In late nineteenth-century Newport, Rhode Island, journalist Emma Cross discovers the newest form of transportation has become the newest type of murder weapon . . . On a clear July day in 1899, the salty ocean breeze along Bellevue Avenue carries new smells of gasoline and exhaust as Emma, now editor-in-chief of the Newport Messenger, covers Newport’s first-ever automobile parade. But the … festive atmosphere soon turns to shock as young Philip King drunkenly swerves his motorcar into a wooden figure of a nanny pushing a pram on the obstacle course. That evening, at a dinner party hosted by Ella King at her magnificent Gothic-inspired “cottage,” Kingscote, Emma and her beau Derrick Andrews are enjoying the food and the company when Ella’s son staggers in, obviously still inebriated. But the disruption is nothing compared to the urgent shouts of the coachman. Rushing out, they find the family’s butler pinned against a tree beneath the front wheels of Philip’s motorcar, close to death. When Emma later receives a message informing her that the butler bullied his staff and took advantage of young maids, she steers the police toward a murder investigation. While Emma investigates the connections between a competing heir for the King fortune, a mysterious child, an inmate of an insane asylum, and the brutal boxing rings of Providence, a killer remains at large—with unfinished business to attend to . . . “Excellent . . . Maxwell combines convincing character development and vivid depictions of Newport’s heyday with a well-plotted mystery. This historical series just keeps getting better.” —Publisher Weekly (starred review)
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I find this series fascinating: the history, mores, social ins and outs, etc.
The author pulls me right in and I’m eager to see what she has in store for me as a reader.
The characters are well developed, especially the ones from previous books.
I get a solid sense of the history of both the time and the place.
Quite enjoyable. I look forward to more.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
A beautiful day in 1899 Newport brings everyone out to watch the first-ever automobile parade. A little accident mars the day for the King family but that doesn’t stop Ella King’s plan for her dinner party at the “magnificent Gothic-inspired “cottage,” Kingscote”. Journalist Emma Cross and her beau Derrick Andrews are delighted to attend. Mrs. King is upset that her son has not arrived when dinner is served but she is furious when he staggers in drunk as dessert is being served. Soon after shouts are heard from outside. The fog has set in making it almost impossible to see what is causing the ruckus but as they get closer they see the family’s butler smashed between a tree and the drunken Phillip’s car. He dies soon after being freed and the death was no accident.
Emma is drawn into the case when she receives a message about the butler’s past. There is also plenty of other drama involving the King family so Emma is running herself ragged to fit all the pieces together and find a killer.
I really enjoy this series. Allyssa Maxwell takes us back in times so effortlessly. This time we were treated to Kingscote, a Gothic-inspired “cottage” and other Newport places. The book cover starts us off with a vision and then the author’s writing paints the perfect picture of each and every scene.
The character descriptions are also detailed and developed. Emma is an independent free-thinking woman and an excellent sleuth. Her quest to get the truth has no bounds. Phillip King claims he did not drive the car into the butler and the tree and her investigation seems to point in that direction as well. It is so much fun to tag along with her as pursues each clue and theory.
Her relationship with newspaper owner Derrick Andrews is progressing nicely. His mother is still not happy about their courting but he seems to be gaining more independence in each story. They also make a great investigative team.
The entire supporting cast comes truly alive. I envisioned each and every one so clearly. From the clothes they were wearing, the tone of their voices, how they moved, where they went, and everything around them. Ms. Maxwell’s descriptive writing style really is a gift.
The author has written a complex mystery that takes Emma and Derrick beyond the confines of Newport. They make visits to a boxing ring and an insane asylum trying to find the answers they need. The story twists and turns in very interesting ways. Secrets and family connections were revealed. It brought out emotions I don’t usually feel when reading a mystery. I was on the right track solving the mystery but I was surprised at part of the reveal. The twist at the end was very unexpected.
Murder at Kingscote was a very engaging read. The characters were extraordinary, the mystery was so richly plotted and written, and the setting was ideal. I love stories set in the Gilded Era. Each book in this series has been a pleasure to read. Emma has had some amazing adventures. I am a stickler for reading books in order but each of the books reads very well on its own.
I’ve been a fan of this author’s “Lady and Lady’s Maid” series but this was the first book I’ve read in her “Gilded Newport Mystery” series. This is the eighth book in that series and I can see why it is so popular. I had no difficulty reading it as a standalone but I plan on reading the earlier entries in the series as I enjoyed this one so much.
