Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: September 19, 2017
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Rating: ★★★★

The latest in a dazzling new historical mystery series featuring Ruby Proulx, a psychic with a questionable past who suddenly finds her future most uncertain…

Partially reformed con artist Ruby Proulx is starting to feel at home in her aunt’s seaside hotel. She loves the feeling of being rooted in one place and also feels a sense of purpose as she helps her aunt keep her business afloat by acting as a psychic medium for the hotel’s metaphysically inclined guests.

When one of the guests, renowned Spiritualist and outspoken suffragist Sophronia Foster Eldridge, checks into the hotel for a month-long stay, Ruby finds her sense of purpose expand outside the confines of home and family. Sophronia takes Ruby under her wing and mentors her in the mediumistic abilities, encouraging her to work for a woman’s right to vote. But not everyone is as happy with Sophronia’s appearance in Old Orchard. When her body is found floating in the saltwater plunge pool of a local bathhouse, Ruby takes it upon herself to solve the murder, and in the process learns that Sophronia was hiding some secrets of her own.

WHISPERS OF WARNING is the second book in Jessica Estevao’s A Change of Fortune Mystery series, though it can easily be read standalone. This enjoyable character-driven novel set at the turn of the last century is as much historical fiction as it is mystery, with just a touch of the paranormal.

The women’s suffrage movement of the late 1890s and the popularity of spiritualism at the time take center stage in this book. Clever and unconventional protagonist Ruby Proulx lives and works at her aunt’s seaside hotel in Maine as a medium, a job she’s well suited for as she’s had voices to guide her throughout her life. When a rally brings famous suffragist Sophronia Foster Eldridge to the hotel, Ruby is thrilled, especially when Sophronia becomes her mentor. Unfortunately the controversial woman is found dead not long after her arrival, and amateur sleuth Ruby is suspicious.

I would have liked the murder to take place sooner than the halfway point that it did, though reading about the sometimes turbulent suffrage movement from Ruby’s point of view held my interest. The metaphysical elements added a nice touch to the story without overwhelming it. I also loved the Victorian hotel and Maine coastal setting. Lovely! Ruby is an engaging main character, and I’d love to go back and read the first book to learn more of her backstory.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.