Whispers of Warning
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Ruby Proulx’s new life in Orchard Beach, Maine, faces some sinister complications in the next Change of Fortune Mystery by Jessica Estevao…
Free from the clutches of her con artist father, Ruby Proulx is starting to settle in at the Belden, her aunt Honoria’s seaside hotel. She loves finally being rooted in one place and also feels a sense of purpose as she helps Honoria keep her business afloat by acting as a psychic medium for the hotel’s metaphysically inclined guests.
When one of the guests, renowned Spiritualist and outspoken suffragist Sophronia Foster Eldridge, checks into the hotel for a monthlong stay, Ruby finds her sense of purpose expands outside the confines of home and family. Sophronia takes Ruby under her wing and mentors her in the mediumistic abilities, encouraging her to fight for women’s rights.
But not everyone is as happy with Sophronia’s appearance in Old Orchard. When a dangerous act of sabotage is carried out and a body is found floating in the pool of a local bathhouse, Ruby takes it upon herself to find answers— and in the process learns that her new friend has been hiding some deadly secrets of her own…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set toward the end of the 19th century, Estevao's engrossing sequel to 2016's Whispers Beyond the Veil finds plucky, wryly observant Ruby Proulx, whose childhood was spent working in her father's traveling medicine show, now living with her spiritualist aunt, Honoria Belden, in Old Orchard, Maine. Honoria owns a small hotel staffed by practitioners of the paranormal and caters to spiritually inclined guests. The arrival of famous suffragette Sophronia Foster Eldridge creates quite a stir, particularly after she announces that she has written a book revealing the corruption and crimes of leading local citizens. When Sophronia is found drowned, the Old Orchard police chief declares her death a suicide, but Ruby and police officer Warren Yancey believe she was murdered. The chapters narrated by Ruby are rich in details of life on the road with her father and reveal the restrictions placed on women in the period. Those told from the point of view of Warren offer a picture of Ruby that sometimes doesn't quite jell with how she sees herself, as well as insights into police procedures of the day. Estevao has created a delightful and comforting world filled with a broad and entertaining cast.
Customer Reviews
Second book in A Change of Fortune Mystery series!
Whispers of Warning by Jessica Estevao is the second story in A Change of Fortune Mystery series. Ruby Proulx and her Aunt Honoria are thrilled when suffragist and spiritualist, Sophronia Foster Eldridge checks into the Belden for a month long stay (quite a coupe for the hotel). At a suffrage rally, Sophronia states she is writing a book about corruption and secret dealings by powerful men. She will sell her manuscript to the highest bidder and use the money to further suffrage movement. Despite a threatening letter and a sabotaged stage, Sophronia will not be deterred. Is Sophronia that dedicated to the cause or does she have a hidden agenda? Sophronia is soon found dead a pool at Pinkney Ferris’ bathhouse. Ruby starts looking into Sophronia’s life and sets out to expose her killer.
Whispers of Warning is the second story in A Change of Fortune Mystery series and it can be read alone. Ruby’s past and her abilities along with what occurred in the first book is discussed (in great detail). I like the paranormal and historical aspects of the story (suffrage, spiritualist, Hay Feverist Society). The writing style, though, hindered my reading enjoyment. It lacks an ease. The pace was glacial thanks to the overabundance of details (the author needed to find a balance) and repetition of information. The dialogue seems stilted and awkward. I am rating Whispers of Warning 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). The murder did not occur until almost halfway into the story. By the time Sophronia was killed (there was no doubt she would be the one murdered), I already identified the evil doer. Suffrage instead of mystery dominates Whispers of Warning. Whispers of Warning has an interesting premise, but I did not enjoy the final outcome.