An exotic
Renaissance themed house party ends in tragedy when the owner, Bayard
Van Duyvil and his wife Annabelle, are murdered. Bay is found with a
knife in chest in the back garden. Annabelle is presumed to have
drowned in the river. It’s a scandal for the old New York family,
doubly so since Annabelle is English and society has suspected that
she’s up to no good.
Janie, Bay’s
sister, believes that there’s more to the tragedy than is being
reported. She joins with Burke, a newspaper reporter, to find the
truth no matter where it leads.
The book presents a
well researched picture of the gilded age. The background and
descriptions are very well done as are the character’s motivations.
My favorite character was Janie. She had been beaten down by her
mother, who wanted to be the arbiter of society, but Janie maintained
her independence even working with poor women who were trying to
better themselves.
The mystery is not a
police procedural where witnesses are interviewed. We’re led to the
solution through getting to know the characters. Two English girls
are involved, Georgina and Annabelle. Are they two different people,
or the same? Bay is an illusive character. He’s wealthy and
handsome, but almost too good to be true. Does he have a secret?
I enjoyed the plot
and the background of New York in the Gilded Age. I recommend this
book if you enjoy well written historical novels with interesting
characters and background.
I received this book
from St Martin’s Press for this review.
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