Whispers of Warning

Jessica Estevao

Sep 2017 · A Change of Fortune Mystery Book 2 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Ruby Proulx’s new life in Orchard Beach, Maine, faces some sinister complications in the next Change of Fortune Mystery by Jessica Estevao…

Free from the clutches of her con artist father, Ruby Proulx is starting to settle in at the Belden, her aunt Honoria’s seaside hotel. She loves finally being rooted in one place and also feels a sense of purpose as she helps Honoria 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 monthlong stay, Ruby finds her sense of purpose expands outside the confines of home and family. Sophronia takes Ruby under her wing and mentors her in the mediumistic abilities, encouraging her to fight for women’s rights.
 
But not everyone is as happy with Sophronia’s appearance in Old Orchard. When a dangerous act of sabotage is carried out and a body is found floating in the pool of a local bathhouse, Ruby takes it upon herself to find answers— and in the process learns that her new friend has been hiding some deadly secrets of her own…

Ratings and reviews

Whispers of Warning by Jessica Estevao is the second story in A Change of Fortune Mystery series. Ruby Proulx and her Aunt Honoria are thrilled when suffragist and spiritualist, Sophronia Foster Eldridge checks into the Belden for a month long stay (quite a coupe for the hotel). At a suffrage rally, Sophronia states she is writing a book about corruption and secret dealings by powerful men. She will sell her manuscript to the highest bidder and use the money to further suffrage movement. Despite a threatening letter and a sabotaged stage, Sophronia will not be deterred. Is Sophronia that dedicated to the cause or does she have a hidden agenda? Sophronia is soon found dead a pool at Pinkney Ferris’ bathhouse. Ruby starts looking into Sophronia’s life and sets out to expose her killer. Whispers of Warning is the second story in A Change of Fortune Mystery series and it can be read alone. Ruby’s past and her abilities along with what occurred in the first book is discussed (in great detail). I like the paranormal and historical aspects of the story (suffrage, spiritualist, Hay Feverist Society). The writing style, though, hindered my reading enjoyment. It lacks an ease. The pace was glacial thanks to the overabundance of details (the author needed to find a balance) and repetition of information. The dialogue seems stilted and awkward. I am rating Whispers of Warning 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). The murder did not occur until almost halfway into the story. By the time Sophronia was killed (there was no doubt she would be the one murdered), I already identified the evil doer. Suffrage instead of mystery dominates Whispers of Warning. Whispers of Warning has an interesting premise, but I did not enjoy the final outcome.

About the author

Jessica Estevao is the author of the debut novel in the Change of Fortune Mysteries, Whispers Beyond the Veil. She loves the beach, mysterious happenings, and all things good-naturedly paranormal. While she lives for most of the year in New Hampshire, with her dark and mysterious husband and exuberant children, she delights in spending her summers on the coast of Maine where she keeps an eye out for sea monsters and mermaids. As Jessie Crockett, she writes the Sugar Grove Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime.