Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Murder at Marble House: A Gilded Newport Mystery-Alyssa Maxwell

Murder at Marble House: A Gilded Newport Mystery
Alyssa Maxwell
Kensington, Sep 30 2014, $15.00
ISBN 9780758290847

In 1895 Newport, Rhode Island, eighteen year old Consuelo Vanderbilt refuses to marry the Duke of Marlborough, the chosen one selected by her mother, Alva.  When Consuelo’s poor cousin Emma Cross arrives, Alva warns her to persuade the recalcitrant teen or else. 

Not long afterward, Madam Devereaux the psychic is found murdered in the Marble House gardens and Consuelo is missing.  Knowing her niece recently solved the Murder At The Breakers, Alva orders Emma to discreetly find Consuelo before the Duke, coming from England to New York before he arrives in Newport.  Limited by what she can do without bringing attention to the Vanderbilt family, Emma worries about her cousin’s safety as more homicides occur and clues take her to the underbelly of the affluent city.

The second Gilded Newport Mystery is an entertaining historical amateur sleuth that deftly combines a deep look at the rich and famous with a whodunit.  Emma is terrific as she deals with her demanding aunt while her inquiry focuses on finding her cousin, but doing so without anyone learning Consuelo vanished.  At the same time a killer is on the loose but seemingly not part of Emma’s increasingly desperate search. 


Harriet Klausner

1 comment:

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