden cover

#7 – Tell Me Pretty Maiden

Rhys Bowen

Molly and Daniel discover an unconscious young woman in snow-covered Central Park. When she wakes, she cannot speak or explain who she is, and the authorities prepare to send her to an asylum rather than investigate how she came to be abandoned. Molly takes responsibility for…

In a Gilded Cage cover

#8 – In a Gilded Cage

Rhys Bowen

After marching with suffragists on Fifth Avenue and being arrested, Molly accepts cases from two Vassar graduates. One believes an uncle is withholding her inheritance, while the other suspects her husband of infidelity as influenza spreads through the city. When one of the women dies and…

The Last Illusion cover

#9 – The Last Illusion

Rhys Bowen

Molly attends a performance by Harry Houdini, but an opening illusion goes disastrously wrong and a performer’s assistant is killed. Rival magician Signor Scarpelli accuses Houdini of sabotaging the equipment, and Houdini’s wife hires Molly to protect him as further threats appear. Molly enters the competitive…

Bless the Bride cover

#10 – Bless the Bride

Rhys Bowen

Shortly before her marriage to Daniel, Molly accepts one final case from a wealthy Chinese businessman who wants her to find his missing bride. The young woman may have fled voluntarily, but the restrictions placed on Chinese women in New York make it difficult to learn…

Hush Now, Don’t You Cry cover

#11 – Hush Now, Don’t You Cry

Rhys Bowen

Molly and Daniel spend their honeymoon at the Newport estate of alderman Brian Hannan, an ambitious politician seeking higher office. The invitation seems generous until Hannan is found dead below the cliffs and the household begins protecting its own version of events. Although Molly has promised…

The Family Way cover

#12 – The Family Way

Rhys Bowen

Pregnant and expected to remain at home, Molly receives a letter addressed to her former detective agency asking her to find a missing Irish servant. On the same day she learns that several babies have disappeared in New York, but Daniel refuses to let her assist…

Away in a Manger cover

#15 – Away in a Manger

Rhys Bowen

At Christmas in 1905, Molly and her ward Bridie meet two well-spoken English children singing and begging on a New York street. The children say that their mother has disappeared and that the aunt caring for them takes their money and treats them harshly. Molly begins…

Wild Irish Rose cover

#18 – Wild Irish Rose

Rhys Bowen

Molly returns to Ellis Island with Sid and Gus to distribute clothing to newly arrived immigrants. That evening Daniel reports a murder on the island and describes the principal suspect, an Irish woman whose appearance and circumstances closely resemble Molly’s own arrival years earlier. Convinced that…

All That Is Hidden cover

#19 – All That Is Hidden

Rhys Bowen

Daniel abruptly announces that the family will move to Fifth Avenue and that he will run for sheriff on the Tammany Hall ticket. His decision contradicts everything he has said about political corruption, and Molly suspects that he has entered the campaign for reasons he cannot…

Silent as the Grave cover

#21 – Silent as the Grave

Rhys Bowen

While Daniel is working in Washington, Molly takes the children to visit a film production run by her friend Ryan O’Hara. Bridie unexpectedly replaces an actress and proves so capable that she is asked to continue, leaving Molly concerned about the dangerous stunts and improvised effects…

Vanished in the Crowd cover

#22 – Vanished in the Crowd

Rhys Bowen

During New York’s 1909 Hudson–Fulton Celebration, Sid and Gus hire Molly to find a brilliant Vassar-trained scientist who failed to arrive for the festivities. The missing woman’s husband claims to know nothing, while Daniel asks Molly to discover what Sid, Gus and their former classmates are…