Alyssa Maxwell, author of nine Newport-based Gilded Age mystery books, visited Charter Books on June 14 for a “Meet the Author” and book-signing event.
Although she did not make a formal presentation to the group, she engaged in conversation with patrons who came to purchase one of her books or pre-order her upcoming, “Murder at Beacon Rock,” which is due out in August. Fans streamed in for more than one hour, engaging the author in chats about her books as if the characters were still alive in 2022.
One fan, who acknowledged having read all Maxwell’s books to date, drove from New Jersey with her two young daughters to meet with Maxwell. And this was not the first time she had done so. A native of Poland, she said she has been an avid reader all her life and is encouraging her daughters to do the same. She enjoys books both in Polish and English.
She said she was hooked from the first book, “Murder at the Breakers,” written in 2014, adding that Maxwell brings the characters to life in a way so that she feels a personal connection with them.
Lucie-Anne has been an inveterate reader all her life, owns hundreds of books, and enjoys sharing her thoughts about what she reads.
The author said her reason for writing the mystery series was to open up gilded Newport to common people. During the Gilded Age, she said, the nouveaux rich sought to exclude folks they perceived as outside their circle from knowing anything about their lives.
Maxwell started with “Murder at the Breakers” because The Breakers is considered by many to be the most spectacular and “museum-like” mansion. “Murder at Marble House” followed as like The Breakers, was commissioned and occupied by member of the Vanderbilt family. Her third book, “Murder at Beechwood,” introduced readers to a mansion belonging to another prominent Gilded Age family, the Astors.
From there, she has moved on to other well-known Newport estates.
“Murder at Beacon Rock” is her 10th book in the series.
Maxwell, who lives in Florida full time, always enjoys returning to Newport and was particularly happy to do so this year since there had been a hiatus in her annual visits during the pandemic. And her fans should stand by, because although she did not commit to returning later this summer when “Murder at Beacon Rock” will officially be on sale, she did not rule it out.
Leave a Reply