Review:
The Green Baize Door is not your usual whodunit. The novel's protagonists are not sleuths and detectives, but rather three characters who could, in some shape or form, each be involved in murder. And this is what sets this story apart.
We meet the three before the actual event: Marie, daughter of an impoverished middle-class father who lives beyond his means; William, a dissolute friend of Marie's brother, Charlie; and Jamie, son and heir of a thriving family business dealing in lumber.
Marie is disillusioned, having to accept sewing to pay the rent for the shabby rooms she shares with her father and sister. The only person in her life with a decent role is her grandmother Рa woman of Creole heritage who she affectionately calls M̩m̩ Рand who works for Jamie's family as a housekeeper in their upmarket manor.
At the beginning of the novel, Jamie is sent on a tour of his family's business with their close associate Manassas, who he calls Uncle Manny, and who disappears after their arrival in an outlying town. A young man keen on living a comfortable life, with a strong-willed father in charge of the business, Jamie reluctantly fulfills his duties. But when a South American stranger accosts him, and dies the next morning, Manny's disappearance begins to worry Jamie. Soon, he finds himself uncovering a serious plot that could endanger his business.
Then there's William, Charlie's best friend and former love interest of Marie. After he lost his job following suspicion of embezzlement, Marie broke up with him. Now he's with Charlotte, a seemingly guileless young woman who works the streets, all the while he's still hankering after Marie.
When Mémé is found murdered in the Letts’ manor, there are several persons who would have an interest to see her dead, in order to get their hands at some cash: her own son, her grandchildren Marie and Charlie, and William.
And so the green baize door that leads from downstairs to upstairs opens, exposing the layers of American society...
Who killed Mémé? Well, read the novel, and be surprised!
The Green Baize Door is a thrilling tale of greed, compulsion, and opportunity at a time of great change. The sense of being hard-done by prevails across the divide, with both William and Charlie on one side, and Jamie on the other. Even Marie isn't immune to it. Only her sister, Eliza, is happy to escape into her beloved books, shutting out the real world.
Here, we get a clever glimpse at society at the turn of the last century, with all its adventures and risks. A series of of 'get rich quickly’ schemes lures investors from rich and less rich alike. People get into great debt over the chance of raking it in, only to find themselves at the losing end as such schemes go up in smoke.
This novel is a cautionary tale about people feeling entitled to be something they're not. All three protagonists, and a few secondary characters, fit neatly into that category. Life has given them lemons, and whilst Marie doesn't shy away from working, her father and brother prefer a quick fix. As does William, whose charms and easy-going nature can't hide his darker, lazier side.
Jamie is the one with the steepest learning curve, and I found his journey compelling. Marie is a woman of her time, dependent on the men in her family, yet expected to do her bit so they can spend her hard-earned cash as they see fit. Or Mémé's inherited cash...
The characters in The Green Baize Door aren't likeable, but they're realistic, of their time. There is no one we root for. Every one of them is looking out for themselves. Every one of them struggles with their reality. And each has hidden emotions they're too scared to share.
We find out who killed M̩m̩ in a clever twist at the end, but this novel is so much more. The plot holds a mirror at early 1900s America. It shows up the dark side of a society where rights are expected, not earned; where greed and entitlement overrule any common sense or decency; and where opportunities can make a man / woman Рor ruin them.
The Green Baize Door is a thoroughly clever tale, very well written and researched, and brutally direct at times. Readers get to see the dangers of an era of 'glorious’ change and expansion, not only the successes. Because behind each success lies the truth, glaringly exposed in this compelling tale. There are no winners. Or are there?
A highly recommended read.
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Blurb:
An atmospheric historical mystery where every character has their own agenda, and their own truth.
In the fashionable mansions on Chestnut Hill, a simple green baize door separates the masters’ world from the servants’. That door is thrown wide when an elderly housekeeper is found brutally murdered on the first day of the new century. Marie Chevalier, the housekeeper’s poor but ambitious granddaughter, and James Lett, the mansion owner’s kind but indolent son, suspect the killer is connected to one of their families—but which one?
From drawing rooms to alleyways, their separate investigations lead them through the sometimes lavish, sometimes brutal, landscape of turn-of-the-century New England. When long-buried secrets begin to unravel the fragile threads that hold both households together, Marie and James must find a way to bridge the gulf between them—if only to prove that the murderer belongs not to their own world, but to that strange and foreign land on the other side of the green baize door.
Inspired by real-life events, The Green Baize Door is a richly layered historical mystery that explores themes of class identity, family loyalty, and the sometimes blurry line between virtue and vice.
Buy Links:
Universal Buy Link
Universal Buy Link incl. Amazon
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About the Author:
Eleanor Birney writes historical mysteries about class, moral ambiguity, and people who aren’t satisfied with life on their side of the green baize door.
She received a BA in History from UC Berkeley, and works as a legal research attorney, a day job that feeds her love of precision, research, and puzzles.
Growing up in foster care gave her a lifelong fascination with the way society steers people into assigned places—and how some of those people refuse to stay in them.
She lives in Northern California with her family. The Green Baize Door is her debut novel.
Connect with Eleanor:
Website • Twitter / X • Facebook • Instagram • Bluesky • BookBub
Amazon Author Page • Goodreads
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