Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

Murder Between the Lines is book two in the Kitty Weeks series and I have yet read book one. However, I found this book pretty easy to get into. Kitty Weeks lives with her father and works as a journalist, which economically she doesn't need to do since her father is financially stable. However, working as a journalist is something that she has aspired to do.

THE WHOLE REVIEW WILL BE POSTED ON THE 23TH DECEMBER!

This is the second book in the 1915 historical series and can be read as a stand alone. Kitty Weeks is a young woman who wants to be a journalist while society says she should get married, stay at home and raise her children. That's not for Kitty and, fortunately, her father respects her wishes. The mystery surrounds the death of a boarding school student, found frozen to death near her home. It is called a tragic accident but Kitty thinks otherwise and sets out to find the truth. I love well written historical mysteries that clearly show the time period they employ. Besides the plot and the characters, which ring true, the author gives the reader an in depth picture of New York and America pre-WWI. There are, so far, two entries in this series and, personally, I hope there will be more.

Wow, I am just amazed at the research that the author has done in writing this book. I was born and raised in the United States and studied American history in high school and college and still had not idea of some of the things she talked about in her book. This is the second book in the series I have read and I highly recommend both to anyone who likes historical fiction with a murder to solve.
Kitty Weeks is tasked with writing a story about Westfield Hall, a prestigious girls’ boarding school. Tragedy strikes when a student named Elspeth is found frozen to death in Central Park. The doctors proclaim that the girl’s sleepwalking was the cause, but Kitty isn’t so sure. Determined to uncover the truth, Kitty must investigate a more chilling scenario—a murder that may involve Elspeth’s scientist father and a new invention by a man named Thomas Edison.
But that’s not the only storyline in the book. She artfully weaves women’s suffrage and even a little romance here and there throughout the story. Kitty is a very likeable person, as is her dad with whom she lives. And despite having resources at her disposal, she wants to make her way in the world by being a journalist. But the author did show some of Kitty’s vulnerabilities as she was trying to deal with her father’s developing friendship with Miss Lane.
My aha moment came when I learned that President Wilson was married a second time and a lot of women refused to acknowledge his new wife. There was that and much more to be learned from the book.
As with most series, the book had threads that were somewhat left dangling. I know that is purposely a part of a book’s conclusion to convince the reader that they need to read the next book in the series. I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Radha Vatsal continues Kitty Weeks misadventures as a reporter for the Lady's Page of a New York city newspaper during World War I. Why did a private school student die in the snow from sleepwalking? How can an upper middle class young lady work and maintain her social ties? Haunting and sad but a good read.

Kitty Weeks is still working for the New York Sentinel's Ladies Page when she is given and assignment which brings her in contact with the women's suffrage movement. After writing an article about a girl's academy, one of the girls that Kitty spoke with is found dead. Kitty feels a need to understand how it happened because of the similarities to her own life situations.

The situations that are depicted seem so true to life - great story. Looking forward to more character development in the future.

Murder Between the Lines

by Radha Vatsal

Murder Between the Lines is the second novel by Radha Vassal about Kitty Weeks, a beginning journalist in an age when the rare female journalist is by default a writer for the women’s pages. The setting is 1915-1916, the U.S. has not yet entered the Great War, Woodrow Wilson is president, and women do not have the right to vote.

The “Kitty” in the first third of the book is a flat, undeveloped character. At first I thought this problem was a reflection of the way women were treated by men and by other women as a social norm. Later in the book, however, Kitty takes on some depth as the plot picks up its pace.

There are several plot threads. They deal with women’s suffrage, political intrigue and an anti-war movement, women as journalists, women’s education, Edison’s inventions, and several deaths. The author manages to tie the threads together, but some resolutions seem forced.

The author researched the era well, and the information was interesting. Of particular note was the apparent frailty of the “weaker sex” and doctors’ views on women’s health and recovery from accidents.

It is difficult to sort out attitudes about the characters given the freedoms and responsibilities women in the U.S. have today. Are the women in the book weak or are they victims of the time? I think the answer may be a little of both. Women were generally dependent financially on men, but there have been women of every era who were powerful and knew how to wield that power. In Kitty’s case, she has to break down social barriers to achieve financial independence.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Sourcebooks (Landmark) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

Category: Mystery, Historical Fiction

Notes: At the end of the book, the reader will find Author’s Notes that stress the author’s use of primary sources as well as suggestions for further reading.

