The Historic Homes Mysteries
—Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author
—Art Taylor, Edgar® Award winning author
—Lisa Black, NYT bestselling author
The Greenleaf Murders
Book 1
Young architect Wren Fontaine lands her dream job: restoring Greenleaf House, New York’s finest Gilded-Age mansion, to its glory days. But old homes have old secrets, and the current Greenleafs aren’t being completely honest with her. A shady developer trying to buy the mansion is found dead, and then Wren finds a skeleton in the attic. A distraction of a different kind appears in the form of her client’s seductive niece—who has her own past. After a third murder, Wren must read the home’s story, uncovering a century of passion. Wren ultimately changes the lives of the Greenleafs, the people who served them, the mansion they all called home—and even her own life.
The Turnbull Murders
Book 2
Movie star Nicky Tallon selects architect Wren Fontaine to renovate Turnbull House, a 200-year-old mansion where he’ll be filming his next movie. The home has a dark history, but that’s just a historical curiosity, until someone starts killing members of the film crew. She struggles to understand Nicky and his two girlfriends, a sophisticated model and a childlike folksinger, even as she and her girlfriend Hadley plan to take the next step in their relationship. Eventually, Wren sees the mansion connects two centuries of murder and has deeply affected all its owners. Fortunately for her, the eminently practical Hadley is by her side, pepper spray at the ready—because a frighteningly clever killer is about to find that Wren is getting too close to the horrific truth.
The Cadieux Murders
Book 3
The ink is still wet on the contract, but Wren Fontaine is already running into trouble as she renovates Cadieux House, a modernist masterpiece on Long Island’s exclusive Gold Coast, built by the brilliant and eccentric Marius Cadieux. In 1955, it was the site of the never-solved murder of its owner, Dennis Blaine. Cadieux himself was alleged to be having an affair with Dennis’s wife, the stunning Rebecca. It seems like yesterday’s headlines, but then someone starts killing people with a connection to the house. Rebecca apparently inspired the strange, yet alluring residence, and in turn, both the home and its mistress inspired passionate emotions. Wren uses all her architectural skills to decipher the hidden message Cadieux cunningly wove into the home’s design. With her girlfriend Hadley at her side, Wren eventually solves the mysteries of the home and the people who lived there, develops a grudging respect for modernist architecture—and learns something about the difference between love and obsession.
All Praise
“If you love houses and puzzles—which I do—you will be captivated by The Greenleaf Murders, the first in Richard Koreto’s new series. Equally sure-footed in the gilded age of the mansion’s heyday and the contemporary world of its decline, Koreto has woven a pretzel of a plot, introduced a charming new heroine, and whetted appetites for more grave deeds and grandeur.”
—Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author
“I believe I was secretly born to be an architect, which is probably why I so enjoyed this mystery of a stately NYC mansion and its role in murders both past and present.”
—Lisa Black, NYT bestselling author
“…Koreto weaves a story that creates the perfect tension between the beauty of the golden era and the fear of a killer in plain sight.”
—L.A. Chandlar, national bestselling author
“…R.J. Koreto proves himself a master craftsman throughout, with a keen eye for all the right details.”
—Art Taylor, Edgar® Award winning author
“Koreto weaves past and present into an engrossing tale of old and new New York. Fans of Fiona Davis will delight in this blending of history with present-day issues, proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same. An engaging heroine uses her knowledge of history to unravel a century-old family secret and solve a very recent murder as she restores a landmark home in Manhattan.”
—Victoria Thompson, USA Today bestselling author
“Readers will fall in love with this book and everything in it!!! Koreto knows how to draw readers into the story and you will not want to leave until you know everything about both cases.”
—Cozy Mystery Book Reviews