A Gilded Death is the first in Cecelia Tichi’s Gilded Age series. The story begins in 1898 Newport RI and revolves around married couple Val and Roddy as they try to figure out whether or not a string of deaths and accidents involving a family of socialites is part of a larger plan.

Although the book started off a little slow for me, I still enjoyed it. Roddy and Val are likeable characters and I was interested in what they would discover about these deaths and accidents.

While I liked Val and Roddy and I enjoyed the storyline overall, I would have liked to have seen a little more character development with these two. I wanted to know more about them and their backgrounds, maybe that happens as the series continues. Aside from that small qualm, it was evident that the author did her research with her vivid descriptions of the time and location. I could envision the sights and sounds of 1890’s Rhode Island society with its dinners and clam bakes and walks by the beach as Roddy and Val try to figure out the mystery. I didn’t know who the culprit was until the author revealed it and it made sense.

The story all wraps up nicely while leaving it open for the next book in the series which takes place in New York. The author’s style of writing made this a cozy read for me as well. I enjoyed this one. ( )

It’s the summer of 1898, and Val and Roddy DeVere, along with much of the rest of New York City Society, are vacationing at their “cottages” in Newport; cottages, of course, being almost as huge and splendid as their city palaces. They are meant to be having a lovely time taking yacht rides, playing golf and tennis, and otherwise comporting themselves at lavish teas and balls every week, but Val and her friend Cassandra are drawn into a mystery when the only daughter of Cassie’s late aunt dies suddenly in a slum in New York City. In trying to discover the cause of the woman’s death, they find themselves caught up in a web of inheritance, business dealings and, possibly, the suffrage movement, to Roddy’s dismay; and soon they learn that even Newport is not immune from danger…. “A Gilded Death” is the first in a series of Gilded Age novels, set primarily in New York and featuring the amateur sleuths Roddy (Roderick, scion of a very old and respected New York family) and Valentine (daughter of an Irish immigrant who made a huge fortune in the silver mines out west), along with various friends and servants. I had already read and enjoyed later stories in the series, but wanted to go back to this, the beginning. It is quite delightful, although as it happens I was able to figure out the culprit early on, only because I had read later entries and therefore knew something I shouldn’t have known. As a result, while I definitely recommend this series (and would love to try all the cocktails Roddy invents!), the reader should certainly start with this installment before moving to the next; recommended! ( )