I enjoyed this first title in a new series and look forward to reading new titles in the series as they are published. You feel like an insider at the White House while reading… and the inclusion of so many historical icons gives it a special unique slant.

I love Amanda Flower books so my hopes were high for this one and I was not disappointed. I love historical fiction and this is what I would classify as a cozy historical mystery. I look forward to reading more in the series in the future.

Washington, D.C. 1894. The country is in a financial shambles, as the stock market crashed the early 1890s. Grover Cleveland is president. Julia Dent Grant, widow of former president Ulysses Grant, and her daughter, Nellie Grant Sartoris, are invited to a White House state dinner. Nellie has returned to Washington from England, where she had been living. She is newly divorced and this has created quite the scandal. Attending the White House dinner as guests of First Lady Frances (Frankie) Cleveland, they are made to feel welcome. At some point in the evening, the First Lady's Tiffany-designed brooch is stolen from her dress and Kitty, the maid, is accused, immediately dismissed from her position and forced to leave the White House. Nellie knows the maid from her previous time living there and she knows Kitty could not possibly have stolen the brooch. Kitty is found drowned some time later and Nellie plays a part in identifying the body. The police declare it must be suicide.

Frances Cleveland determines to investigate the crime and she calls on Nellie and her mother to assist. Nellie is the perfect one to help, as she spent several years living in the White House, and knows many of the nooks and crannies, as well as many of the people who are employed there. Even so, Nellie discovers cubbies she never knew about and it is these hidden spaces which help determine who's innocent and who's guilty.

Nellie discovers she is good at investigating and ultimately, brings the culprit or culprits, to justice. It is up to the reader to follow the clues and solve this murder for themselves. Did Kitty drown herself for the shame? Or is there something more nefarious going on in the White House?

In 1894 Washington, D.C., Nellie Grant and her children are living in the home of her mother and former First Lady Julia Dent Grant. After a troubled marriage Nellie is looking for a fresh start when a visit to the White House turns deadly—and current First Lady Frances Cleveland asks Nellie to investigate the death of the trusted maid. This cozy historical mystery is immersive with historical details and figures.