An entertaining romp in gilded age NYC, this cozy novel pulls you in with vivid descriptions and enjoyable characters.

The author creatively weaves the history and fiction into a very readable and intriguing story. Val and Roddy are a charming and spunky couple who make a great sleuthing team. Val is a bit ahead of her time, and her involvement in the hot button movements makes her character all the more genuine.

Medium paced, this plot held my interest as the mystery unraveled and did not disappoint!

This is part of a series, but I read it as a stand alone and didn't feel lost.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )

mixologist, law-enforcement, lawyers, murder, murder-investigation, 1899, opera, friction, family-dynamics, amateur-sleuth, historical-novel, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, dog, pet, recipes, situational-humor, NYC****

Meet Val (Valentine from the "Wild West") and her husband Roderick (Roddy) DeVere (of the wealthy DeVeres). While at the Metropolitan Opera House, they were in their own box when a coal magnate was murdered in the next box. What brought them into the business of investigation was an invite by the police commissioner to quietly nose around among the wealthy patrons and also possible enemies of the deceased without disclosing the real cause of death. The investigation appeared to be hard work while Val had to deal with her totally disapproving mother-in-law, dissention among the servants, trying to overcome her own disdain of society rules, and working to improve the plight of women working in retail. Meanwhile, Roddy gets stuck with the legal work (and the fun of devising new cocktail recipes). Good research, interesting characters, fine descriptions, and a lively sleuthing. Delightful!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Independent Book Publishers Association ( )

Valentine and Roderick DeVere are avid opera-goers, and usually enjoy themselves in their private box at the Metropolitan Opera House, but when a noisy group of people occupy the next box, one that has been rented out to them, Roddy in particular is not pleased. Before the end of the opera, the group leaves, but one man remains - dead in his chair! During their tentative exploration of the box, Val loses an earring, a piece of “material evidence” that could spell very hot water indeed for her, if she and Roddy are unable to solve the murder themselves…. I’m very much enjoying this set of historical mysteries, taking place in this case in January of 1899, when the gap between the very wealthy (like the DeVeres) and everybody else is as large as it ever had been; a subplot in this book involves Val’s increasing involvement in a women’s organization determined to look into the unhealthy and ill-paying working conditions of young women in department stores, with the aim of improving their circumstances. The mystery itself is fairly plotted, although I found myself disappointed in the final reveal simply because I had no reason not to like a certain character and plenty of reasons to dislike several other suspects; by which I mean, of course, that I didn’t figure it out until the end, which I generally consider to be high praise in the mystery genre! I look forward to reading more from this author; recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )