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. 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