A Park Avenue princess discovers the dark side of 1930s New York when a debutante ball turns deadly in this gripping historical mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Susan Elia MacNeal, and Rhys Bowen. Manhattan, 1938. Tired of being trapped in the gilded cage of her family’s expectations, Elizabeth Adams has done what no self-respecting socialite would think to do: She’s gotten herself a … She’s gotten herself a job. Although Elizabeth’s dream is to one day see her photographs on the front page of the Daily Trumpet, for now she’s working her way up as the newsroom’s gal Friday.
But fetching coffee isn’t exactly her idea of fun. So when veteran reporter Ralph Kaminsky needs a photographer to fill in for a last-minute assignment, Elizabeth jumps at the chance. At the Waldorf Hotel, Elizabeth is tasked with tracking down the season’s “It girl,” Gloria DeWitt, who will be making her society debut. Working her own connections to New York’s upper crust, Elizabeth manages to land an exclusive interview with Gloria.
Then Gloria’s stepmother is shot dead in a Waldorf bathroom, placing Elizabeth at the scene of a headline-worthy scandal: “Murder of a Society Dame.” Now Elizabeth will have to get the scoop on the killer before her good name gets dragged through the gossip columns—or worse. . . .
Elizabeth Adams will return in Murder, She Uncovered!
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Biz Adams would rather be a news photographer than a socialite and goes to work as a “Gal Friday” in a newsroom. I enjoyed the 1930s New York setting and the work relationship Biz develops with a seasoned reporter as they solve a murder.
MURDER, SHE REPORTED by Peg Cochran
The First Murder, She Reported Mystery
It’s Manhattan in 1938 and Elizabeth Adams believes there’s more to life than hosting parties and looking for a “suitable” husband. While her parents are aghast, Elizabeth is happy to be working at a newspaper, although being a Girl Friday isn’t exactly what she had in mind. But her time in the Wellesley photography club pays off when Elizabeth fills in as a photographer for veteran reporter Ralph Kaminsky. Their trip cover to a high society debut turns into a crime story when the “It” girl finds her stepmother shot to death in the ladies room. As Elizabeth and Kaminsky pursue the story will they scoop the news, or will Elizabeth face social ruin…or worse?
MURDER, SHE REPORTED shows the dichotomy of New York City in 1938.The effects of the stock market crash and the possibility of war color this world, imbuing it with a sense of gravitas. Yet there is still a sense of style and glamour. Its inhabitants struggling not only to make do, but to flourish. Elizabeth “Biz” Adams is the perfect protagonist straddling both worlds, that of the haves and the have nots. She’s a wealthy young woman who has drive and ambition and is open to new things is a world coming to terms with itself. Author, Peg Cochran skillfully brings Biz out of her comfort zone and we witness Biz’s reactions as her world grows. The relationship between Biz and Kaminsky is wonderful, the veteran reporter and the new kid. And what a character Kaminsky is! His drive, street smarts, and fun idiosyncrasies make him a joy to read. And I’m not just saying that because he has a variation of my last name! He and Biz make a great duo.
I love the historical detail. The description of the Waldorf Hotel, the Chock full o’Nuts, and the various foods and fashion of the time really paint a picture in my mind and I feel as if I’m there. I’d love to try the Stork Club Cocktail!
MURDER, SHE REPORTED is a fantastic start to a new series. It opens a window to the past and creates a mystery that is timeless.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
great period piece, a good read
Elizabeth is a rich “princess of Park Avenue” type in the 1950s. Instead of a comfortable and kept life, she decides she wants to be a reporter. Elizabeth gets a job and does not tell anyone of her background. She mostly makes coffee and types up her boss’s stories. One day the crime reporter, Ralph, needs a photographer and asks Elizabeth to help as she is good at it. Then, a high society girl is accused of killing her stepmother at her coming out ball. Being from that world, Ralph gets Elizabeth to talk to the suspects. This is an enjoyable book and I like the smart female sleuth character.
The story wasn’t interesting enough to hold my attention. Maybe it was my mood, or the writing didn’t carry me into the narrative.
Likable main characters especially Elizabeth. Gave a good look at the time frame. The year I was born! Kept interest so I had to keep reading until finished.
