The Ivory City

Murphy’s diverting latest (after Enchanted Hill) finds Grace Covington getting a taste of the good life while attending the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair with her wealthy cousins Oliver and Lillie Carter. Oliver is in love with Harriet Forbes, an actress his mother deems below their station. After Harriet is murdered at the fair, Oliver is thrown in jail, and Grace must team up with Lillie to prove his innocence by finding the killer among half a dozen suspects. Meanwhile, Grace is both drawn to and repelled by the rich, standoffish Theodore Parker. The scenes at the fair, full of attractions including ferris wheels and premature babies in incubators, are well researched, and the mystery manages to surprise at every turn. However, despite numerous threats to her life, Grace remains laughably foolhardy, and her constant volleying between desperately working to save Oliver and joyfully visiting the fair’s exhibitions results in significant tonal whiplash. Still, Murphy sticks the landing with a satisfying conclusion that’s feel-good without tipping into treacle. Historical whodunit fans will be pleased. (Nov.)