Murder at Vinland

Maxwell’s 12th “Gilded Newport” mystery (following Murder at the Elms), narrated with aplomb by Lauren Ezzo, opens in August 1901 at a fundraiser to establish a Rhode Island chapter of the Audubon Society, with First Lady Edith Roosevelt as the guest of honor. When a houseguest mysteriously falls ill the next day and dies, intrepid reporter and amateur sleuth Emma Cross Andrews joins detective Jesse Whyte on the case. Though the two find a half-eaten box of petit fours supposedly sent by Mrs. Roosevelt, they rule her out as a suspect and cast their eyes on the other guests and visitors. As the witnesses are being interviewed, Ezzo offers unique, consistent voicings for each character and sustains Emma’s youthful, perky, yet very proper demeanor throughout. She ratchets up the tension when a second murder occurs, giving Emma a derring-do liveliness that contrasts with the down-to-earth calm of her husband Derrick. As Emma gets closer to finding the culprit, Ezzo pulls out all the stops, making Emma’s desperation nearly palpable.