Publication: May 2, 2017—Sourcebooks (Landmark)

Memorable Lines:

“Half of our population cannot be treated as less than the other. The cause requires publicity as well as a definite program. My program is to champion a federal amendment to the constitution and to use my wealth and my position in society—for in the end, no one turns their back on money—to create news, to create publicity for us all.”

As far as Kitty could tell, men were just as petty as women, but when they didn’t get their way, they didn’t resort to intrigues—they started wars.
When it came to matters he cared about, the president didn’t hesitate for a moment to campaign around the country to sway hearts and change minds. But when it came to woman suffrage, he took refuge behind states’ rights. Somehow, war warranted the exercise of his powers of persuasion, while campaigning for half his citizens’ rights did not. No wonder so many women were enraged. No wonder so many felt they must browbeat and threaten, take matters into their own hands.

Great book. I loved the historical detail in this. Kitty was a really cool protagonist.

Obviously well-researched, but not collapsing under the weight of period accuracy and the awkward name-dropping that can accompany an historical mystery. Because Ms. Vastal weaves lesser known details of the pre-WWI era the work doesn't feel stale, especially her focus on the suffragette movement, and her writing style is swift and pace-y. A recommend.

I love historical fiction and detective novels and am excited to review the latest Kitty Weeks mystery. Like Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple, Radha Vatsal's Kitty Weeks is a journalist for a women's magazine working around the time of WWI and the years thereafter. While Daisy lost the family estate when her father and brother died and the fortune passed to the next male heir, Kitty Weeks lives in luxury in Manhattan with her widowed father. Kitty's social connections and wealth allow her to access exclusive circles. She's able to identify and understand incongruities that would have been lost to the less socially savvy. Fortunately, Kitty is both likable and socially liberal so while she spends time at the Waldorf Astoria or among "The First Four Hundred" we cheer for her and appreciate the peek into the New York's high society.

In Kitty's second adventure, Murder Between the Lines, Kitty meets a brilliant young woman scientist during her visit to Westfield Hall. When young Elspeth Bright is found dead in the snow, her mother asks Kitty's help to find out what might have led her daughter to Central Park in the middle of the night. Kitty's investigations take her back to Westfield Hall, to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to investigate the manufacturing and use of batteries, a new and untested technology and to suffragette meetings at the Waldorf. Jealous girlfriends, good-looking executives, women's rights advocates and an unexpected visit from President Wilson -- Radha Vatsal brings this time period to life and delivers an unusual mystery.

Murder Between the Lines
A Kitty Weeks Mystery #2
Radha Vatsal
Sourcebooks Landmark, May 2017
ISBN 978-1-4926-3892-6
Trade Paperback

From the publisher—

Intrepid journalist Kitty Weeks returns in the second book in this acclaimed WW1-era historical mystery series to investigate the death of a boarding school student.

When Kitty’s latest assignment for the New York Sentinel Ladies’ Page takes her to Westfield Hall, she expects to find an orderly establishment teaching French and dancing-but there’s more going on at the school than initially meets the eye.

Tragedy strikes when a student named Elspeth is found frozen to death in Central Park. The doctor’s proclaim that the girl’s sleepwalking was the cause, but Kitty isn’t so sure.

Determined to uncover the truth, Kitty must investigate a more chilling scenario-a murder that may involve Elspeth’s scientist father and a new invention by a man named Thomas Edison.

The early 1900’s have always been a favorite historical period for me with its blend of innocence and the beginnings of the fights for social justice, whether it be the push for women’s rights or perhaps the protection of workers, adults and children. Murder Between the Lines has all the charm and interesting setting I look for in this type of historical.

Kitty Weeks is a natural if unintended sleuth in her zeal to be a “real” reporter and perhaps find justice for those in need and her editor has agreed to let her do more than cover society. A country with high-flying ideals on the precipice of war and coping with suffragettes and the like presents plenty of opportunity for Kitty, herself a wealthy member of society, but she’s drawn to the death of a young lady, a death she finds quite suspicious even after it’s ruled accidental. Kitty had met Elspeth while doing a piece on her boarding school and found her focus on scientific matters most interesting but wonders if that could have led to her death.

With an easy pace and an appealing protagonist determined to solve an engaging puzzle, Ms. Vatsal kept me entertained and following Kitty down several paths before finally reaching a solution. I thoroughly enjoyed my first adventure with this intrepid young woman and really appreciated the author’s attention to the details of the period. While she’s perhaps not as well-developed a character as I would like, Kitty’s intelligence and her own reactions to the issues of her day make her a young woman I want to meet again.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, May 2017.

