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It's only been a few months since Sarah Kelling's elderly husband passed away, and she's struggling to adapt to life as a penniless young widow. To make ends meet, she converts her stately Boston home into a boardinghouse, a decision that brings something even better than money: the company of art-fraud investigator Max Bittersohn. The budding couple is standing on a balcony, recovering from a second-rate concert at a third-rate museum, when something plummets past them. The museum has been show more robbed, and a guard has fallen to his death. Dozens of priceless paintings have been stolen and replaced with forgeries, and recovering these masterworks will mean tearing the lid off the quiet life of the Boston upper crust. But, it's a chance Sarah and Max must take, lest they join the guard on his long trip down. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
As a treat. Max Bittersohn takes Sarah Kelling to the Madam’s Museum, a venerable institution of artwork left to the city by Mrs. Wilkins, known as “the Madam” after a witticism of one of Sarah’s numerous blue-blood ancestors. Their visit is marred, however, by the sudden death of one of the guards, who apparently leaned too far over a guardrail and plunged to his death a few stories below. That guard had a particular affinity for one of the paintings in his section, and he had been loudly complaining that the painting had “changed” in the days before his death, which leads Max and Sarah to wonder if the death was, indeed, accidental…. In the third novel of this series, we are given a look into Max’s world as opposed to show more Sarah’s; that is, the world of art, art theft and international intrigue. We are also introduced to some more of Sarah’s innumerable relatives, a boisterous and enigmatic Russian Countess, and several of Boston’s more celebrated philanthropists. This being a mystery series, it is not a surprise to find some of those characters are not as they seem, and the fun lies in figuring out who is more blatantly duplicitous amongst the group! Recommended, but I do think that this is a series where one should begin with the first novel (“The Family Vault”) and carry on from there. show less
Sara has now turned her home into a Boarding House to pay off the mortgage debts that she has inherited and Max is one of her tenants in a basement apartment. He takes her to a museum as a treat (date?) where they happen to see an elderly guard falling over a railing to the courtyard below. This is the beginning of an investigation for fake art. Lots of interesting, beatnikie characters come into play plus the relatives and tenants of Sara’s.
I liked this book better than Family Vault. Max is obviously sweet on Sara and there’s plenty of funny situations and hijinks to make it a quick and amusing read. It is dated however.
I liked this book better than Family Vault. Max is obviously sweet on Sara and there’s plenty of funny situations and hijinks to make it a quick and amusing read. It is dated however.
It always takes me a while to get into the story. Sarah Kelling and her assorted friends and relatives are - distinctly weird, in many ways. The beginning, with a death and a mystery, feels awkward and uninteresting. But then I get caught up in the story and the characters, as they start to expand from the initial cardboard list of quirks and turn into people I can believe exist; the mystery expands in several directions, and I'm firmly drawn in. The romances are sweet - Sarah and Max make some progress, among others - the mystery is far less obvious than it seems at the beginning, and by the end of the book I'm grinning and remembering why I like these stories. Charlotte MacLeod's style is to have characters do some very odd things, show more believing them to be perfectly normal. Sarah has Boston and specifically Kelling quirks - strong frugality, long-held grudges, and odd family history - behind some of her choices; they strike me as odd but believable. The Grub-and-Stakers mysteries are over the top for me - my disbelief gets strangled from being suspended so high. The Madoc Rhys mysteries, on the other hand, make a good deal of sense - they're my favorite MacLeods. The Kelling ones are in between - the first few are reasonable, then they get weird. This one is still reasonable. show less
The body of a security guard being pushed off the third floor balcony of Madam Wilkin’s Palazzo is the beginning of a mystery with a couple of murders and a mishmash collection of art with questionable provenance.
Sarah Kelling, of the Boston Kellings and landlady of an elegant Beacon Hill boarding house, acts as assistant to Max Bittersohn, art expert and boarder, in investigating the various aspects of the case. This is not their first case and won’t be their last.
Among the suspects is a Countess who makes her money forging antique icons, some of the most inept security guards and staff, and one of the Kelling cousins. Screaming peacocks lend an unusual touch, along with the impresario who provides the musical talent for the museum show more concerts, knows quite a bit about the museum and staff. The murder takes place during one of the concerts so there are plenty of witnesses/suspects…maybe.
It is a cozy read with humour, a touch of romance and some good twists and turns. show less
Sarah Kelling, of the Boston Kellings and landlady of an elegant Beacon Hill boarding house, acts as assistant to Max Bittersohn, art expert and boarder, in investigating the various aspects of the case. This is not their first case and won’t be their last.
Among the suspects is a Countess who makes her money forging antique icons, some of the most inept security guards and staff, and one of the Kelling cousins. Screaming peacocks lend an unusual touch, along with the impresario who provides the musical talent for the museum show more concerts, knows quite a bit about the museum and staff. The murder takes place during one of the concerts so there are plenty of witnesses/suspects…maybe.
It is a cozy read with humour, a touch of romance and some good twists and turns. show less
Substance: Delightful romantic-mystery romp through high-ish society. Hasthe flavor of an earlier decade except for the lightly risqué episodes ( such as 1960s romantic movies). Reasonably decent mystery, fair clues.
Style: Light humor.
Will definitely look for more of MacLeod's work.
Style: Light humor.
Will definitely look for more of MacLeod's work.
cozy-mystery, Boston, murder-investigation, fun, vintage
Sarah and Max come up right in the middle of things once again! Sarah is surrounded by relatives and also her boarders as murder intrudes once again, but romance is finally in the air for Sarah and Max as well as cousin Brooks Kelling and an interesting boarder. I love this vintage series!
