Opulence and Ashes

A Gilded Gotham Mystery, Book 4

De: Kate Belli

Narrado por: Melanie Carey

Spring, 1890. The long New York winter is over, the buds are blossoming, and romance is in the air. But not all’s right in Gilded-Age Manhattan. Genevieve, a society journalist, and her fiancé, Daniel, are working with photographer Dagmar Hansen on an investigation into the House of Refuge, a children’s workhouse, inspired by Daniel’s near incarceration when he was young. Genevieve is also working on her own piece for the Globe about the Sunflower Mission House, which burned down in a suspicious fire.

When a blaze consumes Dagmar’s studio—and Genevieve barely escapes with her life in another—Daniel urges her to stop her investigation. But Genevieve is determined to finish the story, and her leads take her deep into the heart of the Bowery. When Genevieve suddenly goes missing, Daniel searches the city in a desperate effort to find her. When their new Fifth Avenue home is also set ablaze, Daniel fears the worst. Someone has their sights on Genevieve—and if she can’t escape, she could be the next to go up in flames.

©2023 Kate Belli (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

Loved this book!

Great storyline. I loved how it illustrated the plight of the poor, the mentally ill & women in this time period. It wasn’t overly predictable like many mysteries I read, I did find the mispronunciations by the narrator distracting.

My favorite of the series!

I’ve enjoyed all four books, but this one was my favorite. I am so invested in these characters’ lives!

The performance was consistently good, but got even better with each book.

Riveting and illuminating

I was on the edge of my car seat listening to this rewarding continuation of Kate Belli’s characters. And as usual, I learned more about the struggles of women during America’s Gilded Age. I knew little of Blackwell’s Island and how women were committed there against their will. Belli ably interweaves the Comstock Act, how it undermined ordinary as well as upper class women’s lives, and the seemingly unending corruption of NYC institutions. She does all of this while investing the reader-listener in the romance of Daniel and Genevieve with delight and humor. Each one of the novels in the series becomes my new favorite and that is especially true of number four! I sure hope there will be a number five in the series so we can follow our wonderful couple abroad! Once again the audio version is well acted.