I found myself surprised in how dark this was. Now I don't mind a dark read (unless it has clowns then all bets are off! I'm not reading it no way!!)) More in line with a dark suspense then a mystery, the setting of Chicago in the Glided Age was really brought the life for me and showed that all things are not truly gold.
The world is changing and center around is The World's Fair which didn't truly hold a place of action within the story, but was more of the talk from the rich to the serving class.
The serving class is where we find out heroine Rosalind who is in search of her missing sister as she poses as a maid in the house her sister worked at the Sloane House. There she meets the Sloanes' whom hide behind their riches but are a truly ugly family underneath. Rosalind finds an unlikely ally in the Sloanes' siblings friend Reid Armstrong. Reid is a heir to "new money" and is making his mark through the "upper class" to marry well. That is until he meets Rosalind and learns her story and finds himself even more uneasy about even being around the Sloanes' and the whispers that follow them.
I felt for Rosalind and saw the changed in Reid, but as to say I truly connected to either? No. Rosalind showed her age as a young 20 yr old, in a strange world but at times being a tad unmindful to the danger to the point of being nosy then jumping at shadows and bit spoiled in her thinking. Reid was in the same boat in his way of thinking, being an rich heir and unbelieving in the worse. Then discard his feelings for Rosalind due to her "class". So the romance between them was very weak and left much to be desired.
It's not that hard into guessing who did it, but as to why and how was the kicker. This is where the true darkness begin to emerge. It's even more far-reaching as when these so call "old money" families do nothing and cover up rape, molestation and death for their own means and not caring whom from whatever class they hurt or destroy. I was truly sadden when a sweet character gets attacked and can't say a word due to being ruined in the eyes of society even when she was the one attacked and hurt. The idea of people thinking it being the victim's fault had me really pissed as we see it so much today in news and media where violence against women, children is just another news reel scrolling at the bottom of the screen.
I guess in my mind I wouldn't have minded a tad more brutal justice for those involved, then again the old family named ruined and trashed and maybe there was a sense of justice served in that..
While I felt at times the book lacked in some aspects yet I still kept reading. While it didn't end in rainbows and roses, there was a sense of peace for many involved. I'm looking forward to the next in the series as the heroine is another character whose life change in this book. I hope for her own happy ending and the peace she deserves.