Eleanor and the South Beach Murders
Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery #2
By Ellen Yardley
ISBN 9781496750105
ellenyardley.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
For fans of Colleen Cambridge, S.K. Golden, Jacqueline Winspear, and Ashley Weaver, a brilliant 1950s Cold War historical mystery featuring the former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s indispensable assistant as an equally resourceful sleuth. As the duo become entangled in a deadly international mystery connected to famous performer Josephine Baker, can Kay trust her own instincts before it’s too late?
Miami, 1951. With a flurry of UN engagements bringing Mrs. Roosevelt to vibrant South Beach, Kay Thompson is thrilled to escape the post-Christmas blues in Washington, DC—and distance herself from the sting of her recent breakup with private investigator Tim O’Malley. The dizzying sights and sounds of Miami reach their peak at the Copa City Club, where a late-night meeting with singer Josephine Baker reveals a troubling Baker’s bold stand against segregation has made her a target.
Josephine dismisses the threats. But Rosaleen—her cautious young assistant with big dreams—is deeply afraid. That’s why it’s a stunning shock when a dead man turns up in Josephine’s dressing room and Rosaleen is the one arrested for his murder. Determined to exonerate her new friend, Kay realizes it will mean facing conspiracies and prejudices that reach into the darkest corners of American society still haunted by the horrors of World War II.
Now, tangled in a high-stakes murder case with lives and legacies on the line, Kay joins forces with Mrs. Roosevelt and her former flame to confront the sinister forces lurking just beneath Miami’s glittering Art Deco surface. But when a killer’s scheme comes into sharp focus, Kay must act swiftly in a quest for justice that proves far more dangerous than she ever bargained for . . .
Review:
If you are looking for a cleverly executed historical mystery that includes real people and events along with the fictitious, look no further. This is an exceptional historical mystery, as is the first one in the series, “Eleanor and the Cold War”. (Each can be read as a standalone). Set in Miami during the last week of 1951, it immediately pulled me into the era and events and held my attention. Included are some actual events, and fictional examples of events and challenges faced by many Americans, past and present. The harshness of segregation laws and the growth of the KKK were of particular note in this mystery.
Among the real people who are in this novel, the most well-known is Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady and widow, and Josephine Baker, a well-known jazz singer and dancer in the mid-1900s. Being a sleuth, however, was not one of Mrs. Roosevelt’s many true accomplishments.
Josephine was a talented Black woman, born in poverty in the US and relocated to France as a young woman. She was invited to perform there, and went to further her career. She loved France and stayed there, without restrictions of race or color, and returned to America for concert tours.
During World War II, Ms. Baker had worked with the French Resistance, was a spy and smuggler of critical information, and sang to the troops. In addition, she performed at concentration camps that had been liberated, for the many prisoners who were too weak and ill to leave. Josephine and Eleanor were both very strong, highly respected women of their time.
Eleanor was a well-known Human Rights activist and a delegate to the United Nations. She was instrumental in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She was in Miami with her temporary secretary, Kay, during that last week of 1951 to participate in the conference of the American Association for the United Nations.
Josephine learned that Eleanor was in town, and invited her to her performance and the party in her dressing room afterwards. The two women became good friends. Kay, Eleanor’s secretary, spent a brief time with Rosaleen, Josephine’s assistant, but Rosaleen was busy with many things. Rosaleen worked to save for tuition for her second-year law school studies. This Black woman’s life would change dramatically that week; life for any of the ladies would never be the same.
Kay and Eleanor attended Josphine’s performance and party a second night, and Kay paid special attention as she saw the guests, including those suspected of being in the Klan. The next morning, Josephine was in tears at the door of Eleanor’s suite. Rosaleen was in jail for murder. She returned to the dressing room to get something after the party, and found a man inside the locked dressing room, and a pistol that had just been fired and thrown inside. The killer slammed and locked the door, trapping Rosaleen inside the room. The murdered man was white, extremely wealthy, with connections who would make sure she received the death sentence. As a black woman, she was automatically guilty without a trial, even without gun shot residue on her hands or clothing or her prints on the handgun.
When Rosaleen was finally released from jail, two subsequent murders occurred, and Rosaleen implicated in both. When Eleanor was in the conference, Kay was snooping around and listening in on conversations that put a bullseye on her life. Her ex-boyfriend, Tim, was in town to help protect Josephine, and was concerned with the risks Kay took.
This is an amazing novel and mystery! There were so many possible suspects, it was a challenge to follow each mystery thread to identify a potential killer. The end held huge surprises that I didn’t see coming. I highly recommend this novel, and this series, especially for readers who enjoy mid-century history.
