If you know anything about my sleuth, Emma Cross, you'll know she's been frowning these past few years over the onslaught of automobiles in Newport.

Have you been watching The Gilded Age? I have. Of course I have! As I'm sure you know, Gladys Russell's story is meant to mirror that of Consuelo Vanderbilt, daughter of Alva and William Vanderbilt. How close has the production stayed to true life? Let's take a look!

Or was it? Maybe not as long ago as you might think! But it was well over a hundred years ago, right? Yes, but . . . when you look at in terms of how many generations there have been since The Four Hundred walked this earth (400 being the number of guests that fit comfortably in Mrs. Astor's New York ballroom, thus defining the very best members of Society), you can Gilded leap from The Gilded Age to the present day in a mere two moves.

Readers might ask why I used Arleigh, a Bellevue Avenue cottage that’s long gone (burned down in the 1930s) and which few people have ever heard of, for my thirteenth Gilded Newport Mystery.

A tingle of anticipation raced along Phoebe Renshaw’s spine as she regarded the shimmer of alabaster satin draped over the dress form in...

From Murder at Vinland

It's been quite a journey seeing the first book in my Gilded Newport Mysteries adapted for television by Hallmark Movies and Mysteries....

(Previously posted at Fresh Fiction) 1. How would you describe your family or your childhood? It’s complicated! My father is an...

My conversation with Ann Bocock of Between the Covers on PBS South Florida about The Gilded Newport Mysteries!

First thing we love to do is go to La Forge Restaurant in the old Newport Casino, where my husband's brother provides the entertainment...

(First posted on Crime Reads, August 2023) "We don’t have a choice in the matter, Mr. McAllistar, we must go where history takes us." In...

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman I remember Geraldo Rivera's expose of the Willowbrook School, and how horrified I...

The Perfect Staging for Murder by Kathleen Bridge A Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery I've enjoyed this series from the beginning, for its...

I turned in at the service driveway. Approaching the delivery entrance was like venturing into another world entirely from the one the...

Between the Covers is a local PBS show featuring authors and their books. Every summer, they do a streaming series featuring authors who...

Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna This series follows the marriage and life of American Stella Kendrick and young British...

(Previously posted on The Wickeds Blog) Question: are you a fashionista? Do you love the feeling of being all put together, or are you...

The Cotswolds, England September 1921 "An evocative setting, realistic relationships, and a nicely crafted plot." Publishers Weekly...

Greetings everyone! I recently had the absolute pleasure of reading an advance copy of Tessa Arlen’s new historical fiction novel, A...

Newport, RI, July 1900 The high-sprung carriage, pulled by a matching pair of Cleveland bays, crossed the bridge that spanned a vast,...