Murder at Crossways

The discovery of a stabbing victim on a beach propels Maxwell’s tightly plotted seventh Gilded Newport mystery (after 2018’s Murder at Ochre Court). Journalist Emma Cross, now editor-in-chief of the Newport Messenger, thinks it’s her half-brother, Brady, before realizing the victim is a much older man. The resemblance makes Emma wonder whether Brady’s father, presumed drowned in a sailing accident years earlier, was alive all this time. The next night, she attends a harvest-themed party at Crossways, the lavish Newport mansion owned by Stuyvesant and Mamie Fish. Guests enjoy hunting for jeweled favors while waiting for the guest of honor, Prince Otto of Austria, to appear. Instead, Otto is found dead on the grounds, stabbed like the beachside corpse. Mrs. Fish provides unexpected assistance as Emma investigates the linked mysteries and copes with sabotage at the Messenger. The irrepressible Mrs. Fish makes an entertaining addition to Emma’s investigative team. Maxwell evokes the contrasts of Victorian Newport with her customary insight. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Aug.)