A Death at the Rose Paperworks [Paperback]

Set in Portland, Ore., in 1894, this pleasant historical mystery gives readers a window into a nearly extinct industry (rag-pulp papermaking) and a long-ago society in which a self-reliant single woman was practically unheard of. The pseudonymous Zellnik (a bicoastal, brother-sister writing team) does a credible job of creating this world, but the novel is hampered by repetitiveness and fussy, stilted language. Following the friendship formed in the first book in the series (2005's Murder at the Portland Variety), self-employed seamstress Libby Seale again teams up with newspaper reporter Peter Eberle to solve a gruesome murder at the paper mill, one of the town's largest employers. Along the way, their attraction grows, but romance seems hopeless, for Libby is legally unable to extricate herself from a loveless, abusive marriage. The final scene presents a genuine surprise, which is also an obvious segue to the next book. Readers who have come to care about Libby will be eager to learn what lies ahead for this spunky heroine.
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Libby Seale, the intrepid seamstress featured in Murder at the Portland Variety (2005), now has a job with the prominent Rose family in Portland, Oregon. When Hiram Rose, the not-so-beloved family patriarch, is found dead, mangled in the machinery at his paper mill, there is no shortage of suspects. He had recently fired most of his workers and hired Chinese immigrants. As the family copes with the tragedy, Hiram walks through the front door, very much alive, but subsequent attempts on his life show that the threat continues. Libby, partnering again with reporter Peter Eberle, begins to investigate. The growing attraction between the amateur sleuths complicates matters, as Libby is still married to the abusive husband she left in New York. This series effectively captures the vibrant atmosphere of a growing western city as the twentieth century dawns. The novel also raises issues that are as timely today as they were when Libby and Peter were investigating: immigration, fair labor practices, business corruption, and spousal abuse. This first-rate historical series deserves a wider audience. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

"This series effectively captures the vibrant atmosphere of a growing western city as the twentieth century dawns."

M. J. Zellnik takes us back to 1890s Portland, Oregon, when horse-drawn carriages crowded the busy streets. The booming city offers refuge to Libby Seale who has fled New York and an abusive husband. As a seamstress for the prominent Rose family, she's one of the first to learn that her boss Hiram has been killed--mangled to death by machinery at his own paper mill! Minutes later, the distraught family is shocked to see a healthy Mr. Rose sauntering through the front door.

A suspect is locked up, but attempts on Mr. Rose's life continue mercilessly. Once again, Libby and reporter Peter Eberle team up to unmask the culprit. It takes every ounce of will power to ignore the dazzling attraction they feel for one another. Can they manage to find the killer without giving into love's sweet temptation?

A native of New York City, M. J. Zellnik was seduced by Portland's beauty and colorful history after an initial stay in 1995. She enjoyed learning more about her adopted home while writing Murder at the Portland Variety, her first novel, and is currently at work on a second Libby Seale adventure. When not traveling, she divides her time between New York and Portland.