Opulence and Ashes

August 28, 2023
Belli’s intricate fourth outing featuring aspiring social reformer Daniel McCaffrey and reporter Genevieve Stewart (after 2022’s Treachery on Tenth Street) sees the couple looking forward to their spring 1890 wedding in New York City when a series of complications disrupts their plans. First, a man claiming to be Daniel’s long-lost brother turns up, possessing family knowledge only a relative would have, though Genevieve doubts his bona fides. Then a photographer helping Daniel document conditions at a children’s workhouse suffers grave injuries when his office is set ablaze. Setbacks continue when the couple’s own under-construction residence is torched and a controversial midwife is killed after Genevieve seeks her advice. Eventually, she and Daniel come to believe that someone is retaliating against their reformist politics. When Genevieve disappears and Daniel fears that her life may be at risk, he races to uncover the perpetrator before it’s too late. Though some anachronisms jar (the term sex worker crops up more than once, about a century too early) and the serialized plotting makes this a tough entry point for new readers, a dramatic climax saves the day. Series fans will enjoy themselves. Agent: Danielle Egan Miller, Brown and Miller.