Entertaingvbook about a woman doctor in the late 19th century Philadelphia who helps the police solve a murder. ( )

I read somewhere that this a debut novel for this author. If every future thing she writes is anything like this one, she will have many "Best Sellers" and we the readers, will have another outstanding author to follow. Our main character, Dr. Lydia Weston serves the "working-class" patients at the city’s Spruce Street Clinic and teaches future female doctors at the Woman’s Medical College. In 1875 this was quite an accomplishment for a woman. We should not be surprised that her accomplishments are often dismissed by the men who believe women are prone to hysteria and not capable of being good doctors. The body of a woman believed to be one of Lydia’s patients is found in the Schuylkill River, and she is invited into the police investigation. The body...Anna Ward had worked as a housemaid for a wealthy family whose snobby members are far from willing to cooperate with the search for her killer. Their sense of privilege opens the door for the author to transform her crime novel into a social novel that cleverly examines the deprivation suffered by people in service and the struggles of women like Lydia and Anna who only wished to choose their own paths. The reader is pulled into the fascinating and detailed world of forensic autopsies and Lydia's instincts and determination to carry out a murder investigation as effectively as...or perhaps even better than the police. We have well-constructed narrative that is also appealing. All we "armchair sleuths" can only hope that this is the beginning of a new series with our "star" Lydia, who in this one proved she is a strong and indomitable woman who overruns her circumstances to become a crusader for social justice in what was very much still a "male orientated world". ( )

I really enjoyed this debut historical mystery, MURDER BY DEGREES. The author, Rita Mukerji, is a physician who attended medical school in Philadelphia. The main character, Dr. Lydia Weston, is a professor and anatomist at Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The story takes place in 1875 with Dr. Weston helping to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young patient. Well written story, although I probably skimmed over much of the poetry. ( )

Lydia, a pioneering doctor, solves a mystery involving a missing women in 19th century Philadelphia ( )

Murder By Degrees by Ritu Mukerji gives the reader a glimpse into Philadelphia in 1875 and the perils of women doctors during this period. Mukerji describes an actual autopsy in vivid detail and gives an insight into the medical problems in the 19th century. The novel develops the characters and the setting shows Philadelphia in great detail. The excellent writing pushes the reader to continue reading and finish the novel in a day. The hardships of surgery in the 19th century point to the emergence of anesthesia as a form of controlling the patient’s pain and terror during surgery. A mystery well written, insightful, and interesting. ( )