ARC Review: Viviana Velentine Goes Up the River by Emily J. Edwards

Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River
Author: Emily J. Edwards
Series: A Girl Friday Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (May 2, 2023)

Description: Author Emily J. Edwards takes Viviana Valentine to new heights—and new lows—in this “firecracker of a series” (Allison Epstein), perfect for fans of Ashley Weaver and Rhys Bowen.

1950, New York. Viviana Valentine–Girl Friday turned partner to New York’s top investigator, Tommy Fortuna–is drawn into a sordid new case when Buster Beacon, a wealthy man of science, beckons them to a party at his mansion north of the city. There, Buster entertains blue-blooded friends as well as investors keen to make a dollar on the many advancements made in his home laboratory, but he’s been hearing strange noises in the night coming from his expansive estate, and he doesn’t know who to trust.

Once Viviana and Tommy arrive, the party is snowed in. And suddenly, there is a dead body and nowhere to hide. Who killed the disguised federal agent in their midst? And how have details from the top-secret lab become public? Once chomping at the bit to be brought into this mysterious life, Viviana wonders if she’s ready for the risks that come with the territory—risks that rise treacherously high as the killer targets the next victim.

Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River packs all the elements mystery fans love: an irresistibly clever protagonist, a posh cast of heroes and villains, and a murder case that could defy even the most seasoned investigator.

My Thoughts: The second Viviana Valentine mystery was an engaging historical mystery. It is nearly Thanksgiving, 1950, when Viv and her boss Tommy Fortuna get a new case. One of their rich secretary's friends is hearing weird noises in his house and wants Viv and Tommy to find out what is making the noises.

Viv and Tommy find themselves at a house party in a mansion up the Hudson River from New York with an interesting assortment of fellow guests. Buster Beacon is the client. He's a rich guy determined to get richer by using his scientific talents to develop things for the government. Other guests include two other scientists, a husband and wife who are investors in Buster's work, an heiress who might also be an investor, a neighbor named Chester Courtland, and Monty Bonito who is a colleague of Tommy's. 

As Viv and Tommy try to figure out the relationships between the guests and try to track down a strange noise, the snow begins to fall and a bridge collapses, trapping all the guests in the house. Only Chester Courtland is in need of a doctor's care. He's broken his leg and been poisoned. He passes away and Viv and Tommy now have a murder to investigate too.

Someone among the people trapped in the mansion is a Soviet agent who wants to pass information back to the USSR. It turns out that Courtland was undercover from the FBI, and he's not the only suspicious character. 

This was a fun mystery steeped in 1950 from the slang to the fashion to the lifestyle. Viv was a great example of a woman with ambition and moxie. 

Favorite Quote:

"There's a dead federal agent in a house filled with state secrets," I said, deliberately controlling my voice so I wouldn't shriek, which is what I wanted to do at this absolute buffoon, "Of course everyone is a suspect."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.