This is the first book that I read by Radha Vatsal. It will not be my last. I loved the way this book flowed. This takes place before the beginning of WWI and has us learning more about the women's suffrage movement. Kitty Weeks is a reporter for the New York Sentinel's Ladies Page. It is mostly fluff pieces but she is getting to do a bit more serious stuff by interviewing members of the suffrage movement and learning about a girls boarding school. While interviewing people at the boarding school she meets girls close to her age and soon learns of the death of one of the students. This hits her hard and she wants to find out all she can about what caused the girls death. I so enjoyed the characters and am looking forward to more in this series. I received this from Sourcebooks for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

This was another great mystery in what is quickly becoming one of my favorite historical mystery series. I love the main character and enjoyed watching her grow and develop even more, Kitty is someone you would love to meet in person! The author does an outstanding job pulling together a great mystery, fascinating characters and draws deeply on her meticulous research which really shows. I am a huge history buff but I even learned a lot from reading this book!

I'm sad to say this title didn't live up to its predecessor in the series. It was equally accurate historically, but Kitty didn't have exciting adventures this time, and too much of the book focused on her thoughts and her writing.. It got more interesting toward the end, but I was disappointed in the ending. I don't want to provide spoilers so I can't go into details. This book might be more appropriate for a YA audience than for the adult market.

One of the best advantages to living in NYC is that you get to attend some teriffic book events. Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing Radha Vatsal, author of Murder Between the Lines, the second book in the Kitty Weeks mystery series, at the Mysterious Bookshop in Lower Manhattan.

I'd never been to the Mysterious Bookshop, and was very impressed. The shop is small, but wonderfully organized. They have bookshelves that line the perimeter from the floor to the very high ceiling. They host many events there, and have an extensive collection of signed books, which are helpfully labeled with a bright pink label on each book.




A standing-room only crowd was in attendance to hear Radha Vatsal speak about her newest book. I first heard Ms. Vatsal at Bryant Park's Author Series talking about her first Kitty Weeks' book, A Front Page Affair, which I enjoyed very much.


I'm happy to say that Murder Between the Lines is even better. This time young New York Sentinel Ladies' Page reporter Capability "Kitty" Weeks is writing a story about Westfield Hall, an exclusive girls' school in New York City in 1915.

Kitty is delighted to speak with Elspeth Bright, a student whose interest in science is ahead of her time. When Elspeth is found dead in Central Park, the result of her freezing to death during a sleepwalking episode, Kitty is led to believe that there is more to it than just an accident and begins investigating.

Vatsal does a great deal of research, which she said is made much easier now that old copies of The New York Times are now archived online, and she saw a headline "Girl Somnambulist Freezes" that gave her the storyline.

I love the historical context of these books, and Vatsal's research is evident on the page. In Murder Between the Lines she manages to work in sleepwalking, Thomas Edison's new batteries to be used in naval technology, President Woodrow Wilson's marriage to Edith Galt, and the burgeoning suffragette movement into her story. You get a real context for events of that time period.

The scene set in the Waldorf Astoria, where President Wilson is set to give a speech and where the suffragettes hope to meet with him, is so evocative. If you close your eyes, you feel as if you are walking in Peacock Alley in the iconic hotel, which, sadly, is closed for renovations now and under new ownership. I was glad Vatsal chose to read from that section at the book launch.

During the Q&A period, Vatsal spoke of how women in the 1910s had more opportunities, particularly in the fields of film and academia. There were many more female silent film directors than there are even today. There were over 600 epsidoes of 30 film series featuring female heroines, like The Hazards of Helen. Vatsal describes a scene of Helen chasing down men who stole money from her, fighting them on top of a moving train.

I'm sure that we will see some of these women in future Kitty Weeks mysteries. Vatsal explained to the crowd that in the 1920s, professional requirements such as more education in areas of law and academia meant that women were increasingly shut out of those professions.

If you are a fan of Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries, or Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series, you will want to read Radha Vatsal's Kitty Weeks mysteries. I highly recommend Murder Between the Lines.


The Mysterious Bookshop can be found here.
A video of The Hazards of Helen can be found here.

The second book in this delightful series about an intrepid journalist who faces danger and the unknown to get the truth. Loved this book!!