Andi Arndt is great as narrator!
Sarah and Max come up right in the middle of things once again! Sarah is surrounded by relatives and also her boarders as murder intrudes once again, but romance is finally in the air for Sarah and Max as well as cousin Brooks Kelling and an interesting boarder. I love this vintage series!
Andi Arndt is great as narrator!
The third Max and Sarah book. This one has never been nearly as much of a favorite as the first two, despite having the actual boardinghouse setting that disappears later in the series. The "hep-cat" art forgery scene just seemed too silly for me.
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Author Information
60+ Works 12,188 Members
Charlotte MacLeod was born in Bath, New Brunswick, Canada on November 12, 1922. She immigrated to the United States in 1923 and became a naturalized citizen in 1951. She attended the School of Practical Art, now the Art Institute of Boston. She was a staff artist and copywriter at Stop and Shop supermarkets from 1945 to 1952. She also worked at show more N.H. Miller & Co. advertising firm from 1952 to 1982 starting as a copy chief and ending up as a Vice President. She wrote two series under her own name, a Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn Mystery series and the Peter Shandy Mystery series. She also wrote two series under the pseudonym Alisa Craig, the Madoc and Janet Rhys Mystery series and the Grub-and-Stakers series. She also wrote Had She But Known: A Biography of Mary Roberts Rinehart and a dozen juvenile books. She won five American Mystery awards and a Nero Wolfe award. She edited the anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings. She is the co-founder and past president of the American Crime Writers League. She died on January 14, 2005 at the age of 82. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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DuMont's Kriminal-Bibliothek (1035)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Palace Guard
- Original title
- The Palace Guard
- Alternate titles
- Madam Wilkins' Palazzo
- Original publication date
- 1981
- People/Characters
- Sarah Kelling Kelling (widow, one of the vast Kelling clan, boardinghouse owner); Max Bittersohn (art detective); Brooks Kelling (Sarah's 4th cousin twice removed); Adolphus Kelling ('Dolph' is Sarah's cousin); Mary Smith Kelling (Dolph's wife); Mrs. Theonia Sorpende (one of Sarah's boarders) (show all 31); Dolores Agnew Tawne (painter with a studio at the Fenway and a finger in many Palazzo pies); Mr. Eugene Porter-Smith (another boarder, an accountant for Sarah's 3rd cousin Percival); Miss Jennifer LaValliere (one of Sarah's boarders, taking a business course); Prof. Oscar Ormsby (boarder & teaches aerodynamics at Massachusetts Institute of Tech); Mrs. Gates (Sarah's Withdrawing Room boarder); Charles Chelsea Charles (actor, factory worker, & Sarah's butler); Mariposa Fergus (Sarah's maid); Joe Witherspoon (a guard at Madam Wilkins' palazzo); Jimmy Agnew (a guard at Madam Wilkins' palazzo & Dolores' brother); Brown (a guard at Madam Wilkins' palazzo); Vieuxchamp (a guard at Madam Wilkins' palazzo); Lieutenant Davies (Boston Police); Melanson (a guard at Madam Wilkins' palazzo); Nick Fieringer (an impressario); C. Edwald Palmerston (chairman of the palazzo's board of trustees, the 'C.' = Cadwallader); Countess Lydia Ouspenska (Fenway Studios artist); Bill Jones (stolen paintings expert); Bernie (a pianist); Mr. Jack Hayre (antiques dealer); Lupe (a real operator); Bengo (copyist); Officer Moynahan (Boston Police); Officer Maloney (Boston Police); Plainclothes Detective Fitzpatrick (Boston Police); Plainsclothes Detective Fitzgibbon (Boston Police)
- Important places
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Dedication
- For Charlotte Hunnewell Lamson
- First words
- The burst of well-bred applause dwindled to a spattering of claps from the young cellist's more dedicated relatives, then was drowned altogether in the scraping of chairs.
- Quotations
- [Max about Brooks] Your cousin's a little bit of a screwball in some ways, if you don't mind my saying so --
[Sarah] Why should I? Show me a Kelling who isn't.
(chapter 3)
Like Sarah, Mrs. Sorpende had left her coat in the cloakroom as the vast skylights provided an effect of solar heating inside the palazzo. She had on her one and only black daytime dress, a garment that would have been sedate... (show all) enough if it hadn't happened to fit so divinely. At throat and ears were pearls so discreet as to seem genuine. On her intricately dressed hair perched a whimsy of creamy satin and veiling that would have driven Anatole of Paris to screaming frenzy. On her hands were gloves of a dazzling whiteness. About her wafted a subtle hint of roses. She was, in a word, sensational. (chapter 12)
The two tenants [of the Fenway Studios] described in this story are, of course, imaginary. So is the Madam's palazzo, as nobody in real life was ever foolish enough to try to outshine the incomparable Mrs. Jack. There isn't... (show all) even a Tulip Street on the Hill. Sarah Kelling, her boarders, her friends, and her foes have nowhere to exist except in the author's imagination. No resemblance to any actual person or event is intended, and any coincidence would be inadvertent. (paragraph 3 from the author's statement on the copyright page) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Cousin Brooks was proposing.
- Original language*
- Englisch
- Disambiguation notice
- Published in German as Madam Wilkins' Palazzo. Do not separate.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- Popularity
- 77,070
- Reviews
- 8
- Rating
- (3.85)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 15
- ASINs
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