The Flaming Corsage

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The Flaming Corsage begins in a Manhattan hotel room, where a dramatic incident involving two women and a man escalates into what the tabloids label "The Love Nest Killings of 1908." The central mystery unfolds through the lives of Katrina Taylor and Edward Daugherty. Edward, a first-generation Irish American, aspires to be a playwright, while Katrina, a beautiful and complex Protestant woman, grapples with her feelings about love and mortality. Their passionate connection is marked by Edward's straightforward affection and Katrina's hesitance, influenced by her belief that love is intertwined with death, echoing Baudelaire's sentiments. The narrative shifts between 1884 and 1912, exploring how their lives intertwine with those of others, including their conflicting families, Katrina's lover Francis Phelan, Edward's flirtatious actress Melissa Spencer, the exuberant physician Giles Fitzroy and his wife Felicity, and the cynical journalist Thomas Maginn. A pivotal event, a devastating hotel fire that strikes close to Katrina's family, transforms their relationship into something profoundly different. With masterful storytelling, the author weaves a rich tapestry of interconnected lives, revealing how external forces shape the destinies of Katrina and Edward.