Eleanor and the Cold War
Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery #1
By Ellen Yardley
ISBN 9781496750075
ellenyardley.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
A brilliant 1950s Cold War historical mystery debut a female sleuth who is also an indispensable assistant to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Perfect for fans of Colleen Cambridge and Agatha Christie.
New York City and Washington, DC, 1951. Kay Thompson—secretary to Eleanor Roosevelt—is a young woman of conviction navigating the post-World War II period. But can she expose the dark truth about a transatlantic murder mystery unfolding before her eyes?
Previously fired for speaking out against workplace injustices, twenty-five-year-old Kay Thompson finds her true calling once appointed to support Eleanor Roosevelt, a champion of human rights known as ER among those in her inner circle. Kay fully embraces her new role as the former First Lady’s right hand—typing up daily columns and juggling a blur of political meetings, ribbon cuttings, and charitable dinners. It’s not until a dead body is discovered on a train that her most compelling task comes into focus . . .
Stunning Susie Taylor had star quality. Judging from her photos, it’s clear why she left Sweden with plans to make it big on Broadway. But when ER enlists Kay’s help on a discreet investigation about her sudden disappearance, the two suspect the up-and-comer was concealing secrets about her real identity and motives—all leading to her murder at Washington’s Union Station . . .
Plunged into a living Alfred Hitchcock film, an unseasoned Kay and a shrewd ER side with a handsome detective on a search for answers. What was Susie’s connection with a charismatic Soviet UN delegate and an atomic energy researcher? As ER makes it her mission to find out, danger looms upon the discovery of another body. Now, Kay must play a central role in exposing the killer—before she becomes the next rising beauty to meet a cruel fate . . . (From Goodreads)
Review:
This is one of the best “first in a new series” mystery that I’ve read! This is set primarily in Washington DC in 1951, satisfying my yen for historical mysteries. It was intriguing, and the red herrings seemed so guilty! My interest in learning more about Eleanor Roosevelt, (sometimes called ER), is kindled. With the exception of some of the historical events, including her accomplishments as a United States delegate to the United Nations, this mystery and most of the people are fictitious.
Kay Thompson is a secretary in her mid-twenties, the niece of the secretary ER had for decades. While Kay’s aunt was recuperating from an illness, she recommended Kay for the temporary position.
The goals instilled in Kay were to find a handsome man with a good position to marry and give her a house in the country. She would be a wife and a mother, a career or job unnecessary, the dream of many mid-century women. She had other secretarial positions that were short-lived due to standing up for others not treated unfairly. When talking with the police detective about the murder, she turned down a date with him because he was in a very dangerous, low-paying job. After working for Eleanor for a short time, however, she had a significantly different outlook.
Kay was told by a man in the State Department to keep ER out of the spotlight or situations that could involve the police or the press. Senate approval was still pending on new or returning UN delegates, and he didn’t want anything to keep her from her important. Eleanor was the first Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, and was instrumental in developing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Eleanor was contacted by a long-time friend, Elsa, a famous atomic scientist. Her only child, Susan, had come to America and hoped to become an actress. Susan waitressed at a Georgetown tavern frequented by glamourous politicians and auditioned for roles in New York City. Susan disappeared three weeks ago, and neither her roommate or coworkers heard from her.
Susan finally called Eleanor, asking the former first lady to meet her train in DC when Eleanor had business in the Capital. The train was almost empty when Eleanor and Kay talked with Mr. Jeffers, a porter ER knew for many years. He sent her to a car where a young woman had been found dead minutes earlier. It was Susan, murdered, her body still warm.
Kay recognized the distinctive Caswell Massey Number Six cologne hanging in the air of the washroom, one favored by many men in DC. On the train platform, she noticed a man wearing it, gave chase, but lost him.
It was thought that, based on an earlier sighting and information gathered, Susan was dating a Soviet delegate at the UN who Eleanor knew. The man on the platform wearing Caswell-Massey was the assistant of the delegate. Both men were communists. Susan was also familiar with a scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory who had given atomic secrets to the Soviets. Even before her murder, Susan was considered a possible Communist spy. She also had a gentleman friend who promised to leave his wife and take Susan to California.
Some things they learned about Susan and her mother cut to Eleanor’s heart. Mr. Jeffers, the porter and her long-time friend was murdered, possibly by Susan’s killer. Eleanor promised Elsa she would find who killed Susan, even though the FBI had taken over the case.
The primary characters leap from the pages, very well defined for a first in series. I enjoyed watching Kay begin to change as a result of working for ER. Eleanor Roosevelt, was a fascinating woman, a former first lady, and an intelligent, courageous woman with her own accomplishments. What she did was for the betterment of others, not for accolades.
Eleanor and Kay were instrumental in finding who really killed Susan and Mr. Jeffers – and why. The results were devastating, including another murder, of one of Mrs. Roosevelt’s friends from the UN. I highly recommend this exciting, intriguing mystery!
