Murder at Rough Point
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4.3 • 35 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
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…
In glittering Newport, Rhode Island, status is everything. But despite being a poorer relation to the venerable Vanderbilts, Emma Cross has shaped her own identity—as a reporter and a sleuth.
As the nineteenth century draws to a close,Fancies and Fashion reporter Emma Cross is sent by the Newport Observer to cover an elite house party at Rough Point, a “cottage” owned by her distant cousin Frederick Vanderbilt that has been rented as an artist retreat. To her surprise, the illustrious guests include her estranged Bohemian parents—recently returned from Europe—as well as a variety of notable artists, including author Edith Wharton.
But when one of the artists is discovered dead at the bottom of a cliff, Rough Point becomes anything but a house of mirth. After a second murder, no one is above suspicion—including Emma’s parents. As Newport police detective Jesse Whyte searches for a killer, Emma tries to draw her own conclusions—with the help of Mrs. Wharton. But with so many sketchy suspects, she’ll need to canvas the crime scenes carefully, before the cunning culprit takes her out of the picture next . . .
Praise for Alyssa Maxwell and her Gilded Newport Mysteries
“Another entertaining entry in this cozy series.” —Library Journal on Murder at Beechwood
“Maxwell’s second entry has a credible mystery, solved by a female detective who’s likeable.” —Kirkus Reviews on Murder at Marble House
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in the fall of 1896, Maxwell's pleasantly twisty fifth Gilded Newport mystery (after 2015's Murder at Beechwood) finds Emmaline Cross, journalist for the Newport, R.I., Observer and distant relative of American gilded age royalty, with an assignment more worthy of her talents than the usual "fashion and frippery." A group of artists and intellectuals are holding a two-week retreat at Rough Point, the Gothic Revival estate owned by Frederick Vanderbilt, a remote cousin of hers. Emma is to interview and write about the contentious and egotistical band of bohemians, including an opera diva, a dancer, a cellist, a sculptor, a stage director, author Edith Wharton, and Emma's own artist parents. When someone begins picking off the guests one by one and the survivors are trapped on the estate by a vicious storm, it's up to Emma to track down a killer. Even though some of the victims are dispatched by methods that stretch credulity, this tale will appeal to lovers of atmospheric country house mysteries.
