For fans of HBOโs The Gilded Age, explore the dark side of the alluring world of Americaโs 19th century elite in this gripping series of riveting mysteriesโฆ
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 Newportโs extravagant parties. But to keep Vanderbiltโs reckless son Neily out of trouble, she agrees to accompany him to an Elizabethan fรชte on the lavish grounds of Wakehurst, the Ochre Point โcottageโ 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 Shakespeareโs 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, sheโs drawn by the barking of Van Alenโs dogs and finds a man on the ground, an arrow through his chest. The victim is one of the 400โs 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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โLifestyles of the wealthy combine with social commentary in a mystery set against the backdrop of Newportโs grand estates.โ โKirkus Reviews
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