President Teddy Roosevelt’s daring daughter, Alice, leaps into action to exonerate a friend accused of poisoning a man just about everyone hated. Alice Roosevelt, the brilliant, danger-loving daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, has already risked an assassin’s bullet to solve one murder. She never expected to have to sleuth another, but she’d never pass up the opportunity, either. Anything … either. Anything to stave off boredom.
And such an opportunity presents itself when Alice is invited to a lavish ball. The high-society guests are in high spirits as they imbibe the finest wines. But one man, detested by nearly all the partygoers, quaffs a decidedly deadlier cocktail. An African-American mechanic, who also happens to be a good friend of former Rough Rider-turned-Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair, is suspected of the murder-by-poison, but Alice is sure he’s innocent and is back on the scene to clear his name.
From downtown betting parlors to uptown mansions, Alice and Agent St. Clair uncover forbidden romances and a financial deal that just might change the world. But neither Alice nor her would-be protector may survive the case at hand in The Body in the Ballroom, R. J. Koreto’s gripping second Alice Roosevelt mystery.
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LOVE LOVE LOVE R.J. Koreto. Read all his books. He has a fantastic knack for getting in the head of diverse characters. This series is told from the perspective of Alice Roosevelt’s body guard, St. Clair, who happens to be a former Rough Rider. St. Clair is one of my all time favorite characters who is trying his darnedest to keep up with the rascally Alice Roosevelt. Excellent series.
Alice Roosevelt is at her best in this wonderful sequel to Alice and the Assassin by R. J. Koreto. When a guest is poisoned at one of the New York City’s most highly anticipated debutante balls of the season where Alice is a guest, she is determined to find out what happened, especially when the police arrest a friend. With her Secret Service bodyguard, Joseph St. Clair, at her side, she is determined to clear Peter Carlyle’s name and bring the real killer to light.
This book is truly engaging, and I loved just sitting back and enjoying the ride as Agent St. Clair narrates Alice’s quest for justice. Alice is a young woman (now all of 18) not to be toyed with and is never daunted by the tasks at hand. I especially enjoyed her impromptu “breakfast meetings” where she gathered information from people from all walks of life to aid in her investigation.
I highly recommend this book as well as the first book in this series, Alice and the Assassin. R. J. Koreto’s Alice Roosevelt is a wonderful character, and I look forward to reading more about her adventures in future books in this series.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.
These Alice Roosevelt Mysteries have already been called “A Promising Series,” and that is most assuredly an understatement. With this newest title, people are back with Alice, the daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, to see what she’s up to next. And this one will be even more surprising.
A lavish ball is planned; one that Alice has been invited to. This amateur sleuth certainly is excited about it. After all, she needs a bit of a break considering she already dealt with an assassin’s bullet in order to solve her first crime and uncover the perpetrator. Of course, this gala will be a whole lot more than just snooty, rich people downing wine.
A slight poisonous concoction appears in one glass that makes this gala the last for one interesting partygoer. But, no fear, Alice is on the case. And she is automatically not “in line” with the law who believes that a mechanic is the one whodunit. This specific man being accused just so happens to be a very good friend of Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair. Thus, Alice and Joseph team up to prove that there is a snake among the wealthy guests that took a person out for his own reasons…and it certainly wasn’t the mechanic who threw the deadly wrench into the works.
As with most high-society issues, there is a monetary reason (along with a secret romance) that has brought this murder to fruition. But the deeper St. Clair and Alice get into this web of intrigue, the closer they get to losing their own lives.
A series that began with the incredible, “Alice and the Assassin” continues with this great tale that is the perfect combination of history and suspense. This is one new “star” that readers hope will continue to solve crimes and influence people for many books to come.
Body In The Ballroom is the second book in the Alice Roosevelt Mystery series.
I enjoy reading historical mysteries and this was a very entertaining series. Extremely interesting and well-developed characters. It was easy to see that the author spent time researching the times and life of the citizens of this country in the early 1900’s. The series centers around eighteen-year-old Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt and Alice’s bodyguard and former Rough Rider, Joseph “Cowboy” St. Clair. St. Clair certainly is a busy man, not only guarding the President’s daughter but keeping Alice out of trouble.
Alice and St. Clair have returned to the home of Mrs. Cowles, the President’s sister, New York City. Alice has returned to the city to attend the debut ball of Rutledge family’s daughter, Philadelphia. As people are gathered around a punch bowl, Lynley Brackton’s wife hands him a glass of punch and shortly after drinking it became very ill and quickly passed away. The Rutledge’s family physician is called and he feels that Brackton was poisoned by wolfsbane. It is soon learned that Rutledge has a garden that in fact does have some wolfsbane growing, which has been broken into and some of the plants show signs of recently being disturbed. Against his better judgment St. Clair agrees to help Alice investigate the murder.
They begin to wonder if Brackton might not have been the intended victim and they also need to look into an organization called XVII a group who is against anyone who is not a White Protestant and whose family has been in New York for 4 or 5 generations.
The book is well-plotted and told story. I enjoyed all the characters, but especially Alice and St. Clair. The interaction between the two was very enjoyable. Alice will put a smile on your face many times. Plus you will find yourself thinking that poor St. Clair, what will Alice get him into next.
I will definitely be watching for the next book in this enjoyable series.