It's only been a few weeks since Emmaline "Emma" Cross helped solve a murder at the luxurious Newport home of her well-known Vanderbilt uncle.  Now, another of her illustrious relatives is in trouble.  This time, it's 18-year-old Consuelo Vanderbilt.  Distressed at the news that she will soon be forced into an advantageous engagement to an English duke she barely knows, Consuelo begs Emma to help her escape the impending nuptials.  Emma's not sure how to help the young woman.  Before she's really had a chance to do anything, a woman is killed on the grounds of Consuelo's home and the bride-to-be has gone missing.  While the police handle the murder, Consuelo's mother pleads with Emma to find her missing daughter.  Discreetly.  The girl's dramatics cannot be allowed to spoil her upcoming marriage.

Emma, who dreams of being an investigative reporter, can't resist the chance to put her detective skills to work once again.  She wants to know who strangled the mysterious psychic, but she's more concerned about her young cousin.  Did Consuelo flounce off somewhere to pout?  Or has someone taken her against her will?  Emma vows to find her.  If she happens to bring a murderer to justice along the way, all the better.  With the help of a dashing journalist, she will get to the bottom of Consuelo's disappearance—even if it means putting herself in harm's way.  Which it will ...

I enjoyed Murder at the Breakers, the first installment in Alyssa Maxwell's Gilded Newport Mystery series, so I was excited to pick up the next book, Murder at Marble House.  Like its predecessor, the novel features a vivid historical setting, likable characters, and a plot that kept me guessing.  As a poor relation of a wealthy family, Emma straddles the line between upstairs and downstairs, which gives the stories an added layer of tension and intrigue.  With her bravery, loyalty, and compassion, she is an appealing heroine who handles her station with humor and aplomb.  All these elements work together beautifully to create engaging tales that make for a fun, entertaining series that's just all kinds of enjoyable.  I'm looking forward to reading the next book and the next and the next ...

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other historical mysteries like the Tess Holloway series by Jennifer Ashley, the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber, and the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn)

     

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With her first coming out in New York City behind her, 18-year-old Deanna Rudolph is spending the summer season in Newport, Rhode Island.  She expects to participate in the usual activities—glittering balls, rousing tennis matches, beach-side barbecues, and flirting with eligible bachelors in order to find a suitable husband.  Although Deanna finds the frippery of her class exhausting, she has little choice but to engage.  She longs to have grand adventures like the kind she secretly reads about in lurid detective novels; knowing that will never happen, she's resigned to her fate.  Marriage, it shall be.  But first she must spend a whole season avoiding Joe Ballard, her pseudo big brother and ex-fianceé.  At least Lord David Manchester, a charming sugar baron with a large plantation in Barbados, should provide her with an appealing summer diversion. 

Deanna thinks she knows exactly what to expect from of her months in Rhode Island.  What she and her wealthy friends never considered, never saw coming, is murder.    

The dead body of Daisy Payne, a maid who works for one of Newport's poshest families, is discovered during a party at the place of her employment.  Suspicion falls almost immediately on Joe Ballard.  Deanna's on the outs with her childhood friend, but she knows Joe couldn't have done such a dastardly deed.  The question is, who did?  Was it Daisy's boyfriend, Orrin?  Or some murderous stranger?  

Though horrified by Daisy's death, Deanna is nonetheless intrigued by the mystery.  Like the detectives in her novels, she is determined to solve the case, to discover what really happened to the young maid.  Involving herself in the scandalous affairs of the working class will earn Deanna a one-way ticket back to New York if she's found out, so she'll have to poke around quietly.  The discoveries she makes during her inquiries shock her to her core—and put her right in the killer's path.  Can Deanna expose the villain?  Or will hers be the next dead body found on the beach?  

With an atmospheric Gilded Age setting, authentic characters, and a steady plot, A Gilded Grave by Shelley Freydont offers a promising beginning to a new mystery series.  Sure, the murderer's identity and motives become fairly obvious.  Yes, the story could have used more subtlety and surprise.  And yet, A Gilded Grave never got boring for me.  I enjoyed it.  I'm not sure when a sequel will be appearing, but I'm definitely looking out for—and looking forward to—the next installment.  

(Readalikes:  Nothing is really coming to mind.  Suggestions?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, sexual innuendo, mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of A Gilded Grave from Barnes & Noble with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.