A Golden Grave

Rose Gallagher never dreamed a girl from the Five Points area of New York City would be learning to throw a man over her shoulder using jujitsu. In A Golden Grave by Erin Lindsey, Rose has joined a special branch of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency dealing with paranormal activities. Not everyone is thrilled to have her on board. (A Golden Grave will be released on September 17 by Minotaur Books.)

When young upstart Theodore Roosevelt is unexpectedly nominated for mayor of New York City at a Republican convention, Rose discovers six delegates were murdered at the convention. Worse yet, the police have no idea how they died. There was no trace of violence or illness on the bodies.

What worries Rose is that the next target could be Roosevelt himself. Not one to back down in a crisis, Roosevelt refuses to reduce his campaign events and makes it difficult for the Pinkertons to protect him.

Hunting down a killer with powers she and her partner Thomas Wilshire have never encountered before leads to the brownstones of the rich and powerful, into the Bowery saloons and to a gala campaign dinner. On the way, they seek help from Nikolai Tesla, the mad electrical genius; Samuel Clemens; and the Statue of Liberty.

Rose is struggling with her new role; not two years ago she was a maid in the Wilshire household,. Now she is attending formal dinners with the richest of the rich. Not comfortable in either the society world or the Five Points world, Rose also struggles with her growing feelings for Thomas. She's concerned they will interfere with the job she is growing to love.

If you want to know how Samuel Clemens, Nikolai Tesla and the new Statue of Liberty figure into the solution of the mystery, you'll have to read A Golden Grave. An excellent addition to the Rose Gallagher mysteries.



Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. 

Murder on Millionaires' Row

When Thomas Wilshire disappears from his home on Millionaires' Row in New York City, housemaid Rose Gallagher makes it her business to find him. In Murder on Millionaires' Row by Erin Lindsey, Rose is sure her boss in in trouble, but the police think otherwise.

Rose knows Mr. Wilshire is efficient and would never miss an appointment; now he has missed two. She seeks assistance from one of his friends, but he puts her in her place and tells her not to interfere. Undaunted Rose follows Mr. Burrows to Five Points, the very rough neighborhood where she grew up. What business would bring a man like Burrows here?

She overhears a conversation between Burrows and another middle-aged man in front of the Masonic Hall in Five Points. They are discussing Wilshire's missed appointment with Mr. Wang, and Rose believes they know more than are saying.

As Rose heads to Mott Street to speak with Mr. Wang, she encounters a woman whose dress is covered in blood. When Rose
sees the woman walk through a lightpost, she is frozen in disbelief. Rose bursts into Mr. Wang's shop and tries to explain about the ghost.

Mr. Wang discourages Rose for following up on Mr. Wilshire, telling her he does not know him. Frustrated Rose heads back to the house and remembers a clue. Mr. Wilshire had been reading the newspaper when he rushed out of the house. As she reviews the paper, she discovers an article about a ghostly attack on a treasure hunter near Hell Gate on the river.

With the help of Sgt Chapman, Rose learns about ghosts, shades and a leaking portal to the outer realm. Throw in a Pinkerton detective and you have an excellent adventure in the paranormal.

Purchase link