This was medium OK. Light hearted and semi interesting. It was a little convoluted and moved a bit slowly. Still, not bad for a first novel.
This was Downton Abbey-ish. ( )

Capability “Kitty” Weeks was aptly named by her parents after Capability Brown.

"Lancelot Brown, more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as ‘the last of the great English 18th-century artists to be accorded his due’ and ‘England's greatest gardener.’ He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure."

Kitty is 19 years old in 1915, and without any work experience was able to secure a highly sought-after apprentice fashion position on New York’s "Sentinel." Kitty has been an apprentice on the newspaper for 6 months and has received her first solo assignment to attend an Independence Day gala at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club on Monday, July 5th. Kitty is excited and nervous and wants to show supervisor and mentor Miss Helena Busby that she can do far more than opening mail, judging cooking contests, and the like. Due to recent current events abroad (e.g. sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania) and domestically of the shooting of Mr. J. P. Morgan by an intruder into the Morgan mansion, Kitty has aspirations of writing news reports of the day. The secretary to the gala hostess was delighted to explain this year’s crowning celebration of the gala would be an afternoon of Japanese daylight fireworks. Little did Kitty realize as one of the gala guests she would become witness at a murder scene.

Kitty has had many experiences not common to many young women of the day having been born abroad and attended a boarding school in Switzerland for 10 years prior to being sent for by her widowed father as business has him now settling in New York. Kitty is intelligent, adapts easily to new situations, and proves herself creative to accomplish the investigative needs of the news editor that seeks to use Kitty’s new connections made during her attendance at the gala.

Kitty reminded me of Mary Handley in the earlier time period of 1876, with Mary proving her resilience as the first woman detective in the Brooklyn Police Department as created by author Lawrence H. Levy. Mary is actually based on the true story of the first woman hired by the Brooklyn Police Department to investigate a crime. Both characters are unforgettable with acumen and personalities perfect for each of their chosen professions. As a reader I have found historical fiction to be a unique gift as beyond a readable and enjoyable reading experience it widens understanding of cultural norms of the day, and personalizes historical events beyond the dry facts of event names, dates, and related statistics. Historical fiction humanizes historical events with character experiences and reactions to those experiences. It becomes a barometer of the past and a beacon to the future of what might still be possible to achieve. Awareness of the past may seem to be illuminating pain but in understanding through the eyes of others our perspective is broadened and becomes more inclusive and begins to negate judgmental reactions.

I look forward to reading how Kitty Weeks proceeds on her life journey. Her attendance at an event seems guaranteed to attract attention and synthesize the event into a news report that will fascinate readers.

Many historical fiction novels have special features of interest following the end of the story but Radha Vatsal’s provisions are most comprehensive. I delighted in the offerings shared by Radha Vatsal beginning with her advisement in the “Author’s Note” that "much of what seems most unlikely in this novel actually happened." Additional features include: Further Reading, Reading Group Guide: Questions for Discussion, A Conversation with the Author, Selected References and Resources, Acknowledgements, and About the Author. ( )

Kitty Weeks has the privileges of wealth but longs to be a journalist. Covering a July 4 party story for the Ladies Page of the Sentinel, she stumbles on to a murder which leads to uncovering a wartime conspiracy.

A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal is a clever historical mystery starring an intrepid young reporter turned amateur sleuth. Set in 1915, this first installment in the Kitty Weeks Mystery series is an entertaining and educational debut that is quite riveting.

On her first independent assignment for the Ladies Page, Capability "Kitty" Weeks is sent to cover an Independence Day celebration hosted by Bessie Basshor. Excited to venture into the "real" world of reporting, Kitty is busy observing the partygoers and conducting informal interviews when news spreads that Hunter Cole, a fellow guest, has been murdered in the stables. Excited when she is asked to help cover the story for the newspaper, Kitty is soon embroiled in her own investigation into Hunter's death after the police quickly make an arrest in the case.

The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Kitty is an intelligent nineteen year old who wants a little more from life than managing her father's household. Her position at the newspaper allows her to balance her need for a career with her family obligations and although she only works part time, she takes her job seriously. She is a little immature and somewhat naive, but her natural curiosity leads her to continue digging into the circumstances surrounding Hunter's murder. Headstrong and independent, Kitty jeopardizes her position at the newspaper when she ignores her Ladies' Page assignments in order to pursue her investigation.

In addition to the mystery surrounding Hunter's death, Kitty finds herself looking into her father's business ventures after an unsettling visit from the Secret Service. Shaken by their accusations, she realizes she does not know him quite as well as she thought and after he refuses to answer her questions, she begins secretly digging into his recent activities. Although troubled by some of the information she uncovers, Kitty is determined to prove her father is innocent of any wrongdoing.

A Front Page Affair is an intriguing mystery with a cast of well-developed characters and a unique storyline. Radha Vatsal's meticulous research brings both the time period and the setting vividly to life and these historic details add depth and authenticity to the overall story. The mystery aspect of the storyline is well written and it is nearly impossible to guess the killer's identity or motive for the murder until the novel's somewhat dramatic conclusion. An excellent first installment in the Kitty Weeks Mystery series that will leave readers impatiently awaiting Kitty's next adventure. ( )

3.5 stars

I read this because I received the second in the series from NetGalley and wanted to start at the beginning and be properly introduced to Kitty Weeks.

Kitty is a perfectly likeable young woman living with her rich father in 1915 NYC. She seeks out a job as a journalist. Aside from her modern sensibilities which I am getting tired of reading about in century-ago women, she's reasonably level-headed, although every heroine of a cozy mystery must place herself in danger at some point.

The peek into pre-WWI society living in the eastern US was interesting, the mystery acceptable but nothing stands out to me that I want to read more in the series - although I will, since I asked for it. ;-) Perhaps if I were younger, the series would have more appeal to me. ( )