Kitty Weeks is the classic intrepid "girl" reporter in this clever well written mystery. Vatsal has done a nice job of blending real historical figures into a tale set in the 1910s- you'll learn a little bit as well as enjoy the story. This could have easily gone the other way but Kitty is a complex and complicated woman. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a winner.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Murder Between the Lines is the second book in Radha Vatsal’s Kitty Weeks mystery series. These books take place during World War I- but before the United States has entered the war. Kitty is a young woman who works as a newspaper reporter for the Ladies’ Page of The New York Sentinel. She doesn’t intend to become a detective, but her dedication to discovering the truth compels her to pursue irregularities until victims receive the justice they deserve.

In this book, a routine story about a girls’ boarding school places Kitty back in investigator mode. At the school, Kitty meets a bright girl named Elspeth. They arrange to get together when Elspeth returns home for Christmas vacation. She is excited about something she wants to tell Kitty, but the next morning, Elspeth is found outside- dead. The death is labeled a tragic accident, a side effect of Elspeth’s childhood sleepwalking. Naturally, Kitty is suspicious, and as she probes deeper, she realizes that she has every reason to feel that way.

This was a satisfying book. Vatsal is a talented writer with an eye for period details. I was especially pleased with her “name-dropping” of the Automobile Girls books series at the beginning of the book; these titles are free on the Kindle, and I can imagine how these fun books would have displeased the stern headmistress of a girls’ school. But, I digress- another aspect of the book that I liked was the way in which Vatsal combined Kitty’s personal life with her sleuthing. In fact, it is Kitty’s relatively high position in society that grants her entrée to prominent people in the city.

I would recommend Murder Between the Lines. Reading the first book is not a requirement; this book functions well as a standalone. I’m not positive, but I’m fairly confident that the mystery from the first book is not spoiled in this book. I was not able to solve the mystery before the “big reveal”; hints are dropped, but many are red herrings. Kitty Weeks is a charming protagonist; she has a quiet charm and confidence that make her easy to like. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series!

In her second Kitty Weeks novel, Rhada Vatsal again takes us back to the 1910s, a tumultuous time in U.S. history, where women are demanding the long promised right to vote, and, as World War I bloodies Europe, the American government and defense industries are quietly preparing for war.

Set in 1915, New York City, "Murder Between the Lines," depicts an America that, on the surface, appears to be as it has been for decades. Kitty Weeks, the daughter of a wealthy man who simultaneously tries to protect her as he encourages her to be independent, knows that war is coming. The signs are not hidden well. Her best friend returns from nursing soldiers on the battlefields of Europe a broken woman. She has seen the horror of trench warfare first hand. At the same time, former President Theodore Roosevelt has "called for a navy that would be second in size and efficiency only to that of Great Britain," and government money is pouring in to test Edison's batteries for use in submarines.

A writer for the ladies' page of "The Sentinel" newspaper, Kitty has pushed hard against covering tea parties and has successfully convinced her editor to allow her to cover suffragettes and Woodrow Wilson's visit to New York City. When Elspeth Bright, a young, vibrant woman, connected to the Edison battery-research, is found frozen to death in Central Park, Kitty is driven to use her journalist skills to try to bring her justice.

Vatsal's meticulous historical research broadens Kitty's world to include the famous suffragette, Alva Belmont (also known as Alva Vanderbilt), and the actress Marie Dressler, known later for, among other things, her brilliant performance in "Dinner at Eight." We also attend the "first annual dinner of the Motion Picture Board of Trade of America" at the newish Waldorf-Astoria. Here, President Woodrow Wilson prophetically states: “America will always seek to the last point at which her honor is involved to avoid the things which disturb the peace of the world, ...there will come that day when the world will say, ‘This America that we thought was full of a multitude of contrary counsels now speaks with the great volume of the heart’s accord, and that great heart of America has behind it the supreme moral force of righteousness and hope and the liberty of mankind!'”

Rhada Vatsal is an exceptional writer and gifted historian. In the first Kitty Weeks novel, "The Front Page," and again in this second novel, Vatsal has successfully recreated the mood, the sights, smells and controversies of New York City in the years leading up to the deployment of American soldiers to fight in the Great War. As the United States enters into the centennial anniversary of America's involvement in that war, Vatsal's books allow us to reflect on the small fires that led to the conflagration, and they allow us to recognize that the fight for female equality is not a recent endeavor.

"Murder Between the Lines" deserves more than five stars. Read it and you will agree.