A Fatal Overture (An Ella Shane Mystery)
This third novel in the Ella Shane series opens during a cold New York January in 1900. Ella has achieved opera diva status and owns her own theatre company. At a time when married women subordinated their lives to their husbands’ wishes, Ella must confront her looming engagement to Gil Saint Aubyn. Gil, a British duke, is also a London barrister. Will he let her pursue her career on two continents? Other complications jump in. Gil’s mother and her two sisters suddenly knock on the front door of Ella’s townhouse. Next, a man’s dead body lies fully clothed in the bathtub of the sisters’ hotel suite. Gil’s mother and her sisters are booted out of the crime scene and settle in Ella’s home. Then Gil himself shows up.
The parallel murder investigation and courtship take twists and turns. A female news reporter claims to have been the killer. Ella and Gil fight over the formal post-marriage contract specifying her allowed time away from London. Rumors surface that Gil is in danger. Through it all, Ella prepares for charity performances, works on her company’s future tour, and manages a bustling household, despite the main housekeeper leaving for her own marriage.
Kalb’s central theme of women struggling to find their own purpose in a male-dominated world plays out fully. Even the dead man in the bathtub fits that theme. The resolution of the murder is both surprising and sensible. Strong-willed Ella and Gil compete for control but truly love each other. Along the way, Kalb immerses readers into high-society teas, food presentations, clothes, and customs of the Gilded Age. Fans of Ella Shane will enjoy this newest period piece.
