Secret Service agent,
ex Rough Rider and cowboy Joseph St Clair is given the job
of bodyguard to the headstrong and unconventional Alice Roosevelt.
Daughter of the new president, she is used to having her own
way, and what she most wants is to uncover more about the
assassination of the last president, McKinley. Together the
pair of them navigate the murky waters of New York high and
low society in order to discover more, and soon things start
to get deadly…
This is the first in a new series featuring Alice and her
bodyguard, and it does a good job of setting the scene of
New York in 1902. From a Mafia boss’s headquarters to
China Town, seedy bars and tenements to the luxury of the
Roosevelt’s home and the University Club, the author
brings it all to life through the words of St Clair. He makes
for an engaging protagonist, as does the seventeen-year-old
Alice, independent and driven but naïve. They complement
each other nicely, and this is a well told start to the series.
Later books could use a more involved plot, as this is fairly
simple, linear and not hard to guess. The pages turn fast,
but this is more to do with the vibrant personalities of the
sleuths and some of the other well described characters that
move the tale along swiftly. I would read another in order
to spend more time with them and immerse myself in such a
interesting place and time.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Alice
and the Assassin #1
The
Body in the Ballroom #2
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