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I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
MY REVIEW:
Another wonderful adventure with Roddy and Valentine DeVere! This series continues to deliver, and I’m always thrilled to follow one of my favorite historical couples through their next escapade. Roddy and Val are such well-rounded characters, and their chemistry and unique personalities breathe life into every case they investigate. They each bring a mix of wit, insight, and determination to their work, and the constant trouble swirling around them makes for highly engaging storytelling.
This time, the stakes are higher than ever. A close friend, deeply shaken, believes his extended family is cursed by a jewel rumored to carry a deadly legacy. As distant cousins begin turning up dead, he turns to Roddy and Val for help unraveling the truth behind these tragic events. The situation grows more dire as the pair digs into the murky family history, only to be met with cryptic information and uncooperative relatives. Each clue is harder to uncover than the last, creating an intricate and suspenseful puzzle that left me eager to find out what would happen next.
Set against the opulent backdrop of the Gilded Age, the story immerses readers in a world of wealth, power, and danger. The rich historical details—paired with sharp commentary on the era’s societal constraints and prejudices—give the narrative a layered and authentic feel. The intrigue surrounding high-society scandals and the darker secrets of the family kept me hooked throughout.
As always, Roddy and Val’s dynamic adds so much charm to the story. Their growing bond, combined with their knack for uncovering secrets, makes every book in this series a treat. This latest installment is no exception—a gripping, well-crafted mystery that fans of historical fiction and sleuthing will thoroughly enjoy.
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Western silver heiress Val DeVere expects nothing but joy at an elegant Newport picnic in 1899, only to be abruptly summoned to New York by a close friend’s urgent and cryptic plea: “PLEASE HELP…THEO B.”
In New York, Theo confides in Val, begging her to save his lively cousin Phoebe from a cunning Irish manservant who, he claims, is plotting her “accidental” death in the Rocky Mountains—just as he allegedly orchestrated the death of her twin sister in Boston a year earlier.
Determined to help her friend, Val, now Mrs. Roderick DeVere, tries to convince the headstrong Phoebe to delay her trip to the Rockies. Yet the Irish servant, whom Theo accuses of murder, reminds Val of her beloved late father, an Irish immigrant and “Silver King,” whose charm and brogue are unsettlingly familiar.
When Phoebe is found murdered in her New York apartment, suspicion falls squarely on the Irishman, appearing to wrap the case up neatly. But for Val, the truth feels far more elusive. Is she blinded by sentiment, or is there another killer lurking in the shadows? As doubt creeps in, Val faces a race against time to uncover the real culprit, all while risking arrest as an accessory to murder.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cecelia Tichi
A fresh start for every new book, and author Tichi’s zest for America’s Gilded Age and its boldface names draws this seasoned writer to a crime fiction series while uncorking the country’s cocktail cultures on the printed (and ebook) page. Tichi digs deep into the Vanderbilt University research library to mine the late 1800-1900s history and customs of Society’s “Four Hundred,” its drinks, and the ways high-stakes crimes in its midst make for a gripping “Gilded” mystery series that rings true to the tumultuous era.
The decades of America’s industrial titans and “Queens” of Society have loomed large in Tichi’s books for several years, and the titles track her recent projects:
• Civic Passions: Seven Who Launched Progressive America (and What They Teach Us)
• Jack London: A Writer’s Fight for a Better America
• What Would Mrs. Astor Do? A Complete Guide to the Manners and Mores of the Gilded Age
• Gilded Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from the Golden Age
• Jazz Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from the Roaring Twenties.
• A Gilded Death (crime fiction)
• Murder, Murder, Murder in Gilded Central Park (crime fiction)
• A Fatal Gilded High Note (crime fiction)
Cecelia is at work on a fourth in the series, “A Gilded Free Fall.” She enjoys membership and posting in Facebook’s The Gilded Age Society. You can read more about Cecelia by visiting her Wikipedia page at: https://bit.ly/Tichiwiki or her website: https://cecebooks.com.
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