In 1920s New York, the price of a woman’s independence can be exorbitant—even fatal.
In 1924 Manhattan, women’s suffrage is old news. For sophisticated booklover Julia Kydd, life’s too short for politics. With her cropped hair and penchant for independent living, Julia wants only to launch her own new private press. But as a woman, Julia must fight for what’s hers—including the inheritance her … inheritance her estranged half brother, Philip, has challenged, putting her aspirations in jeopardy.
When her friend’s sister, Naomi Rankin, dies suddenly of an apparent suicide, Julia is shocked at the wealthy family’s indifference toward the ardent suffragist’s death. Naomi chose poverty and hardship over a submissive marriage and a husband’s control of her money. Now, her death suggests the struggle was more than she could bear.
Julia, however, is skeptical. Doubtful of her suspicions, Philip proposes a glib wager: if Julia can prove Naomi was in fact murdered, he’ll drop his claims to her wealth. Julia soon discovers Naomi’s life was as turbulent and enigmatic as her death. And as she gets closer to the truth, Julia sees there’s much more at stake than her inheritance…
more
A strong woman. I was compelled to see how her story turns out as she overcomes adversity.
A fun and fascinating romp through 1920’s New York. Socialite Julia Kydd is about to come into her full inheritance, which has been managed until now by her half brother, when she is notified that she is not a beneficiary of the estate after all. Potentially penniless, Julia takes action to protect herself and her livelihood. In the meantime, her friend’s controversial suffragette sister Naomi is found dead in her apartment. Is it suicide, as Naomi’s brother, who manages Naomi’s inheritance on a very tight way says, or is it murder? Julia’s inheritance and Naomi’s murder come together when Julia’s brother makes her a wager – prove that Naomi’s death is murder and Julia gets her inheritance.
Relative Fortune was a fun read, with interesting characters and a great ending. I didn’t want to put it down!
Fans of Agatha Christie novels will love this clever murder mystery, with a cast of suspects to keep readers guessing. Julia Kydd’s endeavour is entertaining and engaging to the end.
New author to me and I’m in love.
The story began a bit slow but the last half of the book made up for it! Tends to be a bit wordy but suits the mood and characters. A thoughtful commentary on what it means to be privileged, while set in the 1920s very apropos to today’s ongoing struggle with the haves and have nots. Besides that train of thought there is a murder to figure out, well worth the read!
Thin, dull, and silly.
Set in the 1920s, a young woman arrives in New York City to settle the issues surrounding her inheritance. When a friend’s sister is found dead, she investigates the cause. I enjoyed the history of the suffragist era, empathizing with the struggles and admiring the actions females took to pave the way for more rights.
Couldn’t finish it. Just didn’t appeal to me. Seemed like a lot of fluff without much substance.
There was a moment, in the middle of the book, where I really loved the story.
I liked the historical setting very much, especially the exploration of the suffragist world, with insights into the lives of these women, not at the eight of the suffragist movement, but after they had achieved the vote. It was an unusual and interesting perspective, one that shade a new light on a subject that we may think we know.
The mystery was becoming dense. Ever new things about Naomi – the dead person – were revealed, creating a very complex personality. And in parallel, Julia – the protagonist – was going through a personal crises that somehow mirrored Naomi’s predicament.
In the middle of the novel, I was totally invested in it and I had forgiven the very slow beginning, one where I skipped a lot, anxious for something relevant to happen.
But then the ending was a total mess.
It was heavily based on luck, and I never like mysteries handled like this. I want the sleuth to come to the conclusion with wit and reasoning, not with a gamble. There was a confusion of culprits and motives and I found the closing of the mystery totally unsatisfying.
Julian’s fate was also messed up and with multiple endings. It was also quite preachy. Honestly, I wasn’t totally bought by Julia achieving her goal without any real effort (or rather, she did make an effort, she came out victorious… but that didn’t really matter). I also couldn’t embrace the discourse of acceptable privilege, which is what the ending adds up to. I realise this is my personal position, but really it made me totally dislike the conclusion.
Quite a pity. There were a lot of potential here. But as far as I’m concerned, they were totally betrayed in the end.
A suicide or not? The book slowly unwrapped just like a longed-for present. The author kept me guessing right up to the unwinding of the family affairs and the heroine’s decision to change her life. Excellent read!
Was drawn into this novel from the first chapter! It’s the 1920’s, and Julia Kydd is about to turn 25 years of age, the date she can inherit her share of her father’s inheritance. Or so she thought. But her half-brother Philip has the trust frozen pending research on implications of their father’s original will. And this is only the first of many issues Julia faces when she comes to New York in this historical mystery.
