(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Although the world's newspapers are buzzing about the sinking of the Lusitania and the shooting of J.P. Morgan's son, aspiring reporter Capability "Kitty" Weeks has not been assigned those stories.  Instead, the 19-year-old is stuck writing about society soirees and fashionable apparel for the New York Sentinel's Ladies' Page.  It's a start, but Kitty longs to be on the front lines, writing the stories that really matter. 

Kitty's shocked—but secretly thrilled—when a murder happens at a high society picnic she's attending.  The victim is Hunter Cole, a blue-blooded gambler married to a fortune-less outsider.  Intrigued, Kitty vows to find his killer.  Not only will justice be done, but she'll finally have a real story to prove her mettle as a reporter.  The more she digs, however, the more she begins to realize just how big and dangerous a conspiracy she's uncovering.  With her life on the line, Kitty must get to the bottom of the affair before her own murder becomes someone else's big story. 

A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal is the first book in a new mystery series starring the intrepid Kitty Weeks.  With an atmospheric New York setting and a colorful historical backdrop, the debut novel offers an effortless, entertaining read that is both compelling and enjoyable.  While the book isn't terribly original or memorable, it's a promising start.  I'll be back for more Kitty Weeks, for sure.

(Readalikes:  Vatsal's books have been compared to those by Rhys Bowen.)

Grade:  

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of A Front Page Affair from the generous folks at Sourcebooks.  Thank you!