Victoria Thompson, who began her career writing historical romance novels before turning to mysteries with the bestselling Gaslight Mystery series, died August 23 at age 76. The series, which followed socialite-turned-midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Molloy as they solved murders and fought injustice in turn-of-the-20th century New York City, was nominated for six Agatha Awards, an Edgar Award, and a Bruce Alexander Award. Murder in Rose Hill, the 27th Gaslight Mystery, was published in April 2024.
While continuing to write the Gaslight books, Thompson launched her Counterfeit Lady novels, a historical series featuring Elizabeth Miles, a young con woman who uses her skills to right wrongs and help those in need in early 1900s New York City. That series was nominated for the Sue Grafton Memorial Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The seventh book, City of Betrayal, was published in December 2023 and took place in the harrowing days leading to women finally securing the right to vote in 1920.
Thompson held a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from the University of Maryland. In 2012, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, a program for which she was also a professor from 2000 to 2023. She also taught in the Continuing Education Department at Penn State University and was a frequent speaker at writers' conferences across the country. In 2012, she received a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times magazine.
Michelle Vega, executive editor, Berkley, who had been Thompson's editor for the past 10 years, said, "Editors often talk about dream authors, and I can say unreservedly that Victoria Thompson was a dream author. She was unwaveringly professional, could adeptly handle anything thrown her way and was also incredibly kind, funny, and compassionate. I first started working with Vicki when her longtime editor Ginjer Buchanan retired 10 years ago. Vicki's brilliant Gaslight series was already so well-established, her sleuths Sarah and Frank so beloved, that I wondered what I could bring to the table.
"Vicki immediately put those fears to rest and was gracious and receptive to my input from day one. When she started the Counterfeit Lady books, her second series with Berkley, I had the absolute pleasure of getting to brainstorm and work with Vicki from the ground up on something new. I enjoyed every minute and I know she did too. Not only did Vicki really love to write, she loved delving into the history that brought Sarah and Frank and then later Elizabeth and Gideon to life. She delighted in watching the mystery come together in a way that would be satisfying to readers. She truly loved her craft, and it came through on every page. I feel so very honored that I got to be a small part of that process and that I had the unparalleled joy of being her friend."
