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The Body in the Ballroom
Alice Roosevelt Mystery #2
BY R. J. Koreto

Crooked Lane
June 12, 2018/ ISBN 978-1-68331-577-3
Mystery/Historical

Reviewed by Laura Hinds 

Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, might seem like an unlikely amateur sleuth, but it turns out that she’s a sharp thinker with no fear of danger. It’s a good thing she has a Secret Service Agent named Joseph St. Clair for her bodyguard! Now if only she’d listen to him and heed his warnings about being careful.

At a high-society ball, one of the guests, a most unlikeable fellow named Lynley Brackton dies suddenly after drinking a poisoned cup of punch. There are several people who don’t care that he is dead, but the police hone in on an African-American auto mechanic as the culprit. Mr. St Clair and Alice don’t believe for a minute that their friend, Peter Carlyle is guilty and vow to find the true murderer.

After a second death by poison, the stakes grow higher, and Alice steps up her game in the search for the truth, while Mr. St Clair tries to keep pace with her since he obviously can’t get one step ahead as he’d like to.

What a clever and charming story! The characters emerged from the pages and took residence in my imagination so thoroughly that I could picture them, hear their voices and even sense their emotional nuances. The mystery is perfect for the day and age in which it is set, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book. Highly recommended to historical mystery buffs!

Reviews of other titles in this series

Alice and the Assassin #1
The Body in the Ballroom #2

Reviewed 2018
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