In late August 1898, reporter Emma Cross attends the final fête of the Newport social season and discovers the party’s over for a visiting prince . . . The approaching end of summer means it’s time for the Harvest Festival, the last big event of the season, held by Mamie Fish, wife of millionaire tycoon Stuyvesant Fish, at their grand “cottage,” Crossways. The mansion is decked out in artificial … mansion is decked out in artificial autumn splendor and an extravagant scavenger hunt will be held. But the crowning jewel of the evening will be the guest of honor, Prince Otto of Austria.
As acting editor-in-chief of the Newport Messenger, Emma had hoped to leave her days as a society reporter behind her. But at the last moment, she must fill in at the Harvest Festival. With nearly every eligible daughter of Newport high society in attendance, Emma can almost hear romantic dreams shattering like glass slippers when the prince finally appears—as a corpse in the garden.
The prince was stabbed in the same manner as another man recently found on nearby Bailey’s Beach, who strongly resembles a relation of Emma’s presumed dead for nearly thirty years. It’s up to Emma to find a connection between the two victims—before a killer slips away like the fading summer . . .
“Another tricky mystery set against the backdrop of some great real-life mansions.”
—Kirkus Reviews
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
A dead body can really ruin a day at the beach. Emma Cross had hoped for a relaxing day, but first, a prominent lady almost drowns and then a short time later a man is found dead. A man who looks remarkably like the father of her half-brother Brady.
With that case on her mind, Emma attends the Harvest Festival at the home of Mamie and Stuyvesant Fish to cover the affair for the Newport Messenger. The “cottage” is full of the elite and almost all the area’s eligible daughters hoping to catch the eye of the guest of honor, Prince Otto of Austria. The festival goes late into the night but the Prince never arrives. While cleaning up the estate Prince Otto’s body is found in the garden. The wound appears to be the same as the man found on the beach.
Again Emma finds herself embroiled in another murder mystery. With the family connection, she feels she has no choice.
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Alyssa Maxwell again draws readers back in time to Newport, Rhode Island 1898. This time we visit Crossways, An American “cottage” owned by Marion Graves Anthon Fish a.k.a. “Mamie” and her husband Stuyvesant “Stuyvie” Fish. What this author does so well is blending history with her fictional tale. She describes everything so well but I still find myself wanting to see the people and places with my own eyes after I finish the story to learn more about the characters and settings that kept me captivated for 288 pages. I love The Gilded Age Era site for all things Newport.
The thing I enjoyed most about this book was that Alyssa found herself with an unexpected sidekick. Maimie Fish was determined to apprehend the person that used her party and property as the backdrop for murder. She glued herself to Emma’s side and even offered to hire someone to handle Emma’s real job at the paper until the case was solved. Emma is a smart woman and realized Maimie could be a real asset. Maimie was a grand character, not your typical rich socialite. She is very down to earth and very opinionated and doesn’t hold back expressing her thoughts or wishes. She was a complete treasure and together with Emma, they made a wonderful team. I love the way this author focuses on strong and independent women.
The mystery was multifaceted as connections between the murders needed to be delved into as the confirmed identity of the first victim was totally up in the air. Emma and Maimie tracked down each clue and checked out each twist no matter where the led. Emma’s brother Brady was not handling all the news well so he was a constant concern. She was also dealing with a mystery at the newspaper but she was clearly able to juggle everything thrown at her. I enjoyed following along with all the developments and was pleased that all the clues dropped into place for me at the same time as Emma.
Murder at Crossways is unique and entertaining. Maxwell’s characters are so strong and believable. I totally enjoyed my visit to Newport and am looking forward to returning again soon. For me, this was A Perfect Escape!
A great addition to the Gilded Newport series. Got hooked and couldn’t put it down.
I have enjoyed every one of the books from this murder mystery series that I have downloaded. It’s great when the same set of central characters stays the same. I feel like I really know them.
As a good period mystery should, it lulls , leads and thought provokes as if a good game.
Great setting
Set in Newport, Rhode Island in 1898 this historical cozy mystery features Emma Cross, an editor-in-chief of a local newspaper during a time when it was not always accepted for women to have that sort of employment. I enjoyed the authors writing, the historical setting and the strong woman characters (I loved Mrs. Fish!). Although Murder at Crossways is part of a series I did not feel lost jumping in with this book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #MurderAtCrossways #cozymystery #mystery #historical
This book was excellent. I enjoy historical mysteries and this is one of the best series out there. The author is wonderfully descriptive and I always feel I’m right there in Newport. The characters are fantastic and the story well written. I hope there are plenty more books in this series.
Murder At The Crossways is the seventh book in The Gilded Newport Mystery series.
Emma had hopes of an enjoyable day at the shore with the Vanderbilt’s, her distant relation, ends of being ruined when she discovers the body of a man that has had his throat cut, lying on the Spouting Rock. Emma is startled when she first looks at the body as she fears it is her half-brother, Brady. She soon realizes that it isn’t Brady, but wonders if it might be his father that had reportedly, fallen off a yacht and drowned while sailing off of Newport some twenty years ago.
Before Emma can get started on investigating the identity of the dead man, learns that she must replace the reporter she had assigned to attend the Harvest Festival at The Crossways, the home of Mrs. Mamie and her husband. This is the last ball of the summer season and it has been reported that Prince Otto, from Austria, will be a special guest. The guests are anxiously awaiting the Prince’s arrival, while some are commenting that it was just a ploy to attract more attendees. But soon a scream is heard and the dead body of the Prince is found. The method of the Prince’s death and the body found at Spouting Rock are identical. Emma and Jesse Whyte, police detective, both feel that the two deaths are related, but are stymied by how. Once again Jesse welcomes Emma’s help in the investigation. Jesse has learned early on that Emma’s link to the Vanderbilt’s and other members of society will allow her to get information that they wouldn’t willingly share with the police.
I love this series. The books are well-written, plotted and the times are well researched. I particularly enjoy reading the descriptions of the houses that Ms. Maxwell is having the reader visit. The characters are well developed and I find it interesting to read about the interacting of the various classes of people.
I looking forward to the next book in this very enjoyable and informative series.