Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in 1899, Maxwell's excellent eighth Gilded Age Newport mystery (after 2019's Murder at Crossways) finds newspaper editor-in-chief Emma Cross and her beau, Derrick Andrews, at a high-society motorcar competition, where they see 21-year-old Philip King crash his car while driving drunk. That evening, Emma and Derrick are dining with King's widowed mother, Ella, at her "cottage," Kingscote, when the butler, Isaiah Baldwin, is found crushed between a beech tree and Philip's car. Philip, who has borrowed money from the butler that he can't repay, is the obvious suspect, but Emma isn't convinced. Isaiah was a boxing aficionado who lied about his last post, seemed inexplicably flush with cash, and had an unsavory reputation with women. Emma also probes a woman claiming to be the real heir to the King family fortune, as well as a housemaid with something to hide. Meanwhile, she questions her future in the newspaper business and with Derrick, whose family disdains her lack of social standing. Maxwell combines convincing character development and vivid depictions of Newport's heyday with a well-plotted mystery. This historical series just keeps getting better. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Aug.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Eighth in the "Gilded Newport Mystery" series (following Murder at Crossways) finds Emma Cross uniquely positioned in Newport as an established local, a poorer relative of the Vanderbilts, an excellent sleuth, and newly appointed editor in chief of the Newport Messenger. While covering Newport's first-ever automobile parade, complete with an obstacle course, she notes alcohol on the breath of young Philip King--just before he crashes off course, demolishing a wooden statue of a nanny pushing a baby in a pram. Later the same evening, at a dinner party thrown by Philip's mother, Ella King, Philip makes a late drunken entrance shortly before the discovery of the Kings' butler gruesomely pinned against a tree--by the same automobile Philip crashed earlier in the day. What seems a simple case turns into a series of knotty mysteries requiring perseverance and understanding of the intricacies of Newport politics: the moneyed families and the locals who serve them. VERDICT In this delightful addition to the series, which would serve as a good introduction to newcomers, Maxwell's focus on class and gender division is sharp and accomplished. Come for the late 19th-century historical detail; stay for the intrigue.--Julie Kane, Washington & Lee Lib., Lexington, VA
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A murder at a Newport, Rhode Island, "cottage"--as the locals call their mansions--highlights the chasm between rich and poor in 1899. The coastal resort is a playground for the fabulously wealthy, and Emma Cross, editor-in-chief of the Newport Messenger, is familiar with all sides of society, since she's a poor relation of the Vanderbilt family. Philip King, the son of Mrs. Ella King, owner of Kingscote, has borrowed an automobile for the town's first motorcar parade and, being a bit intoxicated, gotten into a minor accident that results in a dinner invitation to Kingscote for Emma and Messenger owner Derrick Andrews, who helped rescue the family. Emma's romantic feelings have been divided between Derrick and Detective Jesse Whyte, her old friend and partner in crime-solving, but Derrick, whose mother thinks her not good enough, has finally won her heart. The dinner party is interrupted when Kingscote's butler is crushed against a tree by the car Philip was driving; it's assumed that a drunken Philip ran him down, and he's placed under house arrest. Soon after a note to Emma hints that all is not well with the Kingscote servants, the murder of a footman opens up a new line of investigation. Is the killer a wealthy socialite or one of the poor servants who constantly fear for their jobs? Perhaps it's Mrs. Eugenia Ross, who's pursuing a lawsuit claiming that she, not the Kings, is the rightful heir of William Henry King. Hidden secrets must be revealed to catch a killer. A charming addition to the Gilded Age series that's laced with social and historical commentary and is based on a true story. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
