Death at the Emerald: A Frances Ffolkes Mystery (A Lady Frances Ffolkes Mystery, #3)

by R. J. Koreto

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.

• ISBN10: 1683313380
• ISBN13: 9781683313380
• Publish Date: 7 November 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Crooked Lane Books
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

This is the third in the Lady Frances Ffolkes mystery series by R.J. Koreto.
I was unfamiliar with the series before this installment and it works perfectly well as a standalone mystery. I will be picking up the others in the series.

I really engaged with Lady Frances from the beginning. She's intelligent and well spoken and able to take care of herself. She and her personal maid have a sort of Holmes and Watson dynamic (which Lady Frances refers to often). They're engaged by an elderly family acquaintance to find out what happened to the friend's daughter over 30 years ago. It's the coldest of cold cases and Lady Frances agrees to investigate while maintaining at least some social decorum.

The characters are easy to relate to and well written. The dialogue and narrative flow naturally and are enjoyable. It's a very light fun mystery and the fact that Lady Frances doesn't suffer any real social stigma from her very unconventional lifestyle or habits isn't a deal breaker.

It reminds me a bit of Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series or even Kerry Greenwood's wonderful Phryne Fisher books (but more chaste and cleaner :) I enjoy cozy period mysteries and even though Mr. Koreto's Edwardian London isn't slavishly drawn from real history, it's still easily recognizable as London.

The mystery itself is well written and the denouement is satisfying.

Four stars, well worth a look.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher