Ritu Mukerji's atmospheric debut novel, Murder by Degrees, follows a quick-witted female physician trying to solve a missing persons case--or is it murder?--in 19th-century Philadelphia. Dr. Lydia Weston has a full schedule: she instructs female medical students at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania and also treats working-class patients at a neighborhood clinic. Lydia is concerned when Anna, a young chambermaid with an interest in education whom Lydia has befriended, goes missing. But her concern turns to dread when a young woman's body is pulled out of the river, with Anna's clothing and possessions nearby. Determined to find the killer and feeling guilty that she didn't act sooner, Lydia joins the police investigation (to the chagrin of the sergeant assigned to the case) and is quickly drawn into a web of secrets and danger.
Mukerji, herself a physician, describes Lydia's anatomy lessons and her visits to various medical facilities in exacting detail. Her keen observational eye extends to her characters' habits: readers will learn much about the dress, architecture, and mores related to various social classes in 1870s Philadelphia. The cast of characters includes Lydia, her medical colleagues, the investigating police officers, several working-class women, and a group of wealthy benefactors involved in charity work in the rougher parts of the city. Mukerji's story examines the sharp divides in wealth and class, the moralizing attitude of many well-off people in regard to poor people's medical troubles, and the constant sexism leveled at Lydia and her female comrades by men--physicians and otherwise. Lydia, resourceful and pragmatic, is nevertheless not immune to irritation or the occasional blind spot, making her a sympathetic amateur sleuth. Even Sergeant Davies, at first reluctant to see Lydia involved, finds himself asking her advice--and growing concerned when it seems she might be the killer's next target.
As the case grows more complicated, Lydia turns to trusted sources for advice, including an elderly local bookseller who shares Lydia's penchant for poetry. The words of several contemporary poets, including Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, aid Lydia's musings as she tries to find the killer. A dramatic turn of events leads both Lydia and readers to a surprising conclusion.
This engaging, incisive, and well-plotted historical mystery introduces readers to an unforgettable protagonist and her place in a rapidly changing world. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams
Shelf Talker: Ritu Mukerji's debut novel follows a female physician trying to solve the murder of a young woman in 1870s Philadelphia.