Opulence and Ashes
-
- 129,00 kr
Publisher Description
The rich are getting richer—and stone-cold dead—in the next installment in Kate Belli’s thrilling Gilded Gotham Mystery series, for fans of Rhys Bowen and Deanna Raybourn.
Spring, 1890. The long New York winter is over, the buds are blossoming, and romance is in the air. But not all’s right in Gilded-Age Manhattan. Genevieve, a society journalist, and her fiancé, Daniel, are working with photographer Dagmar Hansen on an investigation into the House of Refuge, a children’s workhouse, inspired by Daniel’s near incarceration when he was young. Genevieve is also working on her own piece for the Globe about the Sunflower Mission House, which burned down in a suspicious fire.
When a blaze consumes Dagmar’s studio—and Genevieve barely escapes with her life in another—Daniel urges her to stop her investigation. But Genevieve is determined to finish the story, and her leads take her deep into the heart of the Bowery. When Genevieve suddenly goes missing, Daniel searches the city in a desperate effort to find her. When their new Fifth Avenue home is also set ablaze, Daniel fears the worst.
Someone has their sights on Genevieve—and if she can’t escape, she could be the next to go up in flames.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Belli's intricate fourth outing featuring aspiring social reformer Daniel McCaffrey and reporter Genevieve Stewart (after 2022's Treachery on Tenth Street) sees the couple looking forward to their spring 1890 wedding in New York City when a series of complications disrupts their plans. First, a man claiming to be Daniel's long-lost brother turns up, possessing family knowledge only a relative would have, though Genevieve doubts his bona fides. Then a photographer helping Daniel document conditions at a children's workhouse suffers grave injuries when his office is set ablaze. Setbacks continue when the couple's own under-construction residence is torched and a controversial midwife is killed after Genevieve seeks her advice. Eventually, she and Daniel come to believe that someone is retaliating against their reformist politics. When Genevieve disappears and Daniel fears that her life may be at risk, he races to uncover the perpetrator before it's too late. Though some anachronisms jar (the term sex worker crops up more than once, about a century too early) and the serialized plotting makes this a tough entry point for new readers, a dramatic climax saves the day. Series fans will enjoy themselves.
