Gilded Newport

Murder at the Elms

by Alyssa Maxwell

In the latest Gilded Newport Mystery, Emma is adapting to married life but still using her maiden name professionally. She also finds that her marriage to wealthy Derrick Andrews has created a barrier between her and the working-class Newporters she grew up with; this distance is evident when she covers a strike by servants at The Elms, one of the new “cottages” in town. In one of their first social engagements as a married couple, Derrick and Emma attend a musicale at The Elms and have a front-row seat to the theft of a fabulous necklace rumored to have belonged to Marie Antoinette and the death of the only maid who didn’t strike. In her typical fashion, Alyssa Maxwell crafts an excellent period mystery with an engaging heroine and many twists and turns.

Thanks to Kensington Books for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

Science and mystery for the win!

A Generation of Vipers

by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

To paraphrase Indiana Jones, “Why did it have to be snakes?” Nell is working overtime to complete an ecological survey on time and within budget when she stumbles over a dead body. The corpse calls to mind several cold cases that are a high priority for her ex James’ team to solve. There’s no lack of potential suspects as the new employees at Neil’s firm are all behaving suspiciously. The last thing Nell wants to do is track down a murderer–the only advantage to the job was its proximity to Rav’s hospital–but she must join forces with James to winnow the pool down before the killer strikes again! Another engaging read in this series from, Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, filled with realistic details about the work of ecologists.

Thanks to Embla Books for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.