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    A Front Page Affair
    A Front Page Affair
    A Front Page Affair
    Audiobook7 hours

    A Front Page Affair

    Written by Radha Vatsal

    Narrated by Justine Eyre

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    New York City, 1915

    The Lusitania has just been sunk, and headlines about a shooting at J. P. Morgan's mansion and the Great War are splashed across the front page of every newspaper. Capability "Kitty" Weeks would love nothing more than to report on the news of the day, but she's stuck writing about fashion and society gossip over on the Ladies' Page-until a man is murdered at a high society picnic on her beat.

    Determined to prove her worth as a journalist, Kitty finds herself plunged into the midst of a wartime conspiracy that threatens to derail the United States's attempt to remain neutral-and to disrupt the privileged life she has always known.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 20, 2018
    ISBN9781541487949
    Author

    Radha Vatsal

    Radha Vatsal grew up in Mumbai, India, and came to the United States to attend boarding school when she was sixteen. She has stayed here ever since. Her fascination with the 1910s began when she studied women filmmakers and action-film heroines of silent cinema at Duke University, where she earned her Ph.D. from the English Department. A Front Page Affair is her first novel. Radha lives with her husband and two daughters in New York City.

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    Reviews for A Front Page Affair

    3.5/5

    52 ratings12 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Overall, I thought this book was well written, well researched, and entertaining. Some parts did bore me a bit, but they were few and far between. I loved the story line, I loved the main character and I hope we get more. I would recommend this book. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
    • 5/5
      It’s 1915, New York City. Capability “Kitty” Weeks, age 19, wants to be a real journalist, but her job at the New York Sentinel finds her relegated to covering society events and not much else. But when Hunter Cole is murdered during the day-time fireworks at a picnic she’s covering, Kitty sees a way to expand her horizons. But her immediate supervisor on the Ladies’ Page, Miss Busby, doesn’t quite see it that way … at first. Eventually Miss Busby is over-ruled when the powers that ask Kitty to talk to the grieving widow to gather details the male reporters may use in their stories. Kitty Wells is a refined young woman, educated abroad, living and traveling with her wealthy father, Julian Weeks. She has all the advantages, and all the constraints of a woman in her position living in pre-World War I America. Newspapermen are zealously guarding their domain, and women don’t have a place there. Can Kitty wangle her way in?A Front Page Affair is a delightful beginning to what I hope will be a long-lived series. Other historical mystery series featuring women as heroines and set in the same era are occasionally compared to Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs stories. A Front Page Affair is the first I believe merits that comparison. The writing is superb, the plotting stellar and the protagonist extremely deep … as feisty as Nelly Bly, more worldly than most male reporters of the era, and yet naïve and full of energy, ready to take on the world. Kitty Weeks is a wonderful heroine. Long may she reign!
    • 4/5
      Capability “Kitty” Weeks was aptly named by her parents after Capability Brown. "Lancelot Brown, more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as ‘the last of the great English 18th-century artists to be accorded his due’ and ‘England's greatest gardener.’ He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure." Kitty is 19 years old in 1915, and without any work experience was able to secure a highly sought-after apprentice fashion position on New York’s "Sentinel." Kitty has been an apprentice on the newspaper for 6 months and has received her first solo assignment to attend an Independence Day gala at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club on Monday, July 5th. Kitty is excited and nervous and wants to show supervisor and mentor Miss Helena Busby that she can do far more than opening mail, judging cooking contests, and the like. Due to recent current events abroad (e.g. sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania) and domestically of the shooting of Mr. J. P. Morgan by an intruder into the Morgan mansion, Kitty has aspirations of writing news reports of the day. The secretary to the gala hostess was delighted to explain this year’s crowning celebration of the gala would be an afternoon of Japanese daylight fireworks. Little did Kitty realize as one of the gala guests she would become witness at a murder scene.Kitty has had many experiences not common to many young women of the day having been born abroad and attended a boarding school in Switzerland for 10 years prior to being sent for by her widowed father as business has him now settling in New York. Kitty is intelligent, adapts easily to new situations, and proves herself creative to accomplish the investigative needs of the news editor that seeks to use Kitty’s new connections made during her attendance at the gala.Kitty reminded me of Mary Handley in the earlier time period of 1876, with Mary proving her resilience as the first woman detective in the Brooklyn Police Department as created by author Lawrence H. Levy. Mary is actually based on the true story of the first woman hired by the Brooklyn Police Department to investigate a crime. Both characters are unforgettable with acumen and personalities perfect for each of their chosen professions. As a reader I have found historical fiction to be a unique gift as beyond a readable and enjoyable reading experience it widens understanding of cultural norms of the day, and personalizes historical events beyond the dry facts of event names, dates, and related statistics. Historical fiction humanizes historical events with character experiences and reactions to those experiences. It becomes a barometer of the past and a beacon to the future of what might still be possible to achieve. Awareness of the past may seem to be illuminating pain but in understanding through the eyes of others our perspective is broadened and becomes more inclusive and begins to negate judgmental reactions.I look forward to reading how Kitty Weeks proceeds on her life journey. Her attendance at an event seems guaranteed to attract attention and synthesize the event into a news report that will fascinate readers.Many historical fiction novels have special features of interest following the end of the story but Radha Vatsal’s provisions are most comprehensive. I delighted in the offerings shared by Radha Vatsal beginning with her advisement in the “Author’s Note” that "much of what seems most unlikely in this novel actually happened." Additional features include: Further Reading, Reading Group Guide: Questions for Discussion, A Conversation with the Author, Selected References and Resources, Acknowledgements, and About the Author.
    • 4/5
      A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal is a clever historical mystery starring an intrepid young reporter turned amateur sleuth. Set in 1915, this first installment in the Kitty Weeks Mystery series is an entertaining and educational debut that is quite riveting.

      On her first independent assignment for the Ladies Page, Capability "Kitty" Weeks is sent to cover an Independence Day celebration hosted by Bessie Basshor. Excited to venture into the "real" world of reporting, Kitty is busy observing the partygoers and conducting informal interviews when news spreads that Hunter Cole, a fellow guest, has been murdered in the stables. Excited when she is asked to help cover the story for the newspaper, Kitty is soon embroiled in her own investigation into Hunter's death after the police quickly make an arrest in the case.

      The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Kitty is an intelligent nineteen year old who wants a little more from life than managing her father's household. Her position at the newspaper allows her to balance her need for a career with her family obligations and although she only works part time, she takes her job seriously. She is a little immature and somewhat naive, but her natural curiosity leads her to continue digging into the circumstances surrounding Hunter's murder. Headstrong and independent, Kitty jeopardizes her position at the newspaper when she ignores her Ladies' Page assignments in order to pursue her investigation.

      In addition to the mystery surrounding Hunter's death, Kitty finds herself looking into her father's business ventures after an unsettling visit from the Secret Service. Shaken by their accusations, she realizes she does not know him quite as well as she thought and after he refuses to answer her questions, she begins secretly digging into his recent activities. Although troubled by some of the information she uncovers, Kitty is determined to prove her father is innocent of any wrongdoing.

