Tuesday, July 31, 2018

MURDER, SHE REPORTED Review


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A Park Avenue princess discovers the dark side of 1930s New York when a debutante ball turns deadly in this gripping historical mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Anne Perry, and Rhys Bowen.

Manhattan, 1938. Tired of being trapped in the gilded cage of her family’s expectations, Elizabeth Adams has done what no self-respecting socialite would think to do: She’s gotten herself a job. Although Elizabeth’s dream is to one day see her photographs on the front page of the Daily Trumpet, for now she’s working her way up as the newsroom’s gal Friday.

But fetching coffee isn’t exactly her idea of fun. So when veteran reporter Ralph Kaminsky needs a photographer to fill in for a last-minute assignment, Elizabeth jumps at the chance. At the Waldorf Hotel, Elizabeth is tasked with tracking down the season’s “It girl,” Gloria DeWitt, who will be making her society debut. Working her own connections to New York’s upper crust, Elizabeth manages to land an exclusive interview with Gloria.

Then Gloria’s stepmother is shot dead in a Waldorf bathroom, placing Elizabeth at the scene of a headline-worthy scandal: “Murder of a Society Dame.” Now Elizabeth will have to get the scoop on the killer before her good name gets dragged through the gossip columns—or worse. . . .(synopsis from Amazon

MURDER, SHE REPORTED is the promising start, hopefully, to a new cozy mystery series set in NY City before WWII. Ms. Cochran brings the melting pot city and it's iconic locations to vivid life.
Elizabeth is a spirited protagonist determined to have a job rather than "marrying well", hosting charity do's, and lunching. Thanks to her photography skills and a murder at "IT" girl Gloria DeWitt's debut, Elizabeth may rise above the Girl Friday position she's managed to secure at the Daily Trumpet.
The supporting cast hold their own. In regards to Kaminsky, reporter and source of "Biz's" break, and Marino, NYPD detective, there are definitely hidden depths I'm looking forward to exploring.
There were a few kinks, but those are often found in the start of a series and are ironed out quickly.
The characters, period, mystery, and location held my interest and made me want more.This was a time when it still felt as if innumerable possibilities abounded. I'm excited to see what Elizabeth, Kaminsky, Marino, Irene, and Rose do with those possibilities and where their choices lead them.
Sign me up for future installments.

4 stars

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