This was an entertaining read and I loved the descriptive writing.
Many thanks to Vintage Ink Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Delia Ross, an actress who has made a name for herself on the stage has found herself in a new role, an investigator for the New York police. When the police approach Delia about pretending to be the widow of an Italian Marchese to see if she can assist them with locating a jewel thief, she jumps at the chance to try something new while not knowing that this might be her most dangerous role to date. The investigation begins in Saratoga, New York, where the cousin of the jewel thief is a medium who the police are concerned may be in contact with the thief. Delia must keep her eyes and ears open and try to locate the thief who may be disguised as anyone. Delia enlists the help of her disabled and feminist sister in her investigation.

This book was a little chaotic at times. I really enjoyed Delia’s character, but there wass some room for improvement. I also found that it was really hard to keep up with who all the characters were. At times, I was so confused as to who was doing what and who they were. I can’t even tell you what happened at the ending as it was so confusing. Despite this, I really liked the premise of the story and the mystery and think that the series has some potential even if it needs to be a little more clearer to the reader what is happening. I felt overwhelmed reading this book, especially at the end.

While this book has a lot of room for improvement, I really did enjoy the main characters of Delia and her sister and think that that the author has a good start for some great characters. I would like to see what happens next in the series and I am hoping that this is just a case of the debut blues that sometimes affects new series. Not the best book I have read, but the series does hold some potential for the future and I would give this series another shot before not continuing further with the series.

Overall Rating: 1.5 stars
Author: Maggie MacKeever

Series: A Gay Nineties Mystery #1

Publisher: Vintage Ink Press

Publication Date: July 1, 2022

Pages: 240

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Delia Ross is an actress with a colourful past who is employed by the New York police to go to Saratoga in the hopes of finding some very duplicitous characters. One is Max, a jewel thief, who has escaped Sing Sing and whose cousin has set up shop in Saratoga as a psychic. She is going in disguise and playing the role convincingly. Along with her is a police officer who is flummoxed by emancipated women and her sister who is the epitome of an emancipated woman.

As she flits from racetrack to seances, she stumbles across everyone from a strumpet to a mob boss to her ex-husband. The mystery is complex with many a twist and turn. In fact, it is rare that anyone she meets is who they say they are. The reader might be perplexed to wonder why, amidst the intrigues, Delia should seem to be the target of the Black Hand. They might also wonder why, in each seance, instead of summoning the spirits that are requested, it is Delia who continues to get messages from a very ticked off ghost. All is ultimately revealed and I confess it took me by surprise. I love it when I do not have a glimmer of what the final twist will be.

It was an enjoyable read with fun characters and an irrepressible heroine. There are even three kitties. Four purrs and two paws up. ,

Interesting premise but very difficult to follow because there were four alternating points of views and so many characters. The time period was kept me interested as well as the location but I was often lost with all the names being thrown at me. I ended up skimming the middle of the book. Hoping the next ones aren't as complicated.

First read for this author and while i didn't feel as engrossed in the story as normally would i still enjoyed

Delia Ross actress and also sometime helper to the New York police uses her acting talent to snare jewellery theif Max Temple

New York 1890 I have grown to absolutely adore historical mysteries and was excited to find this new author to me!

Put together one actress, a tough police detective, one jewel thief and lot of quirky characters and the adventure begins.

This will keep you guessing with this entertaining premise and leave you only wanting more!

Sassy, feisty Delia Ross is a wonderful actress and often employs her talents in service of the police. Her current assignment is to track down a jewel thief on the run through his psychic cousin. A daunting task as no one seems to be quite who they say they are.

This story was funny and sharp and kept me guessing till the very end. I loved Delia Ross' character, she is smart, witty and brave and completely impulsive. The mystery was well set up and impossible to figure out, which is always a win for a detective story. The final reveal did feel a little rushed and the sudden stream of information was a little disorienting. I would have liked a slower reveal but the ending was still completely satisfactory. I enjoyed Delia's complex relationships with all the colorful characters and I adored her sister. This is a lady sleuth I would love to see more of!

A twisty mystery with an intriguing female protagonist set in the bustling and corrupt cities of New York City and Saratoga during the 1890s. This was a fun read that turned out to be a lot more complicated that it originally appears. There was a lot of deception going on that didn’t fully become apparent until the end. There were a number of characters and at times it was a little hard to keep them all straight. However, it was a very satisfying first book in a series and I look forward to reading more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Delia isn’t your traditional 1890s female she is an actress among many other things and when she is a ex to join the storch traditional detective Luke to investigate a jeweled theft she agrees to it. On her way to Saratoga she will meet the key players, but uncover more mysterious things then she signed up for. This book was a gift that kept on giving. Every time you thought the truth wasn’t covered there were more mysteries to be had in the romance was unexpected but appreciate it. I love historical fiction in this book was A great example of historical fiction at its best. I read a lot of books and it is hard to come across one that stands out amongst the others but this one certainly does. I already have two more of this authors books on my TBR list. This was a real gem and one I highly recommend. I was given this book by Netgali and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

This is a hard review to write because the blurb made this spund like such a good book and I thought it would be such a compelling read. I did like the mystery and found it interesting, however it just wasn't engaging enough and I found my attention lapsed a lot.

It's the first book I read by this author and even if I liked the style of writing the plot didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Having read several of the author's previous romances, I was looking forward to this book. The characters are interesting and the plot line different from most mysteries. For me, the book just didn't hold my interest for long. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Yeah, I'm gonna keep this one short. I very much disliked this book, but then, I went into this with the wrong kind of expectations.
After all, I'm not a native English speaker. I like to tell myself I'm very good at English, but sometimes, there's just a couple of nuances that I'm not able to pick up on. This was one of them.

It says "gay" on the cover. That's not a reference to the sexuality of the characters, but to the time the book is set in. I admit I wanted a gay period book and instead I got a slightly misogynistic period book.

That wouldn't have mattered at all if the book had been good, but to be quite honest, it just wasn't. The writing was confusing and clipped, the characters shallow and one-dimensional. Multiple POVs and dozens of names that might matter or might not make this one a chore to go through, despite being fairly short.

In conclusion, I don't recommend this book.

Actress Delia Ross is hired by the police to sniff out an escaped criminal who's hiding rare jewels. To her male counterpart's dismay, she gathers her sister, parrot and assistant and moves to a Saratoga hotel to be near the action. Here, Delia meets several interesting characters who are not what they seem, including a ghost whisperer and a dashing man. Delia must decide who she can trust as she protects herself and does her job.
I like the premise of this book. A female heroine always captures my attention! And Delia is complex, not a floozy. She's a talented actress, clever conversationalist and woman who knows her mind. While she can defend herself against physical threats, she also has a tender side.
The twists and turns kept me guessing - especially a big one at the end!
There are too many characters to keep straight, though - or maybe I was too focused on envisioning the setting that I missed important introductions.
The author includes plenty of information about communicating with the dead. In this respect, the book is educational and entertaining.
I hope to read more Delia Ross books in the future!

actress, cozy mystery, 1890s, New-York, law-enforcement, jewel-thief, undercover, situational-humor, sly-humor, mysteries****

Delia is an actress/investigator working undercover with the NYPD in 1890 to run to ground a notorious jewel thief/escaped prisoner and the supposed loot in his possession. Very twisty with almost as many red herrings as quirky characters. Good whodunit and lots of fun.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Vintage Ink Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Actress Delia Ross is hired by the New York police department to impersonate the Italian Marchesa in order to entrap a jewel thief in this Gay 90’s mystery. The descriptions of setting, clothing, and physical features were spot on and allowed the readers to fully immerse themselves in the story. But I have to admit, the preponderance of scenes dealing with seances, bawdy houses or bars, and characters meeting each other here, there, and everywhere became tiring and didn’t seem to advance the story. That’s perhaps why I missed the clues along the way and the ending came totally out of the blue. After thinking about it afterwards, however, I could see how the ending twist was totally plausible and led to a satisfying conclusion. It was ambiguous enough to possibly lead to a sequel down the road. I gave the story a rating of 3 ½, rounded to 4. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A light and fluffy romp through 1890s America with bonus points for being set in Saratoga, NY, which was a premiere vacation spot that is mostly unknown to the modern person. The characters in this were fun and the plot didn't take itself too seriously; this would translate very well into a BBC murder mystery. My one quibble is that there are _five_ different narrators in this book, which made it hard to really get invested in any one character. I hope that we see more of Delia in future works.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Vintage Ink Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Delightfully entertaining with quirky characters.

Delia is an actress with a complicated background, who periodically helps the police with cases. She's an experienced lady in her 40s, with a bad marriage behind her and excellent at playing undercover roles. She's been called in by the NY City police department to help solve the theft of a collection of rubies en route to the American Museum of Natural History. She has to work with chauvinistic detectives, deal with phony spiritualists, use her powers of deduction and navigate danger in the atmosphere of gay 90s New York., It's interesting to see an attractive, mature lady involved in these kinds of adventures. There's no romance, for those who like that with their light mysteries, although there's a hint of the possibility in the future. Delia is an interesting person and the setting adds to the fun.

tl;dr
A complex mystery with many layers featuring a fun lead, and a somewhat less fun supporting cast.

About
Delia Ross has been many things over the course of her life. Currently, she's a spy for the NYPD, posing as a grieving widow in the hopes that they'll manage to trap an escaped fugitive. But as Delia digs deeper into the mystery, more mysteries arise, including several she thought she had buried.

What I Liked
I love a mystery with extra twists! Every layer that gets peeled back reveals more mysteries, all carefully plotted. There are a lot of things to keep track of, but they all come together for a satisfying conclusion, and an even more satisfying epilogue. Delia is a fun lead - ambitious, bold, and direct, and her personality really shines. Her sister Maude is a cranky delight, and the two of them are truly a powerhouse of detective work. Setting and scenes are easily imagined with the help of meticulous descriptions of food and clothing. The book is open-ended enough that sequels are possible, and I think more adventures of Delia Ross would be very fun.

What Wasn't For Me
The opening chapters gave me the impression I was getting into some sort of period buddy comedy, so I was disappointed to find the two leads spent almost no time together at all. Luke Kelly's contribution to the story was not nearly as much as Delia's, and the two only met up briefly from time to time to compare notes.