GRACE IN THE WINGS is the first novel in the Grace Michelle Mystery series by Kari Bovee. The novel will be published on September 19th 2019 by Bosque Publishing. The series is set in the early 1920s.
Grace Michelle and her sister, Sophia, had a very comfortable life working for Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.’s Ziegfeld Follies. Grace was the costume designer, and Sophia was one of the stars of the show. Not long after Sophia quits the Ziegfeld Follies to get married, she dies unexpectedly, and the police are not sure if her death was an accident, a suicide, or murder. After unwillingly taking over her sister’s part in the show, Grace travels to Los Angeles to promote the Ziegfeld Follies and look into her sister’s death. Private detective Chet Riker tags along to Los Angeles as Grace’s bodyguard, and he joins her on her quest to learn more about what really happened to Sophia. Along the way, the two deal with the mob, runaway horses, and threats to their lives. They also learn secrets about Sophia’s life and the people connected to her.
GRACE IN THE WINGS is an interesting mystery novel set in the early 1920s. Kari Bovee includes real life people – including Mary Pickford and her brother, Jack, as well as Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. – the owner of Ziegfeld Follies. Grace and Chet are both intriguing main characters. They both have unpleasant pasts – the reader learns some about their pasts but there is plenty more to be delved into in later novels. While I enjoyed the novel, there were times when their romance outshone the mystery part of the novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.