“E.W. Cooper has written a fabulous mystery that will keep readers guessing until the end…For fans of a whodunnit set in historical New York, Murder at the Met will be right up their alley…This is an excellent addition to the Penelope Harris Mysteries, and it will be interesting to see where the series goes from here. A superbly fun story!”  —InD’tale Magazine 

"Another fabulous book by E.W. Cooper! High society secrets and a murder mystery—what could be more exciting!"  —NetGalley Reviewer 

NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 1928. No one can keep a secret like high society—especially when that secret is murder.

A month after her cousin’s headline-making party, Penelope Harris has tried to put the incident behind her. Focused, instead, on restarting her opera career, she is distracted only by the flirtations of handsome former policeman Thomas Lund. When two tickets ensure Penelope and Lund get some precious time together at the Metropolitan Opera, neither expects another murderous to interrupt their romantic evening.

Before their night at the Met is over, a failed manufacturing tycoon is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, his poisoned and dying daughter nearby. Was his death an accident, suicide, or murder?

After a fellow soprano pleads for help finding in out what happened, Penelope begins unraveling a diabolical crime, while Lund rushes to complete the investigation of a suicide on Long Island’s Gold Coast. What they both find will uncover the sordid underbelly of New York’s elite and put Penelope on the wrong side of her own gun.

2021 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist, Mystery

2020 BookLife Prize Finalist, Mystery/Thriller

"Set in 1928, Cooper's promising debut and series launch introduces aspiring opera singer Penelope Harris...Cooper reveals intriguing secrets about her lead that make the prospect of future books welcome. Fans of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher will enjoy Penelope's adventures." —Publisher’s Weekly

"…an engrossing and polished historical mystery that wins high marks for authentic settings, a multi-layered plot, and vibrant characters enhanced by clever dialogue and differentiating voices. Set in 1928, descriptions and vernacular phrasing reminds the reader of time and place but never gets trite.” —Mary Amati, BookLife 

"The Jade Tiger transports the reader to the 1920s, when opera singers and adept piano players graced high-end social events...The 1920s atmosphere, the well-developed characters, and the murder-mystery thread make this novel a worthy read." —InD'Tale Magazine

NEW YORK, OCTOBER 1928. The Big Apple teems with the glitter of Bright Young Things, Prohibition, and scofflaws—the perfect place for Penelope Harris to start her life over.

As a former opera singer turned Shanghai nightclub owner, she's seen and done a lot, maybe too much. With any luck, she'll leave more than The Jade Tiger casino behind her—a murdered husband, a blackmailing torch singer, and Thom Lund, the ex-cop who stole her heart. But Penelope has never had that kind of luck; her past is already waiting for her in New York.

When someone murders her chiseling blackmailer at an out-of-control party and Thom is accused of the crime, Penelope must face down her darkest memories to prove his innocence. Is the murderer her cousin Charles, suckered into a hasty marriage by Penelope's blackmailer? Or is it Penelope's over-protective mother, who can't remember a thing after a blow to the head? Or was it Thom after all, ready to commit murder to save Penelope from the blackmailer's wicked plans?

Among the opulent mansions of the obscenely wealthy and the grit of a Hell's Kitchen speakeasy, Penelope and Thom must navigate double-crosses, bad liquor, bootleggers, and dark, obsessive love to find the murderer before the past reaches out to put a noose around both their necks. 

Author Bio:

E.W. Cooper is the author of the award winning Penelope Harris historical mystery series—The Jade Tiger and Murder at the Met. A lifelong fan of classic whodunit mysteries and Grand Opera, Ms. Cooper lives quietly with her partner, children, three dogs, and one cat in a very noisy house in South Texas.

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