The Burning Bride by Trish MacEnulty Book Review - Blog Tour

Publication Date: 21/10/22
Publisher: Prism Light Press
Page Length: 396
Series: Delafield & Malloy Investigations #2
Genre: Historical Mystery, Women’s Fiction

Synopsis

A bullet barely misses Manhattan society writer Louisa Delafield, and her publisher insists she leave the city for what seems like an easy assignment in Florida until a wedding guest winds up dead with a stolen diamond in his hand.

Louisa investigates the mysterious death, but finds the answers hard to come by when a mesmerizing French man distracts her from her duties.

In New York, Louisa’s assistant, Ellen Malloy, infiltrates an anarchists’ enclave to discover who shot at Louisa and risks losing the woman of her dreams in her pursuit.

Louisa and Ellen travel parallel paths as they confront dynamite-wielding anarchists, hungry alligators, and a raging fire, but the toughest obstacles they face are their own wayward hearts.

My Thoughts

It's 1914 – a year after the events of The Whispering Women. The start of the novel is a surprise. Louisa Delafield, society columnist for The Ledger, is attending the high society wedding of Hugh Garrett, who played an integral part in the previous book, when a bullet narrowly misses her and hits a colleague. Anarchists are believed to be responsible and to ensure her safety, Forest Galloway, the owner of the paper and her lover, sends Louisa to St. Augustine, Florida, to cover the wedding of the daughter of his wealthy friends. A father's desire to protect his daughter's happiness embroils Louisa in an investigation into the groom's family and a suspected diamond heist, a murder and a visit to the swamps to view roseate spoonbills which ends badly.

Louisa is accompanied to Florida by Suzie, her coloured maid, whom she treats more as a friend than a servant. Suzie is hoping to make contact with her family. Louisa is outraged when she witnesses the racial segregation of the south, but wisely refrains from causing trouble for Suzie.

Meanwhile in New York, Ellen Malloy, Louisa's friend and assistant at the paper, is determined to track down who fired the shot at Louisa. She infiltrates a group of anarchists, putting herself in danger and threatening her relationship with her lover, Hester.

The two story lines are very different. Politics dominate Ellen's, whilst Louisa's is, as expected, a more social event until her snooping threatens the wedding and endangers her own life. However, the two converge when Ellen makes a discovery that sends her and Galloway on a desperate dash to St. Augustine.

While I enjoyed the historical background of this novel, it is the development of the characters that I found the most fascinating. Louisa and Ellen's differing perspectives on life are once more showcased, with the worldly-wise Ellen the perfect foil to Louisa's naivety. But through Suzie, we gain another perspective which enlightens Louisa further that the lives of others are vastly different to hers.

This is an excellent series which continues with Secrets and Spies.

Where to Purchase

The books in this series are available to read on Kindle Unlimited.

Universal Link : Amazon AU : Amazon CA : Amazon UK : Amazon US : Barnes and Noble

Meet the Author

Trish MacEnulty is a bestselling novelist. In addition to her historical fiction, she has published novels, a short story collection, and a memoir. A former Professor of English, she currently lives in Florida with her husband, two dogs, and one cat. She writes book reviews and feature articles for the Historical Novel Review. She loves reading, writing, walking with her dogs, streaming historical series, cooking, and dancing.

Connect with Trish: Website : Twitter : Facebook : Instagram : Book Bub : Amazon Author Page : Goodreads


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