      A Front Page Affair is an intriguing mystery with a cast of well-developed characters and a unique storyline. Radha Vatsal's meticulous research brings both the time period and the setting vividly to life and these historic details add depth and authenticity to the overall story. The mystery aspect of the storyline is well written and it is nearly impossible to guess the killer's identity or motive for the murder until the novel's somewhat dramatic conclusion. An excellent first installment in the Kitty Weeks Mystery series that will leave readers impatiently awaiting Kitty's next adventure.
    • 4/5
      3.5 starsI read this because I received the second in the series from NetGalley and wanted to start at the beginning and be properly introduced to Kitty Weeks.Kitty is a perfectly likeable young woman living with her rich father in 1915 NYC. She seeks out a job as a journalist. Aside from her modern sensibilities which I am getting tired of reading about in century-ago women, she's reasonably level-headed, although every heroine of a cozy mystery must place herself in danger at some point. The peek into pre-WWI society living in the eastern US was interesting, the mystery acceptable but nothing stands out to me that I want to read more in the series - although I will, since I asked for it. ;-) Perhaps if I were younger, the series would have more appeal to me.
    • 3/5
      The series has potential, but this initial outing read more like a YA mystery than one geared toward adults. I love a good YA mystery, but how a book is marketed influences my expectations going in and this didn't read like the Adult novel I was expecting.
    • 3/5
      Capability Weeks (known as Kitty to her friends) is a female reporter at a NY newspaper in 1915, not a usual position for a woman. There are stereotypical restrictions (no women in the news room) so when her feminine expertise is needed on a murder that occurred at a society function, Kitty thinks she finally has a chance to really get into real reporting. She digs into the murder and may have more than she bargained for.Set in the early 20th century the historical details and inferences may be a bit much for this character but I'm willing to carry on to the next in the series to see how it pans out.
    • 4/5
      Radha Vatsal’s debut novel, A Front Page Affair, takes us to 1915 New York City, as Capability (what a great name!) “Kitty” Weeks is working as a reporter on the fashion and society pages for the New York Sentinel newspaper. Kitty really wants to cover the hard news stories, something that women just weren’t allowed to do. While covering a society party on Long Island, a man is murdered and Kitty is the only reporter on the scene.She takes advantage of her position and works to discover why Mr. Cole was murdered. Was he having an affair with a married woman? Did he owe money to someone shady?As Kitty delves deeper into the murder mystery, she discovers that her father has something he is hiding. The murder mystery may also have something to do with a wartime conspiracy, and Kitty uses her wits and education to unravel the truth.Kitty Weeks is an intriguing protagonist, and the jailhouse scene is tense and well done. Vatsal’s second book in the series, Murder Between the Lines publishes in May, and her interest in female silent film directors is supposed to be a running theme in her books, which is unique and interesting.
    • 4/5
      A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal is a wonderful historical mystery novel, our introduction to Capability "Kitty" Weeks. It is also the debut novel from Vatsal and I will be eager to read her next book.A historical novel which is also a mystery often leans very far in one direction or the other yet A Front Page Affair manages to be both a very good historical novel as well as a good mystery. I would likely say that it leans ever so slightly on the historical side but I think that is to be expected if one wants to be taken back to that time.While I like historical novels I admit that I usually do not feel quite the same sense of investment in the characters because of the difference in eras. I tend toward pulling for a character, even liking her, but often become an observer of both the story and the historical period. Vatsal created a protagonist in Kitty who I was able to like as much as I am usually able which gave me a stronger interest in the outcome of the story.I would recommend this to readers of historical fiction and of mysteries. It certainly speaks to the obstacles women encountered during this time in journalism, as well as most other professions.Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
    • 4/5
      The Lusitania has recently been sunk. World War I is on going and the United States is trying to stay neutral. That is the setting for a new historical mystery set in 1915 New York City. The main character of A Front Page Affair is a privileged young woman journalist who has started working at the New York Sentinel. Capability Weeks, aka Kitty, works for the Ladies page editor as an apprentice. Her first assignment is to cover a society party, the Independence Day gala north of the city. At the party a man she has interviewed has been shot and killed. Because most of the male reporters are out covering another story, Kitty is asked to provide background by interviewing some of the attendees. As she discovers more information, her curiosity is peaked. Another person dies and leaves a confession, but Kitty isn't convinced and keeps digging. This digging also leads to questions about her father and his business dealings. The author weaves historical events with an interesting protagonist. I enjoyed Kitty's tenacity. It ended in such a way that leaves the door open for more adventures. I look forward to Kitty's next assignment. So if you like historical cozies, then check out Radha Vatsal's new mystery, A Front Page Affair .
    • 3/5
      It is 1915 in New York. Capability “Kitty” Weeks is nineteen years old and a reporter for the Ladies Page of the New York Sentinel (she wants to report real stories but women are not allowed in the newsroom). Miss Helena Busby is her boss and showing her the ropes (she is also her assistant). Kitty was assigned to cover the Independence Day Gala organized by Mrs. Elizabeth Basshor. Kitty was enjoying the unique fireworks display and then there is screaming. Hunter Cole is dead in the stables. Why was Hunter killed and what was he doing in the stables? Hunter is not a well-liked gentleman. Hunter married a burlesque star, Aimee (scandalous to his family). Since Kitty was at the event, she is asked to help Mr. Flanagan, the reporter assigned the story. Kitty gets to help with background material. Kitty is determined to do a good job (with the hopes of getting her toes into the newsroom). Kitty sets out to interview people at the event and those close to Hunter Cole. Can Kitty’s inquiries help her find the killer? A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal was okay, but not great. The writer tried to make the mystery complicated, but it was easy to solve (the killer was so very obvious). I had a hard time reading the novel (some books you read, others you live). The pace is slow (except for the last few pages) which makes the novel feel longer than it really is. The book contained a lot of information on getting a passport (when the law had just passed), fashion (we get plenty of dress descriptions), and parties. There are a great many details on the beginning of World War I. The basic idea for the book was good, but I did not really enjoy the finished product. Kitty Weeks came more across as a socialite who decided to become a journalist for something to do. She wears beautiful clothes and drives a bright yellow roadster (reminds me of another young sleuth with her car). I just felt the book needed more work to make it a good, finished novel. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. A Front Page Affair would have made a better young adult mystery (with just a little tweaking) because it reminded me of mystery series aimed at that age group.I received a complimentary copy of A Front Page Affair from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
    • 4/5
      A Front Page Affair by Radha Vatsal is a solid start to a new historical mystery series. The main character Kitty Weeks is a up and coming newspaper reporter in a time where women were not accepted as such. Her reporting leads her into investigating a couple of connected murders and is told to the reader in what I liken to a Nancy Drew style. Although A Front Page Affair is for an adult audience, it has that genteel and sophisticated air, which I adore.The only real trouble that I had was all of the history that was interjected that had very little to nothing to do with the story. It was as though the author got overzealous with her research and wanted to share all that she learned. Unfortunately, it did slow things down every now and again, and it took away from the overall experience.That being said, there was so much more to like than not. The early 1900’s NYC setting, the writing style, the varied cast of characters, and the mystery were all wonderful and the lovely introduction into The Kitty Weeks Mysteries is more than enough to bring me back for more.