Enjoyable short mystery story. This is a prequel to the Molly Murphy series and would probably be more fun for someone who is already familiar with the series. But it did leave me wanting to read more... ( )

Molly is 18 years old and taking care of her father and brothers in Ireland. She is asked to help out with a ball at the manor. Lady Amersham wears her family rubies and they go missing during the ball. Upon taking Lady Amersham back to her room and helping her get ready for bed, Molly solves the mystery. ( )

Review of eBook

Molly Murphy, living in a small peasant cottage in County Mayo, Ireland with her father and brothers, receives a request from Lady Hartley, the mistress of the estate where her father and brothers work. As a child, she’d taken lessons with the Hartley girls, Vanessa and Henrietta. Molly knows there will be a coming-out ball for Henrietta; she wonders if Lady Hartley wants her to attend.

But Lady Hartley seems to have forgotten about the time the three girls spent together; since there will be a shortage of maids, she wants Molly to assist some of the ladies with their preparations prior to the ball. Molly agrees and, on the evening of the ball, finds herself assisting Lady Amersham.

But when the priceless family heirloom Lady Amersham is wearing suddenly disappears, can Molly help solve the case and find the ruby necklace?

A prequel to the author’s popular, award-winning Molly Murphy series, this short story introduces Molly and sets the stage for her career as a private investigator. Fans of the series will enjoy seeing Molly solve her very first case.

As for the story itself, things fall into place a bit too easily for Molly, who solves the case because of her careful observation of people and events [definitely a hallmark of a good detective]. Readers may be disappointed that there’s not a bit more to the telling of the tale [and the rather abrupt ending], but meeting Molly and discovering her propensity for observation and case-solving is a treat for those who enjoy the series and have followed the young woman’s adventures.

A three-chapter preview of the sixteenth book in the series, “Time of Fog and Fire,” is included with this prequel story. ( )

THE AMERSHAM RUBIES IS #0.5 IN THE MOLLY MURPHY MYSTERIES BY RHYS BOWEN. This is the first exposure to the character Molly Murphy, Irish , poor and mystery solver.

I found THE AMERSHAM RUBIES short enough to curl up with in the evening and a pretty fair intro to the Molly Murphy series. I have just begun reading and enjoying Rhys Bowen's works and this was a pretty good way to be introduced into another one of her series. ( )

This was a very short but sweet introduction to the Molly Murphy series. This is a prequel to the series, where we meet Molly. She is asked to help out at a function as a ladies maid, where she solves a theft. I think I will read the first in the series to find out if I will enjoy this series or not. ( )