MURDER, SHE REPORTED by Peg Cochran is a lovely historical cozy mystery set in 1938 New York City. We follow along as young socialite turned newspaper “girl Friday” Elizabeth “Biz” Adams, after getting a break photographing a coming out ball, navigates her way through the various subcultures of NYC of the time to get to the bottom of the murder of her fellow socialite’s mother.
Cochran paints a realistic picture of the era where there is such a huge contrast between the haves and the have nots during the Great Depression. The characters, though a bit clichéd, are well developed and believable. Though initially naïve, Elizabeth possesses a determined spirit and practical nature that helps her to succeed. Seasoned reporter Kaminsky is a nice foil for Elizabeth’s polish. Her society friends are all pretty distasteful and shallow to me, and her childhood friend Irene’s plight is heartbreaking.
The pace is good, and the mystery interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. There are several suspects along the way and a few twists and turns to keep me guessing for a good portion of the story. There are some instances where trivial bits are thrown in, such as nail polish brand and songs playing in the background, that I assume are supposed to lend period authenticity to the tale but instead disrupt the narrative.
I enjoyed MURDER, SHE REPORTED and recommend it to fans of Cochran’s other series and readers looking for a plucky heroine and interesting historical era.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.
EXTRA! EXTRA! read all about. The season’s “it girl” accused of killing her stepmother. That’s exactly how I see the headlines in the paper that Elizabeth works for. Elizabeth is a go getter and loves working at the Daily Trumpet. When she gets a chance to be the photographer for a story she is beyond excited. What she didn’t see coming was the picture that puts suspicion on Gloria, the “it girl” of the season.
The author has painted a great picture of the 1930s with references like Girl Friday and the mention of Ponds cold cream. I can remember my grandmother having a jar of Ponds sitting on her night table. I loved to smell it and try it on. Elizabeth is very smart and hopes to crack the case with her subtle questions and photographs. Her boss is a real hoot. He encourages Elizabeth and uses her skills to help get great stories for the paper.
Elizabeth is asked to help prove Gloria innocent. Can she dig up the truth before someone is killed? The setting of the story is my favorite part. I just love the time period and how easy going Elizabeth is. She comes from a wealthy family, but doesn’t really let on about her background. Elizabeth’s family is somewhat off putting. Her mother is a snob and her father is a tightwad, but they still try to encourage Elizabeth in her adventures. I loved the clues throughout the story that could almost be missed if you aren’t paying attention. This is my new go to author for mysteries that take readers back to a time where women really had to prove they could do things men did. The story is well written with a cast of characters that at times seem to have their own agenda. The ending is really good and i was surprised at a bit of the story line. I didn’t figure out who the killer was, but i was pleased with the ending. I look forward to more from this author.
I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Virtual Blog Tours. The review is my own opinion.
Murder, She Reported by Peg Cochran takes us back to 1938 in New York City. Elizabeth “Biz” Adams comes from a well-to-do family, but she is not content to follow in her mother’s footsteps (marriage and hosting charity events). Elizabeth obtained a job as a Gal Friday at the Daily Trumpet, but her goal is to have her photographs appear in the paper. On the night of Gloria DeWitt’s debut ball, reporter Ralph Kaminsky finds himself without a photographer and Elizabeth gets her break. Elizabeth (shortened to Biz by Ralph) goes searching for Gloria so Ralph can get an interview. She finds Gloria crying in the ladies’ room of the Waldorf Astoria over a fight with her stepmother and accidentally snaps a pic. Later in the evening, Gloria stumbles out of another ladies’ room with blood on her dress and her stepmother, Frances is dead inside. Ralph is thrilled at getting the scoop and Elizabeth’s picture of Gloria crying makes the front page (Biz promised not to use that one). Gloria wants Elizabeth to help prove her innocence or she will ruin her socially. Can Elizabeth get the scoop on Frances’ murder or will Kaminsky get an exclusive on her death?
Murder, She Reported is a delightful story. I was drawn into the book immediately and I did not wish it to end. Ms. Cochran set the stage for the era with her references to music (Andrew Sisters), books (Gone with the Wind), food, hats, buildings, dances, makeup, clothing, and the slang. It felt like 1938 in bustling Manhattan (great world building). I thought the story to be nicely written with good transitions. Biz Adams is a great character with her intelligence and go-getter attitude. Elizabeth finds herself straddling two worlds. She is a socialite, but she is also a working woman. Her social connections aid her in investigating the crime. Ralph Kaminsky was a fun character. He is a great counterpart to Elizabeth with his rough edges and he has a different outlook from Biz. Murder, She Reported has a steady pace and I enjoyed the authors writing style (conversational). The mystery was complex with misdirection and good clues to aid the reader in solving the whodunit. There are a few items that could have been handled better (reworked). When the mother breaks her leg and needs help (she is quite demanding), the younger daughter takes care of her until she falls ill with pneumonia. The housekeeper/cook tries to cater to the mother’s every whim, but she is soon run ragged. The father does not believe in spending money unnecessarily, but, in this case, a nurse should have been hired. Especially since Elizabeth had polio as a child which left her with a limp and she tires easily (and is in a great deal of pain). There was an incident with another photographer who threatened Elizabeth. As Elizabeth gets more photography work, I thought he would pop up again. Instead, they smile across the newsroom. A little polishing would have made this a five-star novel. I am looking forward to reading the next Biz Adams story.
I don’t normally read historical mysteries but since I liked all the books I read by Peg Cochran I decided to give this one a chance….and boy am I glad that I did. I had a great time.
The story is set in the 1930’s when it was not socially acceptable that young women from wealthy families work a regular job. Elizabeth Adams doesn’t want her life to be restricted to a future husband, children and social events and accepts a low level job at the local newspaper with the plan to work her way up the ladder. She is a very likeable character with little flaws that I think are due to the era.
It was a very well told mystery that reeled my right in and never let me go until the last page. I hope this will be a long lasting series.
I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Random House Publishing Group-Alibi and the author provided me with an advance copy.
What an absolutely refreshing start to a new series by established cozy author Peg Cochran! In Murder, She Reported, our heroine, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams, is a wealthy society girl in 1930’s New York who’s decided to pursue a career in the newspaper business. As a gal Friday at the Daily Trumpet, she’s suddenly thrust into crime photography when one of the reporters drags her along to a debutante ball to interview the next “It Girl”, and the aforementioned girl’s stepmother is found shot to death in the ladies room! The descriptions of the period are perfect, and it was really a step back in time – I found myself researching things as I was reading, because it was all so interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it, absolutely recommend it, and really looking forward to the second book!
Told with the glitz and glamour of the late 1930s, an era where the rich were recovering from the crash and the poor were struggling just to survive. Women were still seen as a minority in the workplace, with only a few occupations considered appropriate for them.
While women were slowly gaining rights and acceptance, families still finagled to have their daughters marry into the proper circumstances.
Overflowing with a titillating sense of gossip and edginess, this book is an exciting crossover look at how two very different sections of the population live. It has all the qualities I look for in an intriguing cozy mystery with hints of romantic attraction and minor salacious undertones.
I love the innocent Elizabeth and the rough around the edges Kaminsky.
It had a very exciting ending.
To me, this book felt more like a cozy which is not how it is billed. The characters are perfectly likeable, however I never fully engaged with them. And while the mystery plot was fine, I found there to be too many instances of convenient timing and circumstances to be believable. And while I enjoy descriptive narratives, there was almost too much here…I felt almost like a child, as if I was being led and told through descriptions exactly how to feel and perceive every little thing. I wanted more in-depth into the characters and plot, not the scenery.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
Murder, She Reported is the first book in the Murder, She Reported series.
Socialite Elizabeth Adams has recently graduated from Wellesley and has just started her job as a “gal Friday” at the Daily Trumpet with hope of someday being more than a typist. Then one day reporter, Ralph Kaminsky, grabs a camera and asks if anyone knows how to use it and Elizabeth hesitantly raises her hand. She is told to grab her coat, and that they were headed to The Waldorf for the debut of Gloria DeWitt who was being considered as the next ‘It Girl’. When Kaminsky learned she had a passing acquaintance, he tells her to get some pictures of her and set up an exclusive interview, as he smelled a winning story.
