Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Natalie

The book starts off with Elizabeth Holland's funeral service. Then it goes back to the weeks before Elizabeth's untimely death.

Eighteen-year-old Elizabeth Holland is a rich, beautiful and proper young lady. Elizabeth is the ideal wife for any man. What people don't know is that she is secretly in love, and sleeping with,Will, a member of her staff. Suddenly, her family is in a bad finacial situation so when she is betrothed to the most sought-after bachelor in New York City, a perfect match is creaed.

We then meet Diana, Elizabeth's sixteen year old sister. Diana is the complete opposite of Elizabeth. She has no manners, gets bored easily, is not impressed with wealth and she would rather spend her days reading romance novels, and kissing random boys, than acting proper. Diana has a wild imagination so when she learns of her family's financial situation, she belives it will bring excitement to her boring life. Because of her wild behavior, she ends up falling in love with her sister's betrothed, Henry Shoonmaker.

We also meet Penelope Hayes. She is Elizabeth's "best friend" and she too has ravishing clothes, gorgeous looks,and an estate that turns heads. It looks that Penelope and Elizabeth are best friends but we learn that Penelope hates and is jealous of Elizabeth. She hates her even more when she finds out that Elizabeth is going to marry the man of her dreams. Now she plans on destroying her future, no matter what it takes.

We are then intoduced to Lina Broud Elizabeth's personal maid. She was once friends with Elizabeth but Elizabeth is too busy to be friends with someone beneath her. Lucky for Lina, she knows Elizabeth's secret affair with Will, who Lina happens to be in love with. This secret, or gossip, could finally permit her to enter the glamorous world of high society as well as ruining Elizabeth's life.

Now the question is, who killed Elizabeth? or better yet, is Elizabeth really dead?