Ah what can I say, this was a weak first novel, but showed promise.

Ruby grew up on the road as a "confidence" worker... Her father sold snake-oil at fairs & side shows, her mother died giving birth to her.

Ruby makes a bit extra for herself reading Tarot. Her father spends all their money alcohol and on foolish schemes, like the newest machine "The Invigorator" which leaves a young man dead.

Ruby's father turns against her, claiming she murdered the young man by turning on the machine... and so Ruby gets on a train, crosses into the u.s. runs off to Maine where her Aunt (who has been waiting for her return) runs a hotel for Spiritualists.

At the hotel are two nasty blackmailers (one of which is blackmailing Ruby), who both get themselves killed. The local policeman's father was killed years ago and he is secretly investigating his death.

The Police Chief & his brother-in-law are into shady dealings....

Ruby is a weak character and I really had no empathy for her. For someone her father insisted be educated & literate, she wasn't very bright... she's wishy-washy.

As this is a genre I like, which is why I'll try the 2nd book, but I've little hope..... ( )

The story begins with Ruby Proulx and her fatherat a traveling fair in Canada in 1898. Ruby and her father have gone all over Eastern Canada with their travelling medicine show. Ruby's mother died in childbirth, so Ruby has been raised by her charlatan dad, and she knows no other life. Then one of her father's grand medical schemes goes horribly wrong, and Ruby, at the age of 19, is sent by her father to her aunt in Old Orchard, Maine. Ruby has never met her mother's sister, but she has to get out of Canada and must try to start a new life. Ruby is plucky, worldly wise and taught well by her n'er do well father the secrets of the confidence game. So with a little bit of luck and a lot of dissemblance, she hopes she can find a life for herself at the Belden Hotel which is owned and managed by her aunt Honoria. I liked Ruby, and I even enjoyed the spiritualist ambience at the Hotel Belden. There are lots of kooky characters which helps make the story enjoyable. I was disappointed though with the plot as it didn't seem to quite gel, and the mystery is a simple one to figure out. Not a bad first effort for an historical cozy mystery, but I would hope that Ms. Esteveo puts a bit more substance into future books in this series. ( )

I think this book chose me. The cover intrigued me. I love the beach, old resorts and "spirited" stories.This was a good mysterious story.Part family story too,all centered around a beach resort in 1898 along the Maine coast.My Grandmother was an "intuitive" and spent many summers working at lake resorts in our area "back in the day". So this had remnants that resembled her era. Murder,theft,pickpockets,deception and family secrets and all at a beach resort.I actually guessed the murderer and I NEVER do.There were many suspects. This is first in a series and I will be reading the next one when it comes out.( read this during a blizzard the last few days),it was quite nice to be hunkered down and cozy and reading while nothing but "white" was outside my window. ( )

Nice debut. The final confession feels out of place even if the solution is probable. Like the characters. ( )

Whispers Beyond the Veil marks the beginning of a superb historical mystery series. Jessica Estevao manages to create an extremely likeable, flawed heroine, Ruby Proulx, and place her in an equally enjoyable setting, the charming seaside resort town of Old Orchard, Maine. As the book opens in 1898, Ruby is traveling in Canada with her father, a charlatan who enlists Ruby in his fraudulent schemes. After one of his supposed cures causes a death, Ruby escapes to Old Orchard, Maine to join her estranged Aunt Honoria and avoid being charged with the murder. Honoria owns the Hotel Belden which caters to spiritualists, a popular interest during this time period. When the medium hired by Honoria fails to show, Ruby steps in to fill the medium’s shoes. Meanwhile, Old Orchard is building a large pier to attract more visitors, and the additional people mean an increase in crime. As the story unfolds, several individuals are murdered, and Ruby takes it upon herself to help the police solve the murders.

The historical aspects of the story are wonderful, and the characters well-developed. Estevao’s attention to historical detail is fantastic – I felt like I was there. The story held my interest through the entire book, and the resolution was particularly creative. While I really loved the entire book, one of my favorite things about Whispers Beyond the Veil was how different it is from anything else I have read. As I mention frequently in my reviews, I feel like I encounter an overabundance of the same types of stories over and over again, and it gets old. Estevao’s originality is much appreciated and welcomed; I cannot wait to read the next installment.

I highly recommend this clever, well-written, and very entertaining novel. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for this wonderful book. ( )