Overview:
One woman's search for the truth of her sister's disappearance leads her to deceit and danger in 1893 Chicago.
Rosalind Perry has left her family's rural farm in Wisconsin to work as a housemaid at Sloane House, one of the most elegant mansions in Gilded Age Chicago. However, Rosalind is not there just to earn a living and support her family-she's at Sloane House determined to discover the truth about her sister's mysterious disappearance.
Reid Armstrong is the handsome heir to a silver fortune. However, his family is on the periphery of Chicago's elite because their wealth comes from "new money" obtained from successful mining. Marriage to Veronica Sloane would secure his family's position in society-the lifelong dream of his ailing father.
When Reid begins to realize that Rosalind's life may be in danger, he stops thinking of marriage prospects and concentrates on helping Rosalind. Dark things are afoot in Chicago and, he fears, in Sloane House. If he's not vigilant, Rosalind could pay the price.
Set against the backdrop of Chicago's Gilded Age and the 1893 World's Fair, Secrets of Sloane House takes us on a whirlwind journey of romance and mystery.
Rosalind Perry has left her family's rural farm in Wisconsin to work as a housemaid at Sloane House, one of the most elegant mansions in Gilded Age Chicago. However, Rosalind is not there just to earn a living and support her family-she's at Sloane House determined to discover the truth about her sister's mysterious disappearance.
Reid Armstrong is the handsome heir to a silver fortune. However, his family is on the periphery of Chicago's elite because their wealth comes from "new money" obtained from successful mining. Marriage to Veronica Sloane would secure his family's position in society-the lifelong dream of his ailing father.
When Reid begins to realize that Rosalind's life may be in danger, he stops thinking of marriage prospects and concentrates on helping Rosalind. Dark things are afoot in Chicago and, he fears, in Sloane House. If he's not vigilant, Rosalind could pay the price.
Set against the backdrop of Chicago's Gilded Age and the 1893 World's Fair, Secrets of Sloane House takes us on a whirlwind journey of romance and mystery.
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Review:
The first of Shelley Gary's Chicago World's Fair Mystery series, The Secrets of Sloane House has Wisconsin farm girl Rosalind Perry posing a Rosalind Pettit, new housemaid in the prestigious Sloane residence. For Rosalind she has but one purpose, to find out what happened to her sister, Miranda. Miranda was a housemaid in the Sloane mansion before she suddenly disappeared. With the Chicago World's Fair as the backdrop, Rosalind discovers she is a long way from the life she knew.
Based on the book's description, I really expected this book to be more suspenseful than it was. While there was mention of danger, none really materialized. Threatening situations didn't inspire concern, and the final reveal fell pretty flat. I was anticipating a more dramatic reveal and a less predictable outcome. It was difficult to get invested in the characters, beyond Reid Armstong. Also, while there was much mention of the World's Fair, I'm not sure the story was truly reliant on this as a plot point.
All that being said, I am interested to read the second book in this series to how Gray's writing develops.
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