A Holland Reads: Death at the Emerald by R.J. Koreto

Book details

Death at the Emerald: A Frances Ffolkes Mystery

Historical Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series

Crooked Lane Books (November 7, 2017)

Hardcover: 272 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1683313373

EBook ASIN: B06XWF3K5Z

Book description

One-named stunning actress Helen mysteriously vanished 30 years ago. An elderly family friend is unable to bear not knowing any longer and commissions Lady Frances Ffolkes to track her down. Taking on the role of Lady Sherlock, with her loyal maid Mallow drafted as her Watson, Frances finds herself immersed in the glamorous world of Edwardian theater and London’s latest craze—motion pictures.

As Frances and Mallow make their way through the theaters, they meet colorful figures such as George Bernard Shaw and King Edward II. Tracking the theaters seems like a dead end. That is until one of Helen’s old suitors is suddenly murdered. With the stakes raised, Frances and Mallow work quickly to uncover a box of subtle clues to Helen’s whereabouts. But someone unexpected wants that box just as badly and is willing to kill to keep it shut.

The stage is set for murder and Frances and Mallow are determined to unravel the decades-old conspiracy in Death at the Emerald, R. J. Koreto’s third installment in the captivating Lady Frances Ffolkes mysteries.

Meet The Author - R.J. Koreto

R.J. Koreto is the author of the Lady Frances Ffolkes mystery series, set in Edwardian England, and the Alice Roosevelt mystery series, set in turn-of-the-century New York. His short stories have been published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

In his day job, he works as a business and financial journalist. Over the years, he’s been a magazine writer and editor, website manager, PR consultant, book author, and seaman in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Like his heroine, Lady Frances Ffolkes, he’s a graduate of Vassar College. With his wife and daughters, he divides his time between Rockland County, N.Y., and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

Author Links
Website: www.ladyfrancesffolkes.com (contains sign-up form for my weekly newsletter)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladyfrancesffolkes/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34729807-death-at-the-emerald
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RJKoreto

PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
IndieBound

My thoughts

This is the first book I have read by this author and the first in this series that I have and I am glad I decided to read it. I did not feel lost at all in reading this book although I will be reading more of this series now. I don't know how I missed it before. I loved the setting and that this book involved the Edwardian theater. The author did a good job of getting the time period correct in her descriptions. The two main characters had a Sherlock Holmes and Watson type of feel which I thought was interesting. The writing style was well done and easy to read. The author did a good job of drawing you in on the first page. Then she gives you a few twists and turns to keep you interested. Then at the end she leaves you wanting more of these characters. I recommend this book as a go to mystery book.

Guest post

Welcome to London, in 1906. This is the tradition-bound setting that Downton Abbey introduced to the world: The aristocrats lived in mansions, the servants ran the households, and upper-class women never had jobs.

But not everyone followed the rules.

My character, Lady Frances Ffolkes, gets a university degree in America, and then returns to England. She joins the suffrage movement to get women the vote and supports a range of progressive causes to change the world. She even sets herself up as the "Lady Sherlock Holmes," drafting her loyal maid, June Mallow, as her "Watson," solving mysteries with a reluctant police inspector ally.

For me, the fun is tweaking the conventions of the day. Women of Frances's class often had husbands chosen by their parents, or at very least, submitted their choices to their fathers for approval, a man of their own class. Frances chooses a worthy suitor of the middle class.

Young, unmarried women of her class didn't live alone, but I set Frances up in a residential hotel so she can have her freedom. Women were expected to let men take care of business matters, but in pursuit of justice, I have Frances walk right into police headquarters to demand an exhumation order at a mysterious grave—and then even attends the event herself instead of sending her lawyer.

In her latest adventure, Frances immerses herself in the lively world of Edwardian theater. All classes enjoyed the theater, but oddly, they looked down on the actors themselves as disreputable. So I greatly enjoyed sending Frances into this world, showing how she bridges class divides to make friends with theater folk. I even inserted real-life Edwardian actress Marie Studholme into the plot—she and Frances take martial arts lessons together, which really did happen! I even have Frances and Mallow star in an early motion picture together. Indeed, Ben Hur was first filmed in 1907, with firehouse horses pulling chariots and the firemen themselves cast as charioteers.

So far, my readers seem to like immersing themselves in the conventions of the Edwardian world—and watching Lady Frances break them.

Giveaway

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