Welcome to R.J. Koreto’s Mysteries

Available starting September 12, 2023, the second book in my Historic Homes series, featuring architect Wren Fontaine, who specializes in restoring historic homes. In this new book, The Turnbull Murders, Wren is restoring a 200-year-old Federal-style mansion on a private island, the site of a long unsolved mystery. The house’s past seems to affect the present with deadly results as Wren works with her movie-star client, his various girlfriends, and a glamorous actress who has bewitched her father. Wren is moving forward with her girlfriend Hadley, even as she races to unlock the dark secrets of Turnbull House before more murders happen.

Also available is the first book in the series, The Greenleaf Murders. Wren gets her dream job of restoring a Gilded Age masterpiece, but she quickly finds trouble amidst the glamor. Her client is not being entirely honest with her. His elderly aunt, who still lives in the house, lives in the past and views Wren with suspicion. Her client’s cousin, the beautiful Hadley Vanderwerf, seems very interested in getting to know Wren better–but she has secrets of her own. When a new murder echoes a long unsolved one from the past, Wren must race to save the house–and herself.

All books are available on Amazon and other online and brick-and-mortar stores.

Also from R.J. Koreto:

The Lady Frances Ffolkes series, featuring an aristocratic suffragette in Edwardian London who won’t be bound by society’s conventions in seeking justice.

The Alice Roosevelt series, featuring Theodore Roosevelt’s wildly unconventional daughter, who boldly solves mysteries in Progressive-Era New York.

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WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT R.J. KORETO’S BOOKS 

About Wren Fontaine:

“If you love houses and puzzles – which I do – you will be captivated by THE GREENLEAF MURDERS, the first in Richard Koreto’s new Historic Home Mysteries. Equally sure-footed in the gilded age of the mansion’s heyday and the contemporary world of its decline, Koreto has woven a pretzel of a plot,  introduced a charming new heroine, and whetted appetites for more grave deeds and grandeur.” — Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author of the Dandy Gilver series 

“One would think that a murder mystery featuring old homes, architecture, and rich blue bloods would be a dull read, but that’s not the case with R.J. Koreto’s finely-written “The Greenleaf Murders.”  Filled with twists and turns and sharply-drawn characters, this well-done novel is very much recommended.” — Brendan DuBois, award-wining and New York Times bestselling author

“Set firmly in the 21^st-century but glancing back toward The Gilded Age, The Greenleaf Murders explores twinned stories of manners, morals, and mystery across more than a century—with a grand family mansion as the cornerstone for each. Like his engaging new heroine—architect Wren Fontaine—R.J. Koreto proves himself a master craftsman throughout, with a keen eye for all the right details.” — Art Taylor, Edgar Award winner, author of The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74

About Lady Frances Ffolkes:

“Lady Frances’s engaging third case is a good bet for fans of Rhys Bowen and Kate Saunders and for lovers of Downton Abbey.” — Library Journal

“Koreto’s third period mystery, beautifully appointed and written with measured authority, reads uncannily like a reprinting of an authentic novel from the early 20th century.”– Kirkus Reviews

“An intelligent and engrossing historical novel with an wonderfully independent heroine (of the right social class!) and her enterprising maid. But it is by no means a cozy story, delving into the grim realities of war.” — Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness mysteries

“R. J. Koreto introduces a delightful new heroine with Lady Frances Ffolkes. Everyone underestimates Lady Frances and usually to their dismay. You’ll love reading about her adventures as she takes time out from her efforts in the Women’s Suffrage movement to solve the murder of an old friend.” — Victoria Thompson, bestselling author of Murder in Morningside Heights

About Alice Roosevelt:

“The unlikely friendship between the Montana cowboy-turned-Rough Rider-turned-bodyguard and the beautiful, strong-willed teenager with resources and grit turns out to be a nice part of the story. St. Clair seems mystified at times with Alice, and she with him, and the friendship they establish is both lopsided and real.” — Bookreporter

“R.J. Koreto gives us a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Roosevelts in this intriguing whodunit. Alice is a feisty, independent woman of her time, and her bodyguard, Mr. St. Clair, is a perfect foil with his calm demeanor and dry humor. Smooth writing and an eye for detail adds to this captivating mystery.”  — Kate Kingsbury, national bestselling author of the Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries

“Koreto has written a delightful book, full of the contrasts of Alice’s audacity with her social status. By all accounts, Alice Roosevelt’s life was lived as fully and flamboyantly as she could manage. The fictionalized Alice is an entertaining creation and one of whom the actual Alice probably would’ve approved.” — New York Journal of Books