This novel is a great read and filled with information on society and behavior during this period in time. Benn writes about the suffragettes, working class women, how men ruled the businesses and their homes, and upper class women’s place in the home, as well as abortion during this early time.
The main mystery of Naomi Rankin’s death is an ending you won’t see coming, and there are also several other “threads” that will be tied up in the most unexpected ways. The entire family is somewhat bonkers! All that “old money and old power.” Kudos to the author!
The secondary resolution of Julia’s father’s will and her relationship with her half-brother is also another portion of this novel that was very well written and great to follow in the story. Loved the portion with Philip’s Aunt Lillian!
Would definitely highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a good, clean mystery with several laughs and more than enough surprises throughout to keep the reading interesting!
Marlowe Benn weaves a rollicking, sinuous portrait of 1920s New York. A story of passion, deceit, gaiety, and manipulation, Relative Fortunes is a hugely entertaining read, and Julia Kydd is a memorable protagonist.
This was a tough one to get through. There were times, okay almost 75% of the book where I felt I was forcing myself to read on. Around chapter 13, I was debating on whether to just give up on the book or not so, finally, I compromised and went to the end of the book to see if it would be worth it. With just enough interest in the ending and the big plot reveals, I went back to Ch. 13 to finish the book. I still had to push through most of the book to get to those reveals though, and, honestly, after finishing the book, I found it was only the ending that was interesting. Julia, the main character, bugged me. Even though I enjoy main characters with creative pursuits, I couldn’t connect with her as a character because she seemed too far from reality to be believed. The book is set in the 1920s, so I tried to give her some leeway as far as her frustrations went for being a single woman who wants to be independent. She’s described in the book blurb as one with “a penchant for independent living”, but frankly she was absolutely dependent. She essentially was getting an allowance, and while she wanted to get full control of her inheritance, her plans for future income, her ‘private press’, is acknowledged by Julia herself as not likely to make much money. Now it might be odd to focus on the practicality of Julia’s personal financial struggles, but with her acting more like a girl on summer break instead of fighting to protect her financial survival, I had no sympathy for her whatsoever.
Not really all that exciting. Hard to finish.
Dysfunctional Families and Murder
4 stars
For mature audiences.
No memorable harsh language
Sexual situations are essential to the furthering of the plot.
Interesting details about special edition books, bibliophiles, and book collectors.
Plot: Julia has always expected to receive her share of her father’s fortune, but due to vague language her 1/2 brother contests the will and may well end up getting it all. Meanwhile an acquaintance has apparently committed suicide – but the circumstances don’t add up. Julia wagers with her brother that if she can prove murder, she gets the part of the inheritance she’d expected. He agrees.
Good plot with enjoyable twists and surprises without ever feeling like the whole thing was just too contrived.
I only gave it 4 stars because I simply never connected emotionally with the main character. I liked her ditzy friend much better, but doubt she’ll be a continuing character in this series.
RELATIVE FORTUNES (A Julia Kydd novel): Marlowe Benn
Julia Kydd enjoys a wealthy and privileged life, but suffers from a tangled family tree with roots in England and the United States. She chafes at the restrictions imposed by men in her family to keep her from her inheritance. Her half-brother controls her trust estate, but shortly before she turns 25 and can claim her money he sues to contest her father’s will. She has only fleeting memories of the half-brother, whom she met briefly in her childhood and who controls her destiny.
Julia is an independent woman. She has a passion for printing and publishing special old books, and her enterprise is beginning to show great promise. She does not want to satisfy the conventions of turn-of-the-last-century by marrying for security: experience has showed her that marriage-derived security can be precarious, and worse. Julia has a long relationship with a married man, which is as much commitment as she finds acceptable.
When she travels to the US to deal with the inheritance, she finds herself without funds: her half-brother has not released any money for her expenses. She is surprised to come across an old school chum, who is herself in financial thrall to a tight-fisted, controlling brother. The two women have little else in common beyond enjoying Prohibition-prohibited imbibing and partying. A fortune told at a party alarms the friend, and sends the two scurrying to the friend’s family mansion. There they find the friend’s sister dead.
The sister’s death is unexpected and mysterious. Julia unravels clues and explores the worlds of suffragettes, back-room doctors, legal twists, high society, and poverty, always with fears for her own financial future.
Will she be forced into a marriage of convenience? A somewhat whimsical wager with her half-brother will determine her future. But who among the characters in the novel holds the key?
This well-crafted mystery kept me guessing!