by R. J. Koreto
“You do? How impressive. What did you think about the article?”
“I loved it. So did Alice. Mrs. Cowles—well, she wasn’t so sure.”
“I imagine not. But my editor certainly liked it. I made him a very happy man.”
“Moving up the ladder?” I asked.
“It seems so. I’ll be doing more than Society gossip.”
“Want to celebrate your promotion on my dime? I’ll buy you dinner.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Where would we go?”
“I’ve come to enjoy Chinese food—I was introduced to it when I started this job. I know a great place.”
“I can’t use chopsticks.”
I reached into my coat pocket. “Two forks,” I said.
“I like a man who’s prepared.”
“And then after dinner, I’ll buy you a drink or two at Mezzaluna in Little Italy.”
“Mezzaluna? I’ve heard of it. Glamorous but full of unsavory types.”
“Yes, glamorous and colorful. Don’t worry—I know the owner, and he owes me and Alice a favor. She got a job for the owner’s nephew. I get taken care of there.”
“There’s a story there, I’m sure. Unfortunately, you can’t be quoted.”
“Unfortunately.” I held out my arm, and after a moment, she took it, and we walked along the sidewalk.
“About Miss Roosevelt,” she said. “I’ve watched her, as a reporter and as a woman. I think she is rather fond of you, Joey.”
“I think you’re right, Felicia,” I said.
“I also think you’re rather fond of her, as well,” she said with a sidelong glance and another lovely smile.
I had to agree with that, too.
HISTORICAL NOTE
Was Alice as shocking as I portray her here? Although this is a work of fiction, the real Alice Roosevelt was well known for her outrageous statements and behavior throughout her long life. Theodore Roosevelt once commented, “I can either run the country, or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both.” She really did smoke cigarettes in public and visit bookies.
Alice’s aunt, Anna Roosevelt Cowles, is not as famous today as her brother or her nieces—Alice and Eleanor—but she may have been one of the most remarkable members of the family. Intelligent and strong-willed, she was the only one who could manage Alice and was an important influence on her. Anna was also a lifelong confidant of her brother’s, and Theodore consulted her on many important decisions throughout his presidency. For the sake of the plot, I have her and Alice in New York during this period, although they spent much of their time in Washington.
Although the Secret Service did start protecting the presidential family around this time, Joseph St. Clair is a fictional creation. He is loosely based on real Rough Rider troopers, but there is no evidence Alice had any kind of friendship with any bodyguard. Mr. Wilkie, who makes a brief appearance at the start of this novel, really was head of the Secret Service at this time. Although this encounter is fictional, I have a feeling Alice drove him to distraction.
The Rutledges, Lindes, and Bracktons and the main plot of the book are my inventions. However, I did base the subplot of the Roths and the Japanese diplomat on a fascinating and yet little-known historical event: Jacob Schiff, a German-Jewish immigrant, was a noted Wall Street figure and philanthropist. He helped fund Japan in its conflict with Russia, motivated largely by his disgust with Russia’s anti-Semitic policies. It was a bold move, as no one believed an Asian nation could beat a European one. His investment paid off and had long-term financial implications while changing worldwide attitudes regarding Jews. Interestingly, Theodore Roosevelt was an early supporter of Zionism and spoke out against Russian pogroms. He was the first president to appoint a Jewish cabinet member: Oscar Straus as Secretary of Commerce and Labor.
Alice mentions William T. Jerome, who was in fact the Manhattan district attorney at this time. He would later prosecute Harry K. Thaw for the murder of architect Stanford White, one of the most famous murder cases in the twentieth century. His first cousin was Jennie Jerome, the mother of Winston Churchill.
St. Benedict the Moor Church, where Peter Carlyle and Cathleen O’Neill get married, does exist and was established in the nineteenth century to serve the city’s African-American Catholics. It’s still a functioning church, staffed by an order of Spanish friars. Many states had strict laws against interracial marriage, which existed until Loving v. Virginia. However, New York never had such a law, even though most people probably would’ve found such a union shocking.
The New York Herald, ensconced in its magnificent building (sadly torn down decades ago), was probably the most colorful paper in an era of colorful journalism, when facts were often not as important as a lively story. Felicia Meadows is a fictional character, but female journalists were making their mark even at the turn of the century. The Herald merged with its more sedate rival, the Tribune, in 1924, and the Herald-Tribune continued until 1966.
Finally, a note on Theodore Roosevelt and women: his daughter Alice, niece Eleanor, and sister Anna were all, in their own highly individual ways, outstanding contributors to American political and social life. I think it’s no coincidence that Theodore, surrounded by these examples, was one of the first major US political figures to call for women’s suffrage, as early as 1912.
ALSO AVAILABLE BY R. J. KORETO
ALICE ROOSEVELT MYSTERIES
Alice and the Assassin
LADY FRANCES FFOLKES MYSTERIES
Death at the Emerald
Death Among Rubies
Death on the Sapphire
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
R. J. Koreto, a business and financial journalist, has over the years been a magazine writer and editor, website manager, PR consultant, and seaman in the US Merchant Marine. A graduate of Vassar College, he is author of the Lady Frances Ffolkes mysteries, a member of Mystery Writers of America, and has been published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. This is his second Alice Roosevelt mystery.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by R. J. Koreto.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-68331-577-3
ISBN (ePub): 978-1-68331-578-0
ISBN (ePDF): 978-1-68331-579-7
Cover design by Andy Ruggirello
Book design by Jennifer Canzone
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Crooked Lane Books
34 West 27th St., 10th Floor
New York, NY 10001
First Edition: June 2018
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