Our heroine, Emma Cross is related to the famous Vanderbilts, but does not have the wealth as she is descended from a daughter of the original Cornelius Vanderbilt and not a son. She has been working as a reporter until she had recently been promoted to the editor of the newspaper she had been working for.
The story starts on a summer day in Newport Rhode Island, a town where the wealthy New Yorkers had “cottages” that they visited in the summer. The town is having a parade featuring motorcars and all goes well except for a mishap when one of the drivers, Perry King, misses on the obstacle course and mows down a few of the wooden figures used to mark the course. Later that day, Emma and her beau are invited to dinner at the King’s. Perry arrives late to dinner and obviously drunk. Shouts disturb their dinner and it is discovered that the butler has been injured-pinned to a tree by Perry’s car. The next day, Emma received an anonymous note saying that “all is not well with their servants”
Perry King is put on house arrest when the butler dies from his injuries. Based on the note, Emma thinks it not an accident but a murder and may have something to do with the servants as the butler had an unsavory reputation.
Emma uses her investigate reporter skills to find connections, motives. What results is a fine mystery story as we follow along with Emma.
I really enjoyed how the author intertwined real people and history into the story!
I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed are my own.
Newport, Rhode Island – 1899
Emma Cross is the editor-in-chief of the Newport Messenger. She is watching a parade of automobiles decked out with flowers and other decorations. This is a city inhabited by extremely rich members of society. The parade is meant to raise money for charity. Emma is a cousin of the Vanderbilt family, but does not share their wealth. She lives in a cottage with her housekeeper and one time Nanny, and Katie, her maid. Emma’s beau, Derrick, joins her to watch the parade. He is from a wealthy family himself, but his mother does not approve of Emma.
When the King family’s car goes by, the son, Philip, is driving the car and is clearly intoxicated. When he hits and demolishes a barrier, Emma wishes he would not drive, but he continues on.
Later that evening, Emma and Derrick are guests of Mrs. King for dinner at Kingscote. It is a beautiful mansion and expensively decorated. Philip joins them late for dinner, still clearly inebriated. Soon, a scream is heard outside. The butler has been crushed into tree by Philip’s car and is barely alive. Philip claims he did not hit the man. Could the car have rolled into him? When the butler dies, a murder investigation begins. Emma, Derrick, and Emma’s old friend and police chief, Jesse, work together to try and figure out what really happened.
Once again, the author has out together a jigsaw of a mystery that keeps the reader wondering if they have figured it out only to realize they have been outfoxed. I have to hand it to Alyssa Maxwell for creating her stories that include the gorgeous mansions of this area and the clean, wholesome mannerisms of the time period. I look forward to yet another terrific mystery by this great author.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
It’s July 1899 in Newport, Rhode Island, the time of the Gilded Age with all the glamor that goes with it. Emma Cross is now the editor-in-chief of The Newport Messenger and soon finds herself investigation a homicide. A very modern homicide when a motor car is the weapon of choice. The victim is the much disliked butler employed by the King family. The prime suspect is the King’s son who was driving the motor car in a parade and didn’t do very well on the obstacle course, mowing down a wooden statue representing a nanny with a pram.When the butler is discovered, near death, pinned between a tree and the front of that very same car King was driving, well the police can be forgiven for wanting to say case closed.
Soon enough Emma learns enough about the now dead butler to realize that the list of suspects is very long and the secrets uncovered are very unsavory. Lots of people have secrets best left hidden. As Emma is a very good investigative reporter those secrets will soon see the light of day.
Historical mysteries are my favorite sub genre and this series tops my list of must be read as soon as possible. Between the strong character of Emma and the great historical details the Gilded Age comes alive. The mystery is always well crafted and complex enough to keep me guessing wrong to the very end.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Murder At Kingscote is the eight book in the A Gilded Newport Mystery series.
This series features a different house of the Gilded Era of Newport, RI. The house in this book will be Kingscote, the home of the King family.
It’s July 1899 and the residents of Newport are lining up along Bellevue Avenue to witness the first parade of locally owned automobiles. Emma meets Mrs. King and she has invited Emma and her boyfriend, Derrick to attend a dinner that she is having for friends. After the parade, they move on to the area where an obstacle course where drivers will show their talent driving their cars. The next to enter the course is Mrs. King’s son, Philip. Philip loses control of his car and hits a wooden statue that represents a nanny and with her charge.
