Dear Constant Reader,
It’s no secret that I love a good cozy mystery. And this is the perfect time of year for one. I want to thank the lovely Cat B. for recommending this charming one. What does this have to do with burlesque? Read on!
The Family Vault by Charlotte MacLeod, 1979
Sarah Kelling Kelling is a member of an old aristocratic Boston family, married to her much older fifth cousin once removed, and desperately trying to keep up appearances in their Beacon Hill townhouse on a tiny budget.
When her great-uncle insisted that he be interred in the old family vault (instead of the newer family plot next to his wife), Sarah is present when the vault is opened prior to the funeral. Besides the expected ancient Kellings, they find the skeletal corpse of a woman still clad in a moldering corset and high heels, with chips of rubies embedded in her teeth.
She is quickly identified as Ruby Redd, an infamous burlesque dancer who performed at the notorious Old Howard in Scollay Square (pictured below). And she was murdered. Are there more skeletons (metaphorical and otherwise) in the Kelling family closet? What happened to the Kelling family fortune and jewels? And what about burlesque?
For the former questions, read the book. It’s fun, if a tad dated. As for the latter, there actually isn’t too much about burlesque. It’s not really a plot point, other than the profession of the murder victim and how she’s connected to the family, but there’s a little discussion throughout the story.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially watching Sarah come into her own over the course of the story. And I’m looking forward to the rest of the books in the series, if I can find them.
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Oh, The Glamourous Life! 
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