Murder at the Elms

Maxwell's satisfying 11th historical whodunit featuring Emma Cross (after 2022's Murder at Beacon Rock) sees the reporter once again investigating murder in turn-of-the-century New England. Emma and her new husband, Derrick Andrews, own and operate the Newport Messenger in 1901 Rhode Island. Emma, the Messenger's sole news reporter, has received a tip from Edward and Herminie Berwind's butler that the entire domestic staff at the Berwinds' mansion intend to strike. Emma heads to the Elms to speak with the staff in advance of their decision; when nearly all the servants vote in favor, the Berwinds fire the strikers. Not long after, Emma is attending a musical at the Elms when chambermaid Ines Varella is found strangled in a coal cart near the property. Emma, who helped persuade Ines not to strike, worries her advice could've gotten the maid killed, so she launches an investigation, only to stumble on a jewelry theft and a second murder in the process. Maxwell manages a vivid re-creation of Gilded Age New England and delivers several well-earned and hard-to-predict plot twists. Fans of Anne Perry's Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels will find plenty to enjoy. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Sept.)

In 1901, an intrepid reporter confronts another case of murder among Newport's wealthy denizens. Although they call them cottages, wealthy socialites have built fabulous mansions they use just for Rhode Island's summer season. Emma Cross, now Mrs. Derrick Andrews, has worked as a reporter for years, using her elite background to gain entree to society events. Though she's inherited some money from the Vanderbilt side of her family and married a wealthy man, she still enjoys solving crimes and writing them up for the local newspaper, the Newport Messenger. Her first story after returning from her honeymoon is about a labor strike at The Elms, a new mansion built by Edward and Minnie Berwind (who are real historical figures). Everyone on their staff except for Ines the maid is demanding more time off. Refusing to meet their demands, Berwind fires them. A musicale at The Elms to which Emma and Derrick have been invited is interrupted by the discovery of Ines' body in the mansion's coal tunnel. The maid, who was strangled, had certainly made enemies by her refusal to strike, but Emma thinks there may be more nefarious forces at work. A more shocking development for Rex Morton, one of the Berwinds' guests, is that an extremely valuable necklace he owns has gone missing. Everyone wonders whether Ines and another missing servant also found strangled stole it. After alternating between snooping and soothing the wealthy guests, Emma discovers a number of secrets that make them all suspects and put her in danger. Combining mystery with real-life personalities from the Gilded Age makes for an entertaining and informative read. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.