Elizabeth head to the ladies room to think of how to approach Gloria about an interview when she hears someone crying. It turns out to be Gloria who comes out with her makeup smudged and without thinking takes a picture. Elizabeth promises that it will never be published. As the evening progresses Kaminsky is getting anxious about having enough time to get the story written for the next day’s edition and tells Elizabeth to find Gloria. Thinking that Gloria might have gone to the restroom she heads that way. As she is about to open the door, Gloria comes rushing out the door with blood smeared on her beautiful gown. Her mother is in one of the stalls, dead, having been shot. But, soon Gloria will become a person of interest in the killing of her mother. Elizabeth promises to what she can to clear Gloria’s name. But when the picture that Elizabeth promised would never see the light of the day ends up on the front page of the Daily Trumpet, Elizabeth loses her social contacts. Elizabeth and Kaminsky end up doing their own investigation into what happened that sorrowful evening.
This story takes place in the 1930’s when men felt that they were the only ones could that should be writing stories and getting them published. Kaminsky was one of those men but soon learned that Elizabeth, who he started calling Biz, was not only an excellent photographer but had a good head on her shoulder for getting the facts for the story. And Biz didn’t want to tell much about her personal background, fearful that she might not be given an opportunity to prove her worth.
Peg Cochran once provides us with a well-plotted and told story. The characters are excellent and well-developed and were believable. I particularly enjoyed reading the interaction of Biz and Kaminsky. Biz may even have a romantic interest with Sal Marino, who was the investigating detective for the police.
I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this wonderful new series.
Murder, She Reported by Peg Cochran is a well written debut for a new series. The mystery is engaging but I did catch on to the culprit before the reveal. I loved the time period that the book is set in and enjoyed the cultural, music and movie references scattered throughout the book. I found Elizabeth to be spunky and likable as she was determined to be a newspaper reporter. I admired her determination to live a life more fulfilling than what she has seen in her “socialite world”. The plot was well paced with several suspects and the twists and turns that connected all of the clues to lead the reader to the reveal were almost enough to keep guessing. There were a few things that didn’t quite add up for me, such as not hiring a nurse for her mother when the family could easily have afforded one and her forgetting about her friend, Irene, when she needed help. I look forward to reading more in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Alibi via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
I was caught by the cover of this book–edgy and historical.
The story was certainly not a disappointment!
Fascinating lead character. She’s dealing with her privileged background and her history of polio.
She’s very sharp witted and able to hold her own in a rather unfamiliar world.
The newsman who recognizes her talents is another interesting character.
All well drawn and engaging.
I very much look forward to another installment.
Cochran, Peg
MURDER SHE REPORTED
Compelling! When a book pushes aside other entertainments and duties even sleep, all overshadowed by a desire to keep reading, that is an indication of a very good book. Thinking about it afterward and wanting more time with the characters, also excellent. I like twists and turns of plot and especially like a puzzle so well-crafted that the solution comes to me just a little bit before it is revealed.
Elizabeth’s “girl Friday” job reminded me that in the ‘70s, when want ads still listed separately Help Wanted Men and Help Wanted Women, clerical work was the go-to for female liberal arts grads. Her determination to do more had me thinking of Mary Tyler Moore’s Mr. Grant saying, “You’ve got spunk. I hate spunk.” Standing up to naysayers, being her own woman, ignoring cold, pushing past exhaustion, and holding to her principles — Biz is a great role model.
The contrast of Elizabeth’s comfortable means and Irene’s desperate straits was thought-provoking. Chicken soup for pneumonia rang true to my own experience (though I had to make it for myself).
I liked the timely references to GONE WITH THE WIND and OF MICE AND MEN as a play, and confess I had to look up Woman in a Purple Coat to know it was a Matisse.
The descriptions of elegant hotel ballrooms and more gritty areas set the scenes, and there were gems of figurative language:
“ . . . Waldorf made Elizabeth think of a woman all dressed up to go out at night.” Debutantes’ presentation like “farmers selling livestock at the county fair . . . to the highest bidder”