Excellent cozy mystery if you're in the mood for the genre. A mansion cut off from civilization by a storm... a retreat for a group of artists and performers who are sort of friends and sort of enemies... slight vibes of And Then There Were None (but this is not that story). ( )

Murder and intrigue return to Newport, Rhode Island in this 4th installment of the Gilded Newport series by Alyssa Maxwell.

Emma Cross, a poor relation of the stately Vanderbilt family, is invited to attend an artists retreat at Rough Point, a stately home owned by her Uncle Frederick Vanderbilt. Emma is to write a newspaper article about the retreat. She hopes that the exposure will help boost her career to covering more than the usual Fancies and Fashions articles she normally writes.

In attendance are several well-known artists ranging from ballet dancers to sculptors, including the renowned Edith Wharton. Surprisingly enough, Emma's parents are attending as well, returning from an extended stay in Paris.

The group is not a peaceful one. The artists soon start bickering among themselves, revealing strained relationships. Soon, however, Emma has more to worry about than clashing personalities. An English Baronet, Sir Randall Clifford, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. At first it is assumed he committed suicide over his failing ambitions as a sculptor, but when a second guest is found dead in his bathtub, suspicious turn to murder. Emma finds herself once again assisting police detective Jesse Whyte to discover the identity of the killer before anyone else dies.

This book reminded me of Agatha Christie's novels -- a large house, illustrious guests, servants, dark secrets and murder. As Christie is my favorite author, I found myself absolutely loving this book! It is a great blend of fictional characters and real people, all centered in a historic Newport home.

The mystery is engaging, with plenty of plausible suspects, plot twists and surprises. The killer is revealed in an exciting ending, wrapping up this story in Christie-like eloquent fashion.

I read this book without previously reading any of the novels in the Gilded Newport series, so it isn't necessary to read the books in order. However, there are some nuances to character relationships that would be better understood by reading in order. My jumping in with this newest installment in the series didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book. But, it did make me want to go back and read all of the prior novels! And, I also spent some time researching Rough Point and the other Newport mansions that Maxwell writes about in her books. I live about 40 minutes from Biltmore Estate, located in Asheville, NC, and I find the history of iconic American families like the Vanderbilts and their mansions captivating! I will most definitely be reading more of this series!

In addition to the Gilded Newport series, Alyssa Maxwell has also written two mysteries set in post-World War I England, A Pinch of Poison and Murder Most Malicious. Check out her website here: www.alyssamaxwell.com ( )

Emma Cross, a poor relation of the Vanderbilt's of Newport, has been asked to write about an artist retreat that is being held at Rough Point, the estate of her Uncle Frederick. She is surprised not only by the person who requested her specifically (Edith Wharton) but the other attendees who include her mother and father, whom she hasn't seen in several years. (It appears that they have a secret that they don't want to divulge). The other artists include a retired ballet dancer turned choreographer, sculptor, singer, cellist, and other writers so when the sculptor goes missing and is later found dead at the bottom of the cliff, was it an accident or was he pushed? One by one, different people are being eliminated, but the manner of deaths could be accidents - but were they murder?

I love the story with the setting in the early 1900's and phone problems, washed out roads, and all manner of difficulties to prevent the assistance of the police during a relentless multi day nor'easter. I especially liked that we got a deeper understanding of the main character as well as a chance to meet the elusive parents. ( )

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting and stylish mystery set in 1896 and sounding true to its period. Emmaline Cross is a poor relation to the Vanderbilts and trying to become a serious journalist. She is induced to join a group of Bohemian artists during their stay and therein lies the plot of the story.

I enjoyed the set-up to this story and the introduction and dissection of each character as they were introduced. I loved the setting of Rough Point Mansion in Newport and thought it used effectively allowing the reader to become familiar with the rooms and grounds of the property. The ensuing casualties are perplexing leaving the reader to wonder whether anyone will be left standing. This was an enjoyable and stimulating "whoDunnit." ( )

This mystery reminded me a little of another Netgalley book I read not too long ago: at a large (i.e. rich person's) house, a contained group of people gathered for a specific purpose find themselves being picked off one by one by an unknown subject. However, while I hated that one, this, by an author I've read before and enjoyed, was more to my taste. I like the heroine, journalist Emmaline Cross, trying to make her way in the male-more-than-dominated world of the late 1890's.

It's interesting for Mrs. Edward Wharton – Edith Wharton – to be an active character in this story. I knew nothing about her, and have read only Age of Innocence, so I had no idea where the author would take it. It's somewhere between fun and annoying that Emmie turns to Mrs. Wharton as a confidant – she is obviously the one certainly safe character in the cast, given her historical reality.

Joining Mrs. Wharton for an get-together at the mansion at Rough Point are a collection of artists of all flavors, including, to Emmaline's great surprise, her parents. I like the rocky relationship there … although I have to say it's not an original thing, this carelessness of the artsy parents leading to both resentment and love in the daughter.

There is also a creature called Josephine Marcus, who is well built as a hideous creature I hoped would die. She uses a Capodimente vase as an ashtray. I would have bashed her one myself for that – and it was nice that first-person narrator Emmie feels the same way. And if I didn't already hate her guts for carelessly defacing artwork, there was her attitude toward animals in general, pets in particular, and Emmie's dog in specificity. "Barns and the wilderness are for animals. That and coat collars." Die. In a fire.

I enjoyed the writing, and Emmie's voice. "Something happened then. I couldn’t quite identify it, but a look slithered its way around the table: the flicker of an eye, a twitch of the mouth, the compression of Mother’s lips. The emotion, whatever it was, touched all but the Whartons, who continued their meal without the slightest pause. Then, with a collective clattering of flatware, the others resumed eating." – That's nice, isn't it? Well done.

The artistic personalities of all of the guests, with all of the baggage brought with them, make it interesting when one of these guests dies. It's odd – despite evidence, the narrator talks about the man having taken his own life; she never seems to question suicide. It's funny that the servants are sort of brushed aside – they're neither possible victims (who would bother?) nor possible suspects.

I do wish the author would use "literally" correctly, however ("my heart had literally thrust up into my throat"). I will hope that the difference between "lay" and "lie" was ironed out before publication.

And, sadly, there is this: "There is little kindness or gallantry in the art world, Miss Cross, as I am certain you are aware." The more I read about it, the more true that seems to be.

Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most was a note in the author's afterword, admitting to adding "a couple more bedrooms" to Rough Point than existed in the period. That seemed bizarre for a mansion; I tend to picture spare bedrooms galore, yet there was not enough proper room for all of the guests as it was, even with fictionally added bedrooms. Odd.



It wasn't the best book ever – but it was very enjoyable. I look forward to the rest of the series.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review. ( )