Treachery on Tenth Street

Belli's evocative third Gilded Gotham mystery (after 2021's Betrayal on the Bowery) finds society-page reporter Genevieve Stewart and her sometime investigative partner, wealthy upstart Daniel McCaffrey, leaving Newport, R.I., in the summer of 1889 for New York City, because Genevieve's artist's-model friend, Callie Maple, wants her to look into the murder of a fellow model, Beatrice Holler. Callie fears Beatrice is the latest victim of a killer targeting models, and the police have been of no use. At the risk of their lives, Genevieve and Daniel use their connections among the Astor 400 and the city's underworld to try to unmask the fiend before another young woman is struck down. Appearances by real-life artists, such as painter William Merritt Chase, and descriptions of long-gone landmarks, such as the Elephantine Colossus at Coney Island, lend historical verisimilitude. At times, though, excessive background detail slows the plot and undermines the building of suspense. The growing attraction between Genevieve and Daniel gets a light, sympathetic touch. Anne Perry fans will be pleased. Agent: Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne and Miller Literary Assoc. (Oct.)

It's sweltering in New York City in July 1889, and investigative journalist Genevieve Stewart and wealthy businessman Daniel McCaffrey are trying to enjoy the beaches of Newport, RI, when they're called back to the city by Callie Maple, an old friend of Genevieve's who fell from grace when her grandmother died and left her penniless. Now Callie's working as an artist's model, and one of her model friends has just been killed, her throat cut, in what police are unbelievably calling an accident. It seems that the NYPD is trying to keep the model's death quiet as they deal with the furor caused by tabloid claims that London's Jack the Ripper has moved to New York. Genevieve and Daniel look into the model's murder, their investigation keeps leading them back to the famous artists hangout in the Tenth Street Studio Building, but the killer stays one step ahead of them. VERDICT Belli follows Betrayal on the Bowery with another well-researched, intriguing historical mystery depicting culture and social class in Gilded-Age Gotham.--Lesa Holstine

A determined reporter hunts a killer from society parties to the mean streets of 1880s New York. Genevieve Stewart and Daniel McCaffrey reluctantly leave Newport's ocean breezes for the furnace of a New York City summer in response to Genevieve's friend Callie Maple's fears that another friend has been murdered. Although Genevieve is the society reporter for the New York Globe, investigative reporting is her goal. Callie, who came from a wealthy family that lost their money and, with it, her prospects for a good marriage, has taken up the bohemian lifestyle of an artist's model and mistress to support herself. Daniel, who grew up in the world of dangerous gangs before he inherited a fortune, is not shocked by Callie's lifestyle, and Genevieve ignores the impropriety to search for the killer of Callie's friend Bea Holler, another model whom the police insist cut her own throat. Rumors hint that Jack the Ripper's moved to New York, threatening a panic the police want to prevent. Soon Genevieve and Daniel are immersed in the lifestyles of artists, models, and the wealthy men who often take them as mistresses. Although they don't believe the Ripper theory, there may indeed be a serial killer who's marked Callie next on his list. Daniel, who's madly in love with Genevieve, will do anything to help and protect her. This new puzzle will prove the extent of his love, which will be rewarded if the daring couple can stay alive long enough to solve the puzzling case. A rich combination of mystery and boldly painted historic detail. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.