Murder at Crossways

by Alyssa Maxwell

Overview

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 late August 1898, reporter Emma Cross attends the final fête of the Newport social season and discovers the party's over for a visiting prince . . .

The days are getting shorter as summer's end approaches, which means it's time for the Harvest Festival, the last big event of the season, held by Mamie Fish, wife of millionaire railroad tycoon Stuyvesant Fish, at their grand "cottage," Crossways. The neocolonial mansion is decked out in artificial autumn splendor, and an extravagant scavenger hunt will be held. But the crowning jewel of the evening will be the guest of honor, Prince Otto of Austria.
 
As acting editor-in-chief of the Newport Messenger, Emma had hoped to leave her days as a society reporter behind her. But at the last moment, she must fill in and attend the Harvest Festival. With nearly every eligible daughter of Newport high society in attendance, Emma can almost hear romantic dreams shattering like glass slippers when the prince fails to appear. The next morning, he is found dead in the side garden at Crossways, making it clear a murderer crashed the party.
 
The prince has been stabbed in the same manner as another man, recently found on nearby Bailey's Beach—who strongly resembles Emma's half-brother Brady's father, presumed dead for nearly thirty years after a yachting mishap. As Emma investigates a connection between the two victims, she is joined on the hunt by Mamie Fish herself. But they must hurry—before the killer slips away like the fading summer . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496720726
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	07/30/2019
Series:	Gilded Newport Mystery Series , #7
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Alyssa Maxwell began a love affair with the city of Newport years ago. Time and again the colonial neighborhoods and grand mansions drew her to return, and on one of those later visits she met the man who would become her husband. Always a lover of history, Maxwell found that marrying into a large, generations‑-old Newport family opened up an exciting new world of historical discovery. Today, she and her husband reside in Florida, but part of her heart remains firmly in that small New England city of great historical significance. For more info please visit www.alyssamaxwell.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/03/2019

The discovery of a stabbing victim on a beach propels Maxwell’s tightly plotted seventh Gilded Newport mystery (after 2018’s Murder at Ochre Court). Journalist Emma Cross, now editor-in-chief of the Newport Messenger, thinks it’s her half-brother, Brady, before realizing the victim is a much older man. The resemblance makes Emma wonder whether Brady’s father, presumed drowned in a sailing accident years earlier, was alive all this time. The next night, she attends a harvest-themed party at Crossways, the lavish Newport mansion owned by Stuyvesant and Mamie Fish. Guests enjoy hunting for jeweled favors while waiting for the guest of honor, Prince Otto of Austria, to appear. Instead, Otto is found dead on the grounds, stabbed like the beachside corpse. Mrs. Fish provides unexpected assistance as Emma investigates the linked mysteries and copes with sabotage at the Messenger. The irrepressible Mrs. Fish makes an entertaining addition to Emma’s investigative team. Maxwell evokes the contrasts of Victorian Newport with her customary insight. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-05-02
A visit from European royalty has all Newport society atwitter—except for the corpses.

In 1898, Emma Cross occupies a strange spot in Newport as a native, a Vanderbilt relative, and an investigative reporter. She runs the Newport Messenger for its owner, Derrick Andrews. During a beach excursion, Emma falls into a faint on seeing a dead man she thinks is her beloved half brother, Brady. Awakening, she realizes that he's a much older man who bears a striking resemblance to her half brother. Could he be Brady's father, thought to have died many years ago? Emma, who's helped Detective Jesse Whyte solve many crimes (Murder at Ochre Court, 2018, etc.), is naturally interested in this mystery. But first she must attend the last big party of the season when her society reporter is stranded by a carriage mishap. The party, hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Fish at their "cottage," Crossways, promises the star attraction of Prince Otto of Austria as a guest. When Otto does not show, the outspoken Mamie Fish has him replaced by an adorable chimpanzee. It's no laughing matter, however, when Otto's body is found stabbed in the garden. Despite Emma's demands at the newspaper, she turns again to sleuthing with the unwanted help of Mamie Fish, who also aims to find the killer and is enjoying her new life as a detective. Between them, Emma and Mamie know almost everyone in town. The news that Otto may have been involved in drugs and certainly toyed with the emotions of several young society ladies just increases the number of suspects. After Katherine Pendleton, one of Otto's love interests, is murdered in the same way, Emma and Mamie continue to probe, putting themselves in danger from a killer determined to remain in the shadows.

Another tricky mystery set against the backdrop of some great real-life mansions, some of which remain open to anyone who wishes to visit.

Kirkus Reviews