The Ella Shane Mystery Series has always had an unusually diverse cast for a Gilded Age historical series. The main character, and narrator, Ella Shane, is the daughter of Irish and Jewish immigrants and confronts prejudice against both as she builds her career as an opera singer specializing in trouser, or male soprano, roles. The principal supