Murder at Marble House

 This cozy by Alyssa Maxwell is the 2nd installment in her Gilded Newport series.  This story centers around a woman, Emma, who is a bit of an rebel for her time.  She is a cousin of the Vanderbilt family and finds herself at the center of an investigation into the murder of a medium at her Aunt's home.  She must delicately investigate the murder and its relationship to the disappearance of her cousin, Constance, from Marble House.  The cozy gives the reader a glimpse into the past and the wealth of the Vanderbilt's and their peers in Newport, RI in the 1900s.   The mystery is well written and it is interesting to read about a woman who is challenging the norm or her era; all the while experiencing many of the same struggles woman face in the modern era.  

Murder at Marble House by Alyssa Maxwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable historic cozy featuring the Vanderbilts and their cousin Emma Cross. Set in Newport in the gilded age this is a charming series with a strong female lead who has a firm resilience. She is strong willed and independent in an era when women were to be proper and run a household. She is inspiring in her determination and her desire to do as she believes is right not just what others think she should do. The mystery itself is well structured and compelling including the motivations for the crimes.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #111
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  Rhode Island
3. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021  
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #118
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #132
6. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
7. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #76
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #112
9. Craving for Cozies  Book #94
10. Historic Fiction  #histficreadingchallenge   Book #14
11. Medical Examiner Challenge  2 Toe Tags
12. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 5

Garden, park, gazebo
Beach or shoreline

• Weapons
• Row 5
• Hands or fists
• Detectives- Emma/Derrick/Jesse
• Victims- Ellen Deveraux/ Lady Alexa
13. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #38  Shot #2