A Change of Fortune Mystery, Book Two - Whispers of Warning

I always love it when a book gets a hold of my attention and simply will not let it go until I finish it - and Jessica Estevao's second "Change of Fortune" mysteries certainly did that! While the first book in this series was definitely the set up, providing the background for the main characters and introducing the setting, this book is the full force of Estevao's skill as a master storyteller.

Whispers of Warning returns readers to Old Orchard, Maine where our protagonist, Ruby Proulx, is enjoying her new life with her aunt at the Belden hotel.  No longer afraid of the voice that she hears, comfortable in her own skin, enjoying the newfound friendship with Lucy, and still basking in the rush she felt in helping Officer Warren Yancey solve a murder just weeks prior, Ruby is truly happy. But, as any reader of a good mystery series knows, that happiness is only going to be short-lived.

Estevao mixes real history with fictional mystery, as her story this time centers around Sophronia Foster Eldridge, a very outspoken suffragist who has come to Old Orchard to further her cause for women. Needless to say, certain men in the community are not at all happy with this, and none moreso than Congressman Nelson Plaisted.  Of course, the chief of police isn't too thrilled either, nor is Robert Jellison, the owner of the hotel next to the Belden.  Then there's the brother and sister-in-law of Aunt Honoria's friend, George, who show up in town for the grand opening of the brand new pier that the city is hoping will bring in more tourist trade, as well as the odd writer who is also a member of the Hay Feverist Society.  As with every good mystery, all of the characters have secrets they are hiding, and many have connections that start to come to light only after the body is found!

Yes, remember, this is a mystery, so there is a body. After the stage collapses and the crowd erupts into chaos at the suffrage rally, it certainly comes as no surprise that Ms. Foster Eldridge is found dead in a pool at one of the local bathhouses.  Wearing a man's overcoat and weighted down with stones, the police chief writes it off as a suicide.  But Ruby and Officer Yancey believe otherwise - particularly in light of the threatening letter received just the previous day and the purported manuscript that Ms. Foster Eldridge was threatening to publish, exposing the secrets and lies of many men within voted positions.  Any number of people could have wanted the suffragist dead, but the question was - which one actually did it?

I thoroughly enjoy Estevao's writing style, and her dialogue is so natural - especially the interaction between Ruby and Officer Yancey.  There's a playful tension between the two of them, and their constant battle with their growing feelings towards one another makes for fun banter - although Estevao doesn't keep the readers waiting indefinitely.  Her characters grow as they get to know each other, and the continuing subplots (will Ruby keep her past under wraps? will Officer Yancey prove his father's innocence?  will Thomas and Lucy get together?) remain a constant within the stories.  In some aspects, these mysteries have a soap opera theme - we have a number of characters, and while Ruby may be the central focus, the other characters have their stories as well.  And it's a fun ride to get to know each of them, liking some while disliking others - all the while trying to figure out whodunnit right along with Ruby and Officer Yancey.

And, oh yeah - just when you think you've got if figured out, Estevao pull's the rug out from underneath you and surprises you with the identity of the killer!  Definitely a surprise, but not someone that was totally out of left-field.  A satisfying payoff to a well-written mystery - I do hope a third book is forthcoming (although none is mentioned, and there's no indication anywhere online that a third one is in the works).

RATING:  10 tapestry valises out of 10 for a fun, engaging, and fully satisfying mystery with characters that I have truly grown to love.