Gilded Newport #14
It’s August 1903 and Tessie Oelrichs is hosting a White Ball at Rosecliff, her Newport, RI mansion. A stunning all-white theme, excellent music and food, and the cream of New York society give reporter Ethan Merriman plenty to write about. Things take a turn for the worse when a stranger named Solomon Wheeler appears, defying the all-white dress code and making a scene by claiming to be Tessie’s first husband – with alleged proof. Tessie insists that he’s lying and it’s not too surprising that his dead body is discovered in the garden fountain before the night is over. What is surprising is that reporter Ethan Merriman is found apparently holding Wheeler under the water.
Protagonist Emma Cross Andrews and her husband Derrick Andews, owners of the Newport Messenger, are certain their employee Ethan is innocent and set out to prove it. Given the number of guests at the ball, most of whom have a personal connection to Tessie, there is no shortage of suspects ranging from Tessie’s husband Hermann and assorted other relatives to most of New York Society. Emma and Derrick uncover all kinds of interesting family history about Tessie’s family as well as Solomon Wheeler’s family but how much is true? More importantly in such an intimate Society, who believes the wicked rumors about bigamy and stolen fortunes or might have something to lose if they are true?
Fortunately, Emma and Derrick are well-connected. They know everyone in Society and everyone vaguely connected to those families. It makes for fun reading as they sift through everyone’s past and various rumors. I especially enjoyed the historical characters in this novel. Yes, inevitably someone is related to the Vanderbilts but I was more interested in John Jacob Astor and his first wife. Just nine years in the future, he’ll be divorced, remarried to a much younger wife, and die on Titanic. When he appears in fiction it’s usually with his second wife and not very subtle references to his fate, so I really like this glimpse at his earlier life with no hints of doom.
This is the first book I’ve read in this series and I love Emma and Derrick’s modern relationship. They are equals in marriage and their newspaper business and have a young daughter they adore. Emma’s education and their equality could seem anachronistic in 1903 but instead brings to mind other detective couples I adore, specifically, Lord Peter Wimsy and Harriet Vane and Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson. I enjoyed it so much I’ve added this series to Mount To Be Read!
Fans who miss Downton Abbey will probably love this Gilded Age series set in Newport, RI. — Cathy Akers-Jordan