MYSTERY AT THE BILTMORE

Move over, Eloise at the Plaza: It’s Elodie at the Biltmore.

Ten-year-old Elodie LaRue’s art crime investigator parents leave her in the care of Miss Rosa and head off for the summer. Elodie, a resident of the exclusive Upper West Side Biltmore—a fictional building based on New York City’s Apthorp—decides to prove her detecting chops in the hopes that her often-absent parents will let her join them next time. She begins looking into the disappearance of a valuable pair of earrings from the apartment of a Biltmore icon, famous landscape architect Mrs. Vanderhoff. Elodie meets a boy her age, new arrival Oscar Delgado, and enlists his help. They learn that last night, Mrs. Vanderhoff heard a strange voice in her apartment and suspects her housekeeper, Agnes, of letting an accomplice in to steal the jewelry, but Elodie heeds Miss Rosa’s warnings that the hired help often unfairly comes under suspicion. Elodie questions Freddy the doorman; Mr. Ray, the flower deliveryman; Mr. Franklin, an orchid-fancying resident who’s had a falling out with Mrs. Vanderhoff; another doorman; and aerialist Daniela Wallenda, who lives in #9A. Nelson draws out the mystery, planting clues and red herrings, explaining good reasoning, citing evidence, and providing a satisfying solution. The Biltmore staff and inhabitants are a whimsical bunch, and many colorful, mildly caricatured, detailed vignettes attractively highlight the action. Elodie is pale-skinned, while Oscar is olive-skinned; the supporting cast is diverse.

An entertaining blend of quirky characters and locked-room puzzle.