Tour: The Delafield and Malloy Investigations by Trish MacEnulty
Book details:
First Book Title: The Whispering Women
Series: Delafield & Malloy Investigations
Author: Trish MacEnulty
Publication Date: 09/06/22
Publisher: Prism Light Press
Page Length: 387
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Can two women get the lowdown on high society?
Louisa Delafield and Ellen Malloy didn’t ask to be thrown together to bring the truth to light. But after Ellen witnesses the death of a fellow servant during an illegal abortion, Louisa, a society columnist, vows to help her find the truth and turn her journalistic talent to a greater purpose.
Together, these unlikely allies battle to get the truth out, and to avenge the wrongful death of a friend.
What will our heroes do when their closest allies and those they trust turn out to be the very forces working to keep their story in the dark? They’ll face an abortionist, a sex trafficking ring, and a corrupt system determined to keep the truth at bay.
Was change possible in 1913?
To find out, read THE WHISPERING WOMEN today!
“Richly drawn characters, the vibrant historical setting, and a suspenseful mystery create a strong current that pulls readers into this delightful novel. But it's the women's issues—as relevant today as they were in the early 1900s—that will linger long after the last page."
-- Donna S. Meredith, The Southern Literary Review
“If you like historical fiction and if you like mysteries, this one is for you!”
– 5 Star Amazon Review
Available in #KindleUnlimited
Louisa walked toward the narrow five-story stone building that housed The Ledger. She took the elevator to the third floor and made her way through the maze of desks, removed her hat, and settled herself at a desk in the corner of the large newsroom. The steady clack-clack of typewriters and the low hum of conversations made a soothing backdrop to her work. She felt a bit lighter since it was payday. She refused to think about what might happen if Thorn made good on his threat to cut her column to three days a week.
“Why do you suppose Mr. Calloway hired a butcher instead of an editor for the paper?” she asked Billy Stephens, who was blowing the steam off a hot cup of coffee.
“I don’t mind old Thorny,” Billy said with a shrug. “He gave me a raise. Says he wants more local flavor in the paper.”
A raise? Her paycheck was in an envelope on her desk. She opened it up. The
payment was exactly the same as it had always been. She hadn’t had a raise in the entire three years she’d worked for the paper.
After she finished her story, she took it in to the lion’s den. She clasped her hands and awaited Thorn’s judgement as he scanned her story on the opening of Grand Central Terminal.
“Nothing scintillating at all?” he asked.
“I did mention the kissing galleries,” Louisa said.
He continued to peruse the story. Then he yawned and handed it back to her.
“I do have something,” she ventured. “An American princess is coming to town. There’s a soirée…”
“You don’t say?” he asked, peering up at her through his spectacles. He blinked his slate gray eyes.
“Actually, she’s an American woman who married the Prince of Portugal,” Louisa explained.
“Get an interview with her,” he demanded.“Everyone loves royalty.”
“It’s not that simple,” she said, remembering how Amelia had specifically not invited her.
“Are you a journalist or a copyist?” he sneered.
“I’ll get the story,” she snapped. She strode back to her desk, placed her hat on her head and jabbed the hat pin into her mass of hair. She accidentally pricked her scalp, readjusted the pin, and headed toward the elevator.
She must have been looking the other way as she opened the heavy glass door of the building and stepped out because her face was suddenly inches away from a wall of fine wool. As she stepped back, her eyes traveled up from the lapels of a man’s charcoal frock coat to his striped vest, up to the ascot around his collared neck and then to a strong clean-shaven chin, full lips, ruddy cheeks and into the amused mahogany eyes of the paper’s publisher, Mr. Forrest Calloway.
“Mr. Calloway,” she said, utterly mortified she’d been so careless and at once blaming old Prickly Thorn for causing her to be distracted. “How clumsy of me.”
“Not at all, Miss Delafield. It’s my fault entirely,” he said.
“Of course it isn’t,” she disagreed. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It’s quite all right. Your mind is on higher things, I’m sure,” he said. His accent carried the hint of desert and sunlight —a reminder that he was not a New Yorker.
“How kind of you to think so,” she said. What a fool she must look, and yet this was more conversation than she’d had with the man in her entire tenure at the paper. He rarely made visits to the office.
“I won’t detain you any longer, Miss Delafield. I’m just in to meet with my new man,” he said. “And I’ve no doubt you’re off to cover some important social event. Luncheon with Mrs. Vanderbilt?”
“Not today, I’m afraid. They’re all sleeping off last night’s opening of Grand Central Terminal,” Louisa said. She had no idea what else to tell the man — that she was a failure at dishing dirt and probably about to be fired?She decided that dishonesty was the best policy. “I do have an interview with a princess, however.”
“A princess?”
“An American girl who married a Portuguese prince.” Calloway smiled and said, “Everyone loves a Cinderella story.”
Then he stepped into his newspaper building. She wished she’d told him that his “new man” was a butcher and he should find a replacement immediately.
The Burning Bride, Book #2, A Delafield & Malloy Investigation
Secrets and Spies, Book #3, A Delafield & Malloy Investigation
Trish MacEnulty is a bestselling novelist. In addition to her historical fiction, she has published novels, a short story collection, and a memoir. A former Professor of English, she currently lives in Florida with her husband, two dogs, and one cat. She writes book reviews and feature articles for the Historical Novel Review. She loves reading, writing, walking with her dogs, streaming historical series, cooking, and dancing.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://trishmacenulty.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pmacenulty
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055362621397
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/trishmac_historicalfiction/
BookBub:https://www.bookbub.com/authors/trish-macenulty
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Trish-MacEnulty/author/B01G4A797G
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15085884.Trish_MacEnulty
Tour hosted by: The Coffee Pot Book Club
