Murder at Beechwood
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- €10.99
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- €10.99
Publisher Description
For fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age, explore the dark side of the alluring world of America’s 19th century elite in this gripping series of riveting mysteries…
For Newport, Rhode Island’s high society, the summer of 1896 brings lawn parties, sailboat races…and murder.
Having turned down the proposal of Derrick Andrews, Emma Cross has no imminent plans for matrimony—let alone motherhood. But when she discovers an infant left on her doorstep, she naturally takes the child into her care. Using her influence as a cousin to the Vanderbilts and a society page reporter for the Newport Observer, Emma launches a discreet search for the baby’s mother.
One of her first stops is a lawn party at Mrs. Caroline Astor’s Beechwood estate. But an idyllic summer’s day is soon clouded by tragedy. During a sailboat race, textile magnate Virgil Monroe falls overboard. There are prompt accusations of foul play—and even Derrick Andrews falls under suspicion. Deepening the intrigue, a telltale slip of lace may link the abandoned child to the drowned man. But as Emma navigates dark undercurrents of scandalous indiscretions and violent passions, she’ll need to watch her step to ensure that no one lowers the boom on her…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A baby left on the doorstep of Gull Manor propels Maxwell's absorbing third Gilded Newport mystery (after 2014's Murder at Marble House). In 1896 upper-class Newport, R.I., sleuthing has to be done very carefully, but Emma Cross's position as a society page reporter and a less-than-wealthy relative of the Vanderbilts opens doors for her. Emma begins her search for the baby's mother at a lawn party at Beechwood, society matron Caroline Astor's home, but her inquiries shift when the unpleasant Virgil Monroe is killed in a sailing accident. The question of murder arises with suspicion falling on Derrick Andrews, a man once close to Emma. Jesse Whyte, a Newport police detective, enlists her aid in getting to the truth, which points back to the abandoned baby. Emma's innate charm, troubled romance on several fronts, and the glossy ambience of the Gilded Age make this an appealing puzzle enhanced by a blend of fiction and history.