That evening at Mrs. King’s, everyone is enjoying dinner when Philip enters, clearly intoxicated, and makes a scene. Shortly thereafter, a scream is heard from outdoors. Emma and several guests go to see what the problem might be. They soon find the King’s butler pinned between the car and a tree. He is rushed to the hospital but later dies. Philip claims that he didn’t hit the butler and Emma doesn’t think he was that intoxicated that he would have done it. Emma arranges with Mrs. King to have her reporter, Ethan, take over the butler duties while she and the police will endeavor to find who murdered the butler. They’re that the staff will be more willing to talk with “one of their own”.
In addition to investigating the murder of the butler, Emma is also looking to the claims of Eugenia Ross that she should have inherited Kingscote instead of Mrs. King. Ross has been trying for years to have the house awarded to her.
I love this series. It is so interesting to read about the period and the author does a wonderful job of describing the houses and their properties, as well as what it was like to live in the 1890s. The story is well-written and plotted. It has a wonderful cast of characters that are well-developed and believable. I was kept guessing until the end as to who the murderer was.
I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in this delightful series.
Emma Cross was the editor of the Newport Messenger.. Ethan Merriman was her social reporter and right now they were waiting for the first automobile parade to start., going down Bellevue Ave. The cars were decorated with ribbons and flowers and what ever else looked lovely. Miss Cross was a cousin of the Vanderbilt family..
Gwendolyn and Phillip King were trying to convince their mother in to the car. When Phillip turned to talk to her a minute, she smelled alcohol on his breath. She wished she could do something. Derrick Andrews was a newspaper mogol and he was also her boss and boyfriend. Phillip, while driving the parade and obstacle course
got in an accident and hit a wooden pram and nurse. Luckily no one was hurt. Both she and Derrick were invited to dinner at the Kings. It was dessert time and Phillip came in late and had been drinking heavily. Some yelled “He is dead”, and Emma and several other people ran to the windows.
I am just giving you a quick over view of the book. It kept me guessing and the surprising turns in the story kept me guessing. I thought the story was well written and easy to read. It was fun but still sad and intriguing. The characters were wonderful. I hope they can marry one day. I recommend this book and loved reading it.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.
cozy-mystery, 1890s, law-enforcement, journalist, family, friendship, amateur-sleuth
On the cusp of a new century the young woman who is cousin of a sort to the moneyed Vanderbilts and is the editor of the local newspaper is present at a small dinner party when an auto accident occurs on the grounds. It is suspicious and the household’s profligate son could well be at fault. When the victim dies it becomes a thorny matter for her friend, a police detective, as well as others who are more than friends. Let the sleuthing begin! There are exquisite descriptions of both attire and surroundings, plus exhaustive descriptions of the lineage and implications of financial heredity as well as the general snobbery of the era. The mystery is well done and the characters are very interesting and believable. A very good read.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley.
Murder at Kingscote by Alyssa Maxwell is the 8th installment of the Gilded Newport Mystery series. I have truly enjoyed this cozy mystery series from the beginning. I love the time period where the characters are placed: late 19th century. I also love the glimpses into the “Gilded Age” of Newport, Rhode Island and read about the characters, happenings, and society during that historical time. I also think it is ingenious to focus on an architectural building/house of grand and historic nature within the context of each book. Getting to learn about a piece of our country’s past with each novel is so fascinating.
I always enjoy the murder/mystery plots that Ms. Emma Cross is placed within during each novel. Emma is smart, independent, strong, and feisty, yet she is humble, kind, and loyal. Having one leg on each side of the “privileged line” ( she is a cousin of the Vanderbilt family…not one of the well-off cousins mind you) gives Emma the ability to be realistic and down-to-earth, yet gives her that slim opening to have connections and opportunities for her life, experiences, and of course, story material for the books.
I love that she is pushing the envelope with her newfound occupation of Editor-in-Chief of the Newport Messenger and all the comings and goings of the paper itself, publishing, reporting, and all that opens up for her on that regard as well. I also like Derrick Andrews and feel that they work well together and have chemistry. The plot, pacing, character ensemble, and Emma herself are all excellent, likeable, and creative.
I will not rehash the plot so as not give away the intricacies, twists, and turns, but will say it is all truly a dream. Excellent series and I look forward to further installments.
5/5 stars
Thank you Kensington Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.