Major Pierre “Pete” Ortiz was a Manhattan-born and Paris-educated polymath fluent in five languages. An adventuresome French Foreign Legion veteran specifically recruited by “Wild” Bill Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to both the CIA and U.S. Special Forces) upon his enlistment in the Marines, Ortiz was the officer “Wild Bill” instinctively knew he needed and could rely on to complete a string of clandestine missions.
While recuperating from gunshot wounds received during a behind-the-lines excursion into enemy-held North Africa, Ortiz delivered his After-Action Report directly to Donovan in Washington. After reading it, “Wild Bill” scrawled across the top of the report: “Please re-employ this man as soon as possible.” Ortiz’s handlers heeded Donovan’s request. Within a year Ortiz was surreptitiously parachuted into the Haute Savoie region of Occupied France, where he made contact with the resistance fighters who called themselves Maquisards.
By the time he retired as a United States Marine Corps colonel, he received two Navy Crosses for extraordinary heroism in World War II. He was one of the very few U.S. Marines to serve in combat in Europe during World War II, and one of the most decorated Marine officers of the war.
THE PHANTOM: The Untold Story of the American Marine the Nazis Could Not Kill by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin is the biography of U.S. Marine Major Pierre “Pete” Ortiz who was nicknamed “Das Fantom” by the Gestapo during WWII. What an amazing, daring, and patriotic man I knew nothing about.
A multi-lingual adventurer who served eight years in the French Foreign Legion in Northern Africa, was a merchant marine seaman, a lion tamer, a riding instructor, and the chauffer to a bootlegger all before serving in the Marines and the fledgling OSS in WWII. Twice Ortiz parachuted into Nazi held France, once before and once after D-Day to equip and train French resistance groups.
This biography gave me so much new information. While I have read about “Wild Bill” and the beginning of American covert operations previously, I did not realize how many Marines were the backbone of the on-the-ground behind-the-lines operations. I found Ortiz’s life fascinating and very well documented throughout this biography, but I was also hoping for more. There is a good portion of the story spent on the set-up of the OSS and “Wild Bill” Donovan that while interesting, it is not why I picked up this book. While Ortiz’s life is told here, I wanted more focus on him, alone as the title infers.
Overall, a book that gives a good overview of the beginnings of the OSS and espionage during WWII while introducing the reader to an astonishing man of action.
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About the Author– Bob Drury
The New York Times bestselling author Bob Drury is the recipient of several national journalism awards as well as a three-time National Magazine Award finalist for his reporting from Belfast, Sarajevo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Darfur among other earthly Edens. His books include THE RESCUE SEASON, A DOG’S GIFT, and, with co-author Tom Clavin, THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT IS, HALSEY’S TYPHOON, VALLEY FORGE, BLOOD AND TREASURE, THE LAST HILL and THE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY, for which he received the U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s General Wallace M. Greene, Jr. Award.
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About the Author– Tom Clavin
TOM CLAVIN, whose most recent book is FOLLOW ME TO HELL, is a bestselling author who has worked as a newspaper and web site editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and a reporter for The New York Times covering entertainment, sports, and the environment. He has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and National Newspaper Association. Six of his books have been New York Times best sellers: THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT IS, DODGE CITY, HALSEY’S TYPHOON, THE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY, BLOOD AND TREASURE, and FOLLOW ME TO HELL. Other books that have received popular and critical acclaim include TOMBSTONE, WILD BILL, ALL BLOOD RUNS RED, TO THE UTTERMOST ENDS OF THE EARTH, THE LAST HILL, and LIGHTNING DOWN. Tom is also a nationally syndicated columnist and “The Overlook” can be found at tomclavin.substack.com. His next book, THE LAST OUTLAWS, will be published on November 7 by St. Martin’s Press. For more information, go to tomclavin.com
Buried Lies and Deadly Revenge have a layer of realism that elevates the suspense. Both books are fast-paced mysteries with engaging twists and turns, and are hard to put down.
Book Description
U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer Maya Thompson and her K-9, Juniper, are both ready for a break. Ever since moving to Colorado, it’s been one investigation after another. Murder, arson, kidnapping…they’ve handled it all. Now that her boyfriend, Undersheriff Josh Colton, is coming home, Maya is looking forward to spending some quality time together.
Until she and Juniper find the body of a woman in a pile of forest debris meant to burn, that is. Then Maya’s just looking forward to having Josh’s help in solving the crime.
But when the victim turns out to be Josh’s volatile ex-fiancée, and all signs point to Josh as the main suspect, Maya and Juniper must dig into Josh’s past to uncover the truth…before the killer, fixated on revenge, finds them.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Buried Lies introduces Cook County Prosecutor Elena Perez who discovers that an innocent man was in prison for the murder of a senator’s daughter. When she realized that former Chicago police officer Josh Colton might have evidence relating to that crime, she reached out to Josh’s former fiancée, Amber, to get Josh to turn over the evidence. When Amber called to request his evidence, Josh foolishly agreed to meet with her. Unfortunately, things go drastically wrong and Amber ends up dead, with Josh being framed for her murder. Maya and Juniper must dig into Josh’s past to uncover the truth before the killer, fixated on revenge, finds them.
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Book Description
There’s nothing more terrifying than a trail of smoke over a summer-dry national forest—at least, that’s what Forest Service law enforcement officer Maya Thompson thinks when she and her boyfriend, sheriff’s deputy Josh Colten, spot the first signs of a fire over the Colorado mountains.
But when she learns that a teen girl has been kidnapped and taken deep into the wilderness, a new fear grips her: If she and her K-9 partner, Juniper, can’t reach them fast enough, the fire might not just destroy her beloved forest—it might be the end to an innocent girl’s life.
An innocent girl who is tied to Maya in ways she never could have imagined. And in ways that will upend everything she’s always believed about her family…and the dark past that haunts her.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Deadly Revenge Maya and Josh are informed that there is a kidnapped girl, Hope. As they try to find her, they are hampered by a raving wildfire. Maya, Josh, and their K9s, Juniper and Finn, need to find the teen before something bad happens to her or the fire catches up to them. However, there is an informant in one of the agencies that are searching for Hope. Worse, the mole is feeding the kidnapper intel that helps them keep one step ahead. Plus, the innocent girl is tied to Maya in ways she never could have imagined.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: WithBuried Lieshow did you get the idea for the story?
Kathleen Donnelly: It was a mix of several things with just some imagination. And a bunch of what ifs. I knew Josh, the male lead, had a past, and I knew I wanted to have a book that really brought his past into the story. Plus, there was a case here in Colorado with a young man named Timothy Masters who was not only wrongfully convicted, but the prosecution withheld evidence because they felt he was guilty. When evidence came around that proved he wasn’t, they withheld it. He spent 20 years in prison. He’s been in prison a long time. It was another police officer, a detective on his case, who stuck with it and helped overturn the conviction and prove he was innocent of the murder. We always want to think of prosecutors doing the right thing, so just the idea that someone hid evidence was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ So, it was a mix of that, and then just a lot of imagination with what ifs.
EC: How would you describe Sydney; the victim Josh is accused of killing?
KD: She was stubborn. She was a drug addict. It was interesting because we want to profile them as coming from various backgrounds, but it can be anyone. Anyone can fall into the lifestyle depending on choices. She was a bit of a wild child. And just kind of didn’t want to have rules, and was still young and free, and didn’t think there would be consequences to her choices.
EC: What role did Amber, Josh’s former fiancé, play in the story?
KD: She’s obsessed with winning him back. She is a manipulator, spoiled, and not a rule follower. She was in Killer Secrets, book 3, so readers can really discover her there. Josh realized his relationship with her was not a healthy one, and he broke it off. But because it wasn’t healthy, Amber wanted to manipulate her way back into his life. Of course, he doesn’t want that.
EC: Do you want readers to feel sorry for her?
KD: I think whenever you have someone who’s been an antagonist, because she certainly was an antagonist in Killer Secrets, it’s more you want readers to understand their motivation and say, ‘I wouldn’t do that, but maybe I understand where this person’s coming from.’ I heard it from Jeffrey Deaver, and I’m sure he heard it from someone else that said, ‘you know, the antagonist is the hero of their own story.’ But, to be that, the goals and motivations must be understandable. Something we might say, ‘I would never do that, but I get where she’s coming from.’ Maybe we’ve had our hearts broken, but would never manipulate the relationship yet, understand a broken heart, and how hard it is to move on from a relationship.
EC: Why have one of the settings in Chicago, because of the violence?
KD: I had Josh come from Chicago. That’s where he grew up. I think with Chicago, I had, my dad grew up in Chicago, and my mom grew up in Illinois, so we have a lot of roots there. When my dad was growing up, it was the mob. But what’s interesting in Chicago is the mob has kind of moved but the gangs have moved in, and have kind of taken over that criminal activity. The other interesting thing, I read in a Chicago magazine about how gang members were looking for political office and getting elected. It was just so fascinating to think that a leader of a gang could become an Alderman. Because the neighborhoods almost feel like they can protect them or understand their interests. It somewhat planted a seed that I went down my own road. I thought, ‘if they’re in politics, what does that mean for all of Chicago politics? How are they influencing things?’ It was just a little seed that turned into a lot worse, and then, I wanted to make it clear, it’s all fiction and all imagination.
EC: How would you describe Elena, the investigative prosecutor?
KD: She survived the killing of her mother. I had her as a cross country runner to be able to escape the bad guys. She is tenacious. I feel like she might come back in future books, but I don’t really know when. We’ll see what happens with her.
EC: You always put in your books tidbits about a law enforcement working dog. In this one you mention a muzzle strike?
KD: This was something I was trying to research, and I have some books on police dog training. A muzzle strike is when the dogs are wearing a muzzle so they can’t bite, but they can hit the person. It’s used in a situation where the handler doesn’t want the dog to maybe apprehend the wrong person, but kind of push them. I did a lot of research and reading, and when I found it, I thought this would work for this scenario.
EC: Idea forDeadly Revenge, book 5?
KD: Where we live, in Colorado, we’ve had nights where we’ve had several fires burning near us, and you can look to the north and see flames. You can look to the south and see flames, which is scary. I thought we need to have a fire in a book to complicate things, and because it’s become such a part of the West, a reality of the West. Tragically, when this book released, we had lost at least four firefighters. So, it’s become a part of our lives, and I just felt the mountains are their own character, and brings with them their own beauty and conflict. The story also had Abigail’s revenge and after she kidnaps someone related to Maya the fire complicated the team looking for her.
EC: What about Abigail?
KD: When I wrote Hunting the Truth, I knew, at the end of that, she’d be back. I didn’t quite know when, and then, as I was writing this, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s time for Abigail to come back.’ I also feel like it was time to start wrapping up some of those storylines. I mean, she killed Maya’s mom, and grandmother. She is a corrupt cop. And obviously we meet her in jail. She met Maya’s mother when Maya’s mother ran away from home, and made some bad choices, which is how she ended up getting pregnant with Maya. So, Abigail was one of the cops that Maya’s mother, Zoe, ran across during that time, and Zoe had evidence on Abigail that made it worth Abigail killing to get it back, Abigail, she always had a plan, an endgame. She knows how to work the system. She’s manipulative, thought she was above the law, persuasive, narcissistic, unhinged, likes to extort people and hires people to do her dirty work.
EC: What was the tidbit in this book about working dog?
KD: Dogs overheating and that sometimes they cannot wear a protective vest because of that. I try to put in the tidbits, but it comes up naturally in the story. As a handler, back when I was working, heat was a huge factor when I was working the dogs. Since we worked at schools in the fall and the spring, I had to really watch the temperature. If the tidbits come up naturally and it’s something I can throw in and something that I find interesting, then I hope the reader finds it interesting. So, I don’t necessarily sit down and think, this is the tidbit I’m going put into this book. It just kind of happens organically.
EC: How would you describe the kidnapped victim, Hope?
KD: She’s a loner, doesn’t have a lot of friends, from divorced parents, and her dad is kind of a deadbeat dad. She can be sarcastic, a fighter, survivor, anxious and stubborn. She is close to her uncle. She’s a teenager.
EC: You said that she has some of Maya in her. What part of her personality, do you think, relates to Maya?
KD: I think they both are fighters and survivors. When we meet Maya in Chasing Justice, she’s a little bit of a loner at that time. It’s really, Josh and Pops, who help pull her through that, but, after she’s come back from the war, she’s a little bit of a loner, so I see them kind of similar, like, in those ways.
EC: Next books?
KD: Book 6 is called Blood Tracker, and comes out August of next year. The plot deals with poaching. There’ll be a book seven, and we’ll get more info later.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for BLACKOUT (Jake Bendall Thriller Book #3) by J. Luke Bennecke on this Partners In Crime Virtua; Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a PICT giveaway. Godd luck and enjoy!
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Book Description
THE LIES SHINE BRIGHTEST WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT.
The assassination was only the beginning. When the President of the United States is killed in a coordinated drone strike, the nation spirals into chaos. But this isn’t terrorism. It’s strategy.
Behind the attack stands a brilliant and ruthless leader of a shadowy global cabal known only as New3—a group convinced the age of American dominance is already over.
They’re just speeding it up.
Their plan is devastating in its simplicity:
First, kill the president.
Then cripple the nation’s power grid.
Finally, plunge the United States into darkness long enough for rival superpowers to make their move.
Civil engineer Jake Bendel never expected to be part of that war. As one of the architects of America’s AI-driven energy grid, he helped design the very system now being turned against the country.
As blackouts spread and order begins to fracture, Jake teams up with FBI agent Kristi Konnors to follow a trail of digital clues—only to uncover a conspiracy far bigger than a cyberattack. One that could hand America’s collapse to China and Russia.
Then it becomes personal.
Evidence emerges that Jake’s wife, Cynthia—presumed dead for years—may still be alive, trapped inside the organization behind it all.
Now Jake is running out of time. Because if the lights go out across America, the invasion won’t be far behind. And the system he built may be the only thing that can stop it.
Genre: High-Concept Thriller Published by: Jaytech Publishing Publication Date: October 6, 2026 Number of Pages: 436 ISBN: 9798990527386
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My Mini Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
BLACKOUT (A Jake Bendel Thriller Book #3) by J. Luke Bennecke is another fast paced, action-packed techno thriller/geopolitical thriller addition to this series featuring an unlikely hero, civil engineer Jake Bendel. With the character carryover and overarching plot of a global cabal trying to take over the world, I feel this series is best appreciated and enjoyed if read in order of publication.
This plot starts with a bang and does not let up. Jake is once again pulled into a world of super villains, that are a bit over the top, but fun to read about. Even as the characters are exaggerated to the edge of belief, the main terrorist plots are always terrifying and quite believable. Jake is a brilliant engineer and while he is mentally handling fighting the cabal better than in previous books, with the help of a new female FBI character, a huge twist involving his dead wife has been thrown into the mix.
I recommend this addition to this exciting thriller series that always leaves me more informed, but also more worried about terrorist engineering threats to our country.
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Excerpt
FACTS:
1. The United States power grid is divided into three largely independent systems, considered one of the most complex machines ever built with over 160,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines. Large portions of the grid infrastructure are decades old.
2. Modern societies rely on electricity for nearly every critical system including: water treatment plants, fuel pipelines, telecommunications networks, hospitals, and transportation systems.
3. GPS signals are surprisingly weak and vulnerable to interference.
4. The largest blackout in North American history affected 50 million people in August 2023 involving eight states and Canada.
5. Small inexpensive drones can now carry lethal payloads.
6. The U.S. military (under DARPA’s OFFSET program) have tested drone swarm “curtain” formations.
CHAPTER 1
Friday, September 27 – 8:49 a.m. –
AIRPLANE #1 – Private Gulfstream Jet – Coast of Venezuela
The day was perfect for flying, sipping Russo-Baltique vodka—and an assassination.
In exactly eleven minutes.
Ominous black clouds churned miles beneath the Gulfstream cruising high above the Atlantic. Far away, 1,600 miles north, thick fog rolled across the runway at Tampa International Airport—with Air Force One descending on approach.
Tracy strode the cabin aisle, air thick with sweat and heavy leather. Her smartwatch pinged. Florida ground team: Eight minutes tolaunch. All good.
Fiddling with her charcoal pearl necklace, she eyed the dozen technicians, each tracking a sliver of the covert op. Right on schedule. She halted behind her lead coordinator, Boris, bent over a pulsing, colorful weather map.
When Tracy placed her hand on his shoulder, Boris stopped typing and adjusted his headset. She stood erect, arms crossed and chin high, her gold silk blouse complementing her team’s black combat uniforms like a leather-banded Swiss watch.
Seeds of anarchy thrive in a nation stripped of electric power.
The enormous gravity of today’s operation weighed on everyone aboard. Their goal: to plant kernels of chaos.
She clucked her tongue, gave a sharp nod and pointed to a green and yellow blob on his screen. “Tell me that’s not fog.”
Successfully executing their mission—polished for years—would bring infamy to her name and enter Tracy Daniela Ciacchella into the history books alongside John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. Not desirable, but exitus acta probat: the outcome justifies the deeds.
“It is, but ma’am, your yacht is in perfect position in Old Tampa Bay,” Boris said, a hint of a Russian accent slipping through on certain syllables. “All four hundred drones fully programmed, ready for activation and deployment from boat deck. We have new problem.”
A sitting US president hadn’t fallen since ‘63. Today’s mission was the culmination of years of planning, subversion, and digital sleight of hand. No bullets. No lone gunman. Just 400 Semtex-laden drones guided by a matrix of stolen GPS coordinates and a rigged FAA exemption buried three years ago by one of her assets.
A clean kill.
Boris nodded. “Not worried about fog, ma’am, but light rain, not good for drones. Moved in faster than expected.”
Each drone carried a two-pound brick of homemade Semtex.
Washington had talked counter-drone defense for years. But as was typical with US leadership, nothing actually got done. No productive decisions. Only political wrangling and posturing—mixed with unhealthy levels of toxic masculinity.
Incompetent politicians. Yet another reason to raise my curtain of death—weather permitting.
For the final time, Tracy confirmed the ground team in position. On her iPad, she tapped open the video chat app connected with her two generals: first, the captain on her yacht in Old Tampa Bay, Florida; and second, her trusted, longtime friend Bob Huffington—nicknamed
Huff—perched atop the Macy’s roof near I-275. Positioned a mile south, Huff had an unobstructed view of the final approach flight path for runway 1R at Tampa International.
Although Tracy herself was nowhere near Florida, both video feeds from her team streamed clean and crisp via satellite. Rolling fog thickened, obscuring her views.
“Wind speed?” she asked Huff.
“Twenty-two knots. For now, acceptable, but if gusts start pushing above twenty-five, our chances drop to ten percent.”
Getting Goldberg into place had been her masterpiece. After today, with President Whitehead out of the picture, Vice President Goldberg would give Tracy direct access to the power levers controlling the federal government. Her puppet would be in perfect position for the next phase of world domination.
It was now or never. Time for the all-important decision.
Even if the wind began gusting, the drones might still fly close enough to do catastrophic damage.
Tracy brought her iPad close and announced into the tiny speaker, “Green. Repeat, we are green for Operation Black Flock.”
On her screen, both generals nodded in confirmation. Now—shadowy iPad feeds showed Huff entering the launch code while workers on the boat peeled off a massive blue tarp to reveal a cargo container with four hundred off-the-shelf quadcopter drones—all made in China—packed inside a customized carbon fiber lattice. Each carried a two-pound payload of Semtex and a pre-programmed set of GPS-coordinated waypoints—latitude, longitude and elevation—to travel to.
“Gusts up to twenty-four knots,” Huff said, nervously tugging at his earlobe before giving her a thumbs up, indicating her ground team had programmed the drones and activated them. Assuming the weather cooperated, the small black machines would follow precise paths using exact signals from dozens of GPS satellites—all in working order as of five minutes ago, according to her inside man at the Department of Defense. Her DOD contact had also confirmed the Air Force One plane on descent was, in fact, carrying President Whitehead, not a decoy.
Boris leaned back in his chair, away from his laptop, and squinted at Tracy. “I still think we could have come up with a better name for this op.”
She nodded, anxiety rising, wondering whether the drones would perform as intended. “Perhaps.”
“How about Operation Kill Racist Xenophobic Pedophile?”
“Come now, Boris. Way too long.” Tracy gave a silent smirk.
A tiny matrix of red and green lights blinked on her iPad, communicating status from every craft, as propellers whirred, creating a bee-like buzzing sound crackling from the embedded speaker.
The swarm of drones lifted skyward and disappeared into the gray blur of rolling fog.
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Author Bio
J. Luke Bennecke is an Amazon #1 bestselling thriller author who writes about what happens when technology gets smarter—and people don’t. A former civil engineer and longtime executive, he spent decades designing real-world systems in California before turning to fictional ones that fail far more spectacularly. His novels explore artificial intelligence, surveillance, memory manipulation, and the dangerous gap between innovation and ethics. He is currently at work on his tenth novel.
Luke lives in Southern California with his wife of thirty-five years and their four spunky cats. When not writing, he enjoys philanthropy, consulting as an engineering expert witness, traveling, playing golf, creating videos, and voiceover acting.
Huge-hearted Abby loves dogs — and doesn’t think twice about swerving to avoid an adorable terrier in a country lane. Or following along, when the troublesome pup goes darting off into a local vineyard.
But she never expects where the runaway dog is leading her — straight to a corpse!
Clementine Courtenay, elegant matriarch of the May Valley Vineyard, lies floating face-down in a stream.
The police say she must have slipped and drowned. But Abby’s not so sure.
As rumors begin to swirl amid the tangled vines, Abby realizes that no one in Clementine’s inner circle is quite what they seem.
Between jilted lovers, greedy offspring and bitter rivals, Clementine kept her friends close and her enemies closer still . . .
What secrets will Abby find — fermenting in the darkest corners of the Courtenay family cellar?
It’s up to Abby to solve the case before this sweetest vintage turns sour .
MURDER IN THE VINEYARD (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #4) by Liz Fielding is another wonderfully engaging addition to the cozy Maybridge Murder Mysteries series featuring an English horticulturist, wife and mother who seems to always find herself embroiled in a murder. This book can be read as a standalone, but the protagonist’s family and all the Cotswolds characters continue to evolve, and I have enjoyed the entire series in order of publication.
Abby Finch finds herself swerving into a hedgerow after barely missing a small terrier that has darted in front of her car. It is wet and trembling, so she puts it in her car to begin the search for its owner. She meets the woman who runs the local dog rescue, Fancy Day, and discovers the dog was homed to Clemintine Courtenay, who is from an old money family and owner of the May Valley Estates Vineyard. When they go in search of Clemie, they find her lying face down in a stream dead. While Abby has questions, the police feel there is no foul play involved.
Abby promises her new husband she will not get involved, but there are rumors and questions that do not add up. Clemintine was entangled in family greed, drama, and rivalries as well as hiding her own secrets. When another body turns up in the same location, Abby and her friends work to untangle the twisted family vines.
I enjoy this series and Abby’s adventures every time I get a new addition to this series. Abby and her family and friends continue to engage me in every outing. Ms. Fielding’s writing of the character interactions and friendships make me feel as though I could walk right into the story and be a part of the group. Scout the terrier’s journey to becoming a part of Abby’s family is a wonderful addition to the story. The mystery plot in this addition to the series is very smartly interwoven with current and generational family secrets, plenty of red herrings, and the always present horticultural tie ins that I enjoy reading about.
I highly recommend this entertaining addition to the Maybridge Murder Mysteries series.
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Author Bio
Liz Fielding worked as a secretary in Africa and the Middle East and was co-ordinator of the Brecon Jazz Festival before writing full time. Her books are published worldwide in multiple languages, she has won the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award for both The Best Man & the Bridesmaid and The Marriage Miracle and in 2019 was honoured with an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association in the UK.
She is now writing cozy crime for Joffe Books and her first Maybridge Mystery, Murder Among the Roses is available now.
In the 1920s, archeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle made headlines around the world with the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun. But behind it all stood Lady Evelyn Herbert—daughter of Lord Carnarvon—whose daring spirit and relentless curiosity made the momentous find possible.
Nearly 3,000 years earlier, another woman defied the expectations of her time: Hatshepsut, Egypt’s lost pharaoh. Her reign was bold, visionary—and nearly erased from history.
When Evelyn becomes obsessed with finding Hatshepsut’s secret tomb, she risks everything to uncover the truth about her reign and keep valued artifacts in Egypt, their rightful home. But as danger closes in and political tensions rise, she must make an impossible choice: protect her father’s legacy—or forge her own.
Propelled by high adventure and deadly intrigue, Daughter of Egypt is the story of two ambitious women who lived centuries apart. Both were forced to hide who they were during their lifetimes, yet ultimately changed history forever.
DAUGHTER OF EGYPT by Marie Benedict is an informative as well as an engaging dual timeline historical fiction novel featuring a young English woman in search of the tomb of a female Egyptian Pharaoh and the life of said Pharaoh from research and the speculation of an author whose books continually satisfy.
Lady Evelyn Herbert grew up listening and learning about the wonders of Egyptian archeology from her father, Lord Carnarvon, and Howard Carter, the archeologist who ran Lord Carnarvon’s digs. Evelyn becomes obsessed with Hatshepsut; finding her lost tomb and discovering why she was nearly erased from history 3000 years previously.
In the 1920s, Evelyn is allowed to accompany her father and Carter to Egypt. While there is disappointment in their first attempts to uncover Hatshepsut’s tomb, they finally make headlines around the world with their discovery of Tutankhamun’s intact burial chambers.
In the second timeline, Hatshepsut tells her story and even though she reigned over a time of peace and prosperity, she was nearly erased from all history. Her bold and visionary rise as a female pharaoh took political and religious maneuvering, but not all accepted her reign.
This is a compelling take on the lives of two strong, ambitious women who lived centuries apart. I knew nothing about Evelyn accompanying her father and Carter on the digs, so I found that very interesting. I love reading and learning about ancient Egypt and the pharaohs and I found Ms. Benedict’s resolution to Hatshepsut’s story as acceptable as any others I have read about previously.
Ms. Benedict consistently brings one or both of her compelling female protagonists out of the shadows and to readers’ attention. Overall, this is another entertaining historical novel that taught me something new.
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About the Author
Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years of experience as a litigator, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. A graduate of Boston College and Boston University School of Law, she is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of DAUGHTER OF EGYPT, THE QUEENS OF CRIME, THE MITFORD AFFAIR, HER HIDDEN GENIUS, THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE, LADY CLEMENTINE, THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, CARNEGIE’S MAID, and THE OTHER EINSTEIN. She has also coauthored with Victoria Christopher Murray the New York Times bestselling THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, a Good Morning America book club pick, and THE FIRST LADIES, Target’s 2023 Book of the Year — and with Courtney Sheinmel, THE SECRETS OF LOVELACE ACADEMY. All have been translated into multiple languages, and many have been selected for national book clubs. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
August 1903. Emma and her husband Derrick are among the men in white tie and tails and the women wearing white gowns from the House of Worth at Tessie Oelrichs’s Bal Blanc, or White Ball, at Rosecliff, her grand cottage on Bellevue Avenue. There to cover the event of the season is young Ethan Merriman, society reporter for the Newport Messenger, the newspaper owned by Emma and Derrick.
It’s an utterly charming affair until a stranger intrudes flaunting a green-striped necktie and matching vest in defiance of their hostess’s theme. But his fashion crime is a mere misdemeanor compared to his intention to blackmail Mrs. Oelrichs by producing a compromising document supposedly signed by Tessie over a decade ago.
Insisting it’s a forgery but terrified of scandal, she agrees to his terms, but the blackmailer will not live to see payday. His body is found face down in a fountain before the party’s end. Beside him stands a very wet Ethan, who was seen being confronted by the man earlier in the evening. Coming to the aid of their luckless cub reporter, Emma and Derrick must sort through the white lies and blackened reputations to discover the identity of the true killer.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Murder At Rosecliff by Alyssa Maxwell does not disappoint per her other novels.
In August 1903, Emma and her husband Derrick are among the men in white tie and tails and the women wearing white gowns from the House of Worth at Tessie Oelrichs’s Bal Blanc, or White Ball, at Rosecliff, her grand cottage on Bellevue Avenue. There to cover the event of the season is young Ethan Merriman, society reporter for the Newport Messenger, the newspaper owned by Emma and Derrick.
It’s an utterly charming affair until a stranger intrudes, flaunting a green-striped necktie and matching vest in defiance of their hostess’s theme. But his fashion crime is a mere misdemeanor compared to his intention to blackmail Mrs. Oelrichs by producing a compromising document supposedly signed by Tessie over a decade ago.
Insisting it’s a forgery, but terrified of scandal, she agrees to his terms, but the blackmailer will not live to see payday. His body is found face down in a fountain before the party’s end. Beside him stands a very wet Ethan, who was seen being confronted by the man earlier in the evening. Coming to the aid of their luckless cub reporter, Emma and Derrick must sort through the white lies and blackened reputations to discover the identity of the true killer.
The story is riveting from beginning to end with plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings. A bonus is the vivid depictions of Newport’s focus on class and gender division with real-life historical figures.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?
AM: As with each book in my “Gilded Newport Mysteries,” to develop story ideas I research the family who owned each house. In this case, Theresa Fair Oelrichs, or Tessie, who owned Rosecliff, was the daughter of one of the wealthiest mine-owners in the country. But before he became a millionaire, the Fairs lived in the mining camps of Virginia City, Nevada—as far away from the elegance and beauty of Newport, RI, as can be imagined. It was in these camps that Tessie spent her earliest years, until James Fair moved the family to one of the most fashionable areas of San Francisco. That meant that when she moved to the east coast, there was a lot people in society who didn’t know about her. In my mind, that meant there could be secrets in her past someone could use to blackmail her. And because mining was a rough industry run by ruthless men, it was easy to envision just the sort of scoundrel who might use her past against her.
EC: Was the White Ball true?
AM: Yes! Tessie Oelrichs’s White Ball, or Bal Blanc, occurred in 1904, but I moved it up a year to fit my series timeline. The details I describe were taken mostly from newspaper articles written at the time—written by people with the same occupation as my main suspect, Ethan Merriman, who writes the society page for the Newport Messenger, owned and operated by Emma and her husband, Derrick. The expense for the multitude of white flowers, the white ships anchored just offshore, the food, the swans, etc. could have fed numerous poor families for a year. The female guests spent thousands on pure white gowns from Houses of Worth, Doucet, Lucille, and other famous designers of the times. It all would have created a breathtaking scene, especially with Rosecliff’s huge, airy ballroom with its cloudy sky mural painted on the ceiling, and the many doors on two sides that, when open, brought both the breezes from the ocean on one side and the floral scents from the Italian garden on the other to sweep through the room.
EC: How would you describe Solomon Wheeler?
AM: He is emboldened, insolvent, boorish, rude, unscrupulous, dangerous, no scruples, ruthless, likes to destroy others by using their secrets against them. He is as low an individual as it’s possible to be. He uses people and throws them away without a second thought. He is also a slacker, looking for the easy way to make a buck, along with having a sense of entitlement to a lifestyle he hasn’t earned. He uses his father’s ousting from the Bonanza Kings (made up of James Fair and his three partners who owned the Comstock Lode, the silver mine that propelled them to unimagined wealth), to justify blackmailing Tessie, without ever admitting his father might have deserved what happened.
EC: How would you describe Tessie?
AM: Tessie Oelrichs was very real. She was a renowned beauty and possessed a confidence that paved her way into New York Society. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it. Although a good twenty years younger than Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and Mamie Fish, she joined those ladies to form society’s “Triumvirate.” As Caroline Astor aged and became less of a leading force in society, the Triumvirate stepped in to take her place. These ladies changed the rules to make society more inclusive (divorcees and people with New Money were more accepted), while at the same time establishing new rules about who would be included and who would be given the cold shoulder. We see examples of that in Murder at Rosecliff where a woman who tries too hard to be accepted is essentially rebuffed.
EC: What about the mansion, Rosecliff?
AM: Like Alva Belmont did with the building of Marble House, Tessie was involved in the design and construction of Rosecliff from start to finish. She spent many a day at the house supervising the work, often changing her mind and ordering the carpenters to rip out what they’d done and start fresh. On one of those days, a carpenter’s tack went flying and hit Tessie in the eye. As a result, she was blind in that eye for the rest of her life. Despite this, she continued to be involved in the building of her summer cottage and remained a formidable figure among society’s Four Hundred. It’s worth noting that Tessie had married Hermann Oelrichs, a shipping magnate, but after the birth of their only child, a son, they lived basically separate lives. They never divorced, however, remaining married in name only until Hermann died in 1906.
EC: How would you describe Ethan and what was his role?
AM: Unlike Emma, who early in her journalism career chafed at being relegated to the society pages (she wanted to report on hard news), Ethan loves recording the details of Newport’s grand affairs. He is a gentle soul who loves beauty and sees it as being as important to life as the more serious matters covered in newspapers. He attends the White Ball as a reporter. His job is to circulate through the crush, document the details of what people were wearing and such, and interview those guests who wished to be interviewed, describing their latest travels, engagements, and soirees for the reading public. On one hand the Four Hundred wanted their privacy, but on the other they enjoyed displaying their wealth, and society columns were one way to do that. When Ethan is accused of murdering Solomon Wheeler based on rather incriminating but circumstantial evidence, Emma refuses to believe he’s capable of such an act. At times she seems to be the only person whose faith is unwavering, but she remains a fierce friend trying to prove Ethan’s innocence.
EC: Once again, this book goes into societal roles: how does it fit with Detective Myers appearing to have a chip on his shoulder towards the wealthy?
AM: Like many year-round Newporters, Detective Myers sees the wealthy summer set as frivolous and wasteful. As I mentioned, the amount of money spent on the White Ball could have fed entire families over an extended period. Of course, the wealthy did support many charities and were involved in philanthropic projects to better the lives of the poor, but they also created impoverished populations due to how they treated their workers. The Four Hundred controlled all major industry in America at that time, and by general agreement chose to pay their workers poverty-level wages with none of the benefits we enjoy today. This unfairness was seen as the right of business owners, and employees who if they didn’t like it could work elsewhere. The problem was, the situation would be similar wherever they tried to find employment.
EC: What about Detective Myers?
AM: I portray Detective Myers as grouchy, arrogant, condescending, and downright mean at times, but part of his attitude is somewhat justifiable. After all, the wealthy came to Newport each summer to party and have fun, and treated Newport as a kind of private country club, expecting the ordinary Newporters to either serve them or stay out of the way. And they weren’t always held accountable for their actions. In this, some things haven’t changed. Newport is like a small town during the winter months, but come summer there is a population explosion of tourists and summer residents who come purely to enjoy – often without much thought for the people who live there year-round.
EC: Did you also want to point out that the Upper Class appears arrogant to those that have a lower-class status, and deems them unfit, not rich enough, not fashionable, and not clever?
AM: It was easy to fall short of the expectations of others—as it still is today. Let’s face it, people constantly judge each other, finding in others the shortcomings they themselves don’t want to admit to having. It creates an “us and them” mentality in which a group will allow itself to feel superior to others. Especially among the women of the Four Hundred, creating social boundaries was like structuring a business, with upper management lording it over everyone else – much like how their husbands ran their businesses. In a world where women didn’t hold positions of power in the business or political spheres, these social structures allowed them to feel empowered and in control of their lives. Unfortunately, as certain individuals rose to positions of social prominence, those lower down on the ladder were made to feel not as good, second best, and of little importance. It wasn’t until the Suffrage movement truly got going during the second decade of the twentieth century that women managed to see past class boundaries and work for a common cause.
EC: Why were people against Emma building a school for girls?
AM: Schools for girls were not uncommon, but most of them were finishing schools where young ladies were taught deportment and etiquette along with “feminine” subjects such as language, art, and music. Such schools were generally approved of. What Emma has in mind is a high school where all subjects are taught, including higher mathematics and the sciences, where a girl can get the same education as a boy. Coed public high schools did exist, and Newport’s Rogers High School was coed at the time (and integrated), but Emma believes the coed environment puts pressure on girls to take home economics classes while the boys take chemistry. Unfortunately, many people take issue with the idea of a completely non-gender-biased curriculum. They don’t see the sense in educating a girl to such standards when she’ll only marry and have children. They don’t appreciate that the young ladies at Emma’s school will have choices in life that don’t necessarily lead to being wives and mothers.
EC: Is Elizabeth Carter Brooks a real person?
AM: Yes, Elizabeth Carter Brooks was a real person. She was born in New Bedford, MA (not far from Newport) in 1867 to former slaves, and attained degrees in architecture and teaching. She became the first African American woman to teach at a public school in New Bedford, and was involved in local and national organizations to better the lives of African American women and girls, including helping to found the local chapter of the NAACP in New Bedford. In 1897 she helped establish the New Bedford Home for the Aged, the first of its kind in the city, and in 1908 designed its permanent building.
EC:What role does Elizabeth Carter Brooks play in the story?
AM: As Emma became caught up in the dilemma of male architects being unwilling to work with her, I decided to search for whether there were any female architects at that time. I was delighted to discover Elizabeth Carter Brooks and couldn’t imagine a better architect for Emma to work with on the design for her unconventional school.
EC: Next book?
AM: The next “Gilded Newport Mystery” will be Murder at Malbone, a July 2027 release. Although the present house dates to 1848, the property goes back to the mid-1700s, to an original house that burned down. It was owned by a Colonel Godfrey Malbone, a wealthy shipping merchant and slave trader. Because of this history, I explore themes of slavery and its consequences, as well as the notion that unsettled spirits might be haunting Malbone, perhaps even responsible for the death of a young man. The back cover blurb:
A fatal Fourth of July fireworks mishap in Newport, Rhode Island, proves to be no accident, and newspaper editor Emma Cross Andrews must sort out who turned a celebration into an incendiary act of cold-blooded murder.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
