For fans of HBOâs The Gilded Age, explore the dark side of the alluring world of Americaâs 19th century elite in this gripping series of riveting mysteriesâĻ
For fans of Rhys Bowen comes the new mystery from acclaimed author Alyssa Maxwell, as she takes readers to the turn of the century mansions of famed Newport, Rhode Island . . . where not all is always golden and murder turns a successful reporter into a part-time amateur investigator . . .
Following the death of her uncle, Cornelius Vanderbilt, in September 1899, a somber Emma is in no mood for one of Newportâs extravagant parties. But to keep Vanderbiltâs reckless son Neily out of trouble, she agrees to accompany him to an Elizabethan fÃĒte on the lavish grounds of Wakehurst, the Ochre Point âcottageâ modeled after an English palace, owned by Anglophile James Van Alen.
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The festivities include a swordplay demonstration, an archery competition, scenes from Shakespeareâs plays, and even a joust. As Emma wanders the grounds, she overhears a fierce argument between a man and a woman behind a tall hedge. As the joust begins, sheâs drawn by the barking of Van Alenâs dogs and finds a man on the ground, an arrow through his chest. The victim is one of the 400âs most influential members, Judge Clayton Schuyler. With the help of her beau Derrick Andrews and Detective Jesse Whyte, Emma begins to learn the judge was not the straight arrow he appeared to be. As their investigation leads them in ever-widening circles, Emma will have to stop the killer from taking another life . . .
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âLifestyles of the wealthy combine with social commentary in a mystery set against the backdrop of Newportâs grand estates.â âKirkus Reviews
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