Heather’s Bookshelf: Murder in the Limelight & The Gilded Murder
Author: TR Rankin
Released: 10/5/21 & 02/7/22
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery Novella & Novel Sequel
“Finally, as darkness settled, the winds began to subside, the snow ceased to fall and a quiet descended on the little town of Tisbury in Vineyard Haven. In the front room, where the fire now blazed high and the wind no longer rattled the windows, Matthew, his sister Lydia, niece Elizabeth and guest Martha sat late over a bottle of wine. They spoke very little, and then only in whispers, as if frightened to awaken the storm to further fury. Mostly, they listened to the quiet, so strage after the noise of that hellish blast, and wondered what they would find on the morrow.”
“Murder in the Limelight” & “The Gilded Murder” are a novella and novel in the Matthew & Martha Mystery Series. The novella is based off of a true story.
Set in 1898 Martha’s Vineyard after the Great Portland Gale wreaked havoc on New England including many of the people and boats in the area. Captain Matthew Reynold’s in town visiting his sister, Lydia. His yacht is spared, but while attempting to help a crew of a not-as-lucky ship, a body is found. The body is found to be a victim of murder.
Captain Matthew and his newfound acquaintance/recently widowed Martha Dickinson find themselves wrapped up in the investigation. Along the way, they encounter many suspects and even more subsequent crimes. Will they be able to find the true culprit?
Trigger Warning: murder, drug and alcohol reference, prostitution reference
The Gilded Murder take place a year after the novella and again follows Matthew and Martha on their adventure/murder investigation. This time, the two are in Newport to enjoy boat races with some of their friends and some new wealthy faces. When they’re invited aboard the yacht of a multi-millionaire, someone is murdered and Matthew and Martha fall under suspicion.
A new suspect is quickly arrested regardless of evidence to his innocence. Matthew and Martha set out to find the real culprit, the meaning behind a gruesome message at the crime scene, and prove themselves and the young man innocent.
Trigger Warning: murder, reference to sexual situations
Overall, I enjoyed this novella and it’s accompanying novel. The pacing of each was excellent- moving along while leaving enough detail to set the scene clearly. The main characters of Matthew and Martha complement each other so well. There’s a scene in the novella that shares dialogue between the two and how each have interacted with the opposite sex in the past which establishes the era but more importantly their relationship and dynamic. The novella has the feel of a police procedural, but set in the past. It follows Matthew and Martha as they interview, investigate, and eventually find their killer. The result is a who-dun-it that the reader can’t figure out without following the story to the end. While the main characters are well developed, many of the secondary are more breezed over and reflect in the lack of emotional connection when the killer is revealed. The novel picks up about a year later when Matthew & Martha’s relationship has blossomed into an adorable relationship. The back and forth between the two jumps off the page and is quite sweet and endearing. The beginning of the novel adds several new characters and backgrounds into both Matthew’s and their pasts. However, it’s a lot in a few pages and comes off as a little confusing when trying to remember all the Mr. and Mrs. names and references. The murder is gruesome and sets a precedent for the importance of finding the true killer. I liked that this story also had another level in mystery by the name left behind at the crime scene. Like the novella, you have to read to the end to find out the killer and there’s really not a way to figure it out until it is completely revealed. The end of the tale wraps up the mystery while also setting the scene for a possible sequel and Matthew & Martha’s relationship.
I received a copy of these stories in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A novella with two main characters wrapped in a budding romance within murder mystery. The sequel follows close behind the novella with a new murder mystery and further development of the original characters.
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Check out my interview with TR Rankin
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