Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Welcome to our discussion of Murder by Degrees, by Ritu Mukerji. This book is part of our Spring/Summer Collection Group Reads. Your discussion leader is Lisa.
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About spoilers

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Summary

Murder by Degrees is a historical mystery set in 19th century Philadelphia, following a pioneering woman doctor as she investigates the disappearance of a young patient who is presumed dead.

Philadelphia, 1875: It is the start of term at Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lydia Weston, professor and anatomist, is immersed in teaching her students in the lecture hall and hospital. When the body of a patient, Anna Ward, is dredged out of the Schuylkill River, the young chambermaid’s death is deemed a suicide. But Lydia is suspicious, and she is soon brought into the police investigation.

Aided by a diary filled with cryptic passages of poetry, Lydia discovers more about the young woman she thought she knew. Through her skill at the autopsy table and her clinical acumen, Lydia draws nearer the truth. Soon a terrible secret, long hidden, will be revealed. But Lydia must act quickly, before she becomes the next target of those who wished to silence Anna.

Hi friends! Grabbing this from the library on Friday. Sounds like a good one.

Got mine today.

Have read a few pages and so far it's interesting.

I wanted to finish this last night but couldn't. I really want to know the ending of this story and so far I don't have a clue.

Lisa have you started yet? It has a lot of what I call filler paragraphs, which I don't like, but it's very good. I may finish tonight. I want to know who done it and so far it could be no one I know or everyone I know.

Sheri, I haven't, I'm sorry. Starting today. We have the annual Milwaukee Film Festival going on, so I've been at more movies than reading the last week or so. You're flying through this one, so I'm thinking it's pretty great. I'll message tomorrow once I've dug in.

What movies have you seen?

-Black Dog
-Secret Mall Apartment
-How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
-What Happened to Dorothy Bell? (the actor who played the titular character sat right next to me in the theater!)
-The Milwaukee Show (a series of shorts by MKE filmmakers)
-Date Night Shorts (a series of shorts with love/relationship themes.

Tonight is 40 Acres, and then we have one more shorts program tomorrow, called Stranger Than Fiction. They have all been really great!

This book highlights a few past and still current social issues. One example is that one of the main characters, Anna, works as a housemaid for a wealthy family and the adults have such a sense of class and privilege. Sad to say that this is still a thing today and, in some instances, such as with celebrities and sports stars, it's an accepted almost expected way for them to act.

˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ wrote: "This book highlights a few past and still current social issues. One example is that one of the main characters, Anna, works as a housemaid for a wealthy family and the adults have such a sense of ..."

Indeed. And considering how far back this particular issue dates, I feel like it will never go away. I'm just over halfway done with the book; it's pretty good. I know what you mean by filler, there's quite a bit of stating and restating the social issues here. There's enough in the dialogue to know what's going on, but there's also a lot of internal monologue as Anna ruminates on the discrimination she faces, for example.

Sheri, I just finished this one. Did you finish?

Lisa wrote: "Sheri, I just finished this one. Did you finish?"

Yes.

˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sheri, I just finished this one. Did you finish?"

Yes."

What did you think? I liked it but it didn't set me on fire. Oddly, I liked the medical diagnoses peppered throughout the book lol. I thought it got a little convoluted here and there, with a lot of characters to keep track of. And maybe wasn't compelling enough of a story to sustain that? Still kind of mulling it over.

Lisa wrote: "˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sheri, I just finished this one. Did you finish?"

Yes."

What did you think? I liked it but it didn't set me on fire. Oddly, I liked the medical ..."

I thought I had reviewed it but guess not. I'm with you on it. It was ok, I wanted to know the ending, but it's not the greatest. It went a little long.

Lisa wrote: "Welcome to our discussion of Murder by Degrees, by Ritu Mukerji. This book is part of our Spring/Summer Collection Group Reads. Your discussion leader is Lisa.
_____________________________________..."

Hard to believe Skullkill river actual exists but it does. Fact stranger than fiction

I guess the author decided to keep that fact true. Nice catch. I didn't even think about it.