No one can keep a secret like high society – even when that secret is murder.
November 1928, New York City.
There are two things Penelope Harris would rather do than get involved with another murder—sing opera and flirt with Thom Lund. When two tickets ensure Penelope and Thom get some precious time together at the Metropolitan opera, neither believes another murder will interrupt their romantic evening.
Fate has a different plan. Before the night is over a failed manufacturing tycoon is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, his poisoned and dying daughter nearby. Is it an accident? Suicide? Or murder? When a fellow soprano pleads for help, Penelope just can’t help her inquisitive nature.–from the description of Murder at the Met
As Penelope pulls back the cover on a diabolical crime, Lund rushes to complete the investigation of a suicide on the Gold Coast of Long Island. What they find will uncover the sordid underbelly of high society and put Penelope on the wrong side of her own gun.
Disclaimer: An eARC of this book was provided to me through BookSirens. Many thanks to BookSirens and E.W. Cooper for the chance to read it! Please see my full Disclosure and my Review Policy for more info.
Earlier this year, I read The Jade Tiger. If you read my review of that, then you already know how much I enjoyed it. So, of course, I was super excited for the chance to read the next installment in the series!
But, first things first. I do recommend reading the previous review first; and if you decide you want to read Murder at the Met, I highly recommend reading The Jade Tiger first. Although this book can be read as a standalone, I think it’s better to have the background knowledge from the first one.
Now, on to my review for Murder at the Met!
Review
I absolutely loved this book; I enjoyed it a lot more than the previous one. And I already liked that one quite a bit to begin with!
Firstly, though, I want to talk about the most important thing in this book: the mystery itself. Honestly, this plot was so intriguing with so many different facets and threads; it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Plus, I truly didn’t see the conclusion coming; it completely shocked me. Of course, looking back, it made sense and the clues were there, but I didn’t even come close to piecing it together.
Aside from the basic case of the book, though, I really enjoyed the character development in this one. I liked how it built upon the information from the previous book, but it was also interesting by itself. Plus, I loved how it played into the plot, as well. There’s one thing in particular that goes outside the box when it comes to tying into the main plot, but I’ll leave it to you to find out when you read it!
Also, the relationship development between different characters in this book was just as good as the individual character development. Penelope and Lund’s storyline remains super interesting, but I personally liked how Cooper developed Penelope’s relationship with her mother.
Finally, I think I liked the setting in this book even more than I did in the first one. Of course, it’s still 1920s New York City, but we saw more locations in Murder at the Met, which I enjoyed. Though, I suppose we did get more flashbacks to Shanghai in the first installment.
TL,DR Recommendation
So, I highly recommend reading this book as well as the rest of the series. It has an excellent plot that is guaranteed to fascinate you, and the characters are truly amazing, too. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more installments in this series!
And if you enjoyed my review of Murder at the Met, check out the recommended posts below for some more similar content! Or head over to the Book Reviews tab to see my full library of featured reviews.
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