A Front Page Affair

After a peripatetic childhood, Capability "Kitty" Weeks is thrilled to settle in New York City with her widowed father, Julian. A well-bred young lady who doesn't quite fit in with New York's society set, Kitty has journalistic ambitions, but she's stuck writing fluff for the Ladies' Page of the New York Sentinel. When a man is murdered at a picnic on her beat, though, Kitty is drawn into the murder investigation. Her interviews and research lead her to a twisty conspiracy--and to the growing suspicion that her father may be involved.

Radha Vatsal introduces readers to a likable heroine in her debut mystery, A Front Page Affair. The story is set in 1915, when the United States was trying to maintain neutrality in World War I, a task made difficult by the sinking of the Lusitania and various competing economic interests. As Kitty follows the trail of the murder victim's life, she uncovers a much more interesting story: one involving a mysterious German chemist, the sale of volatile chemical compounds, and a web of behind-the-scenes connections that draws the attention of the Secret Service. Vatsal has clearly done her research on the geography and fashions of the period, but the novel's strength lies in its exploration of complicated wartime politics, and the difference between neutrality and innocence.

Rich with period detail and cameos from a few historical figures, A Front Page Affair is an appealing beginning to Kitty Weeks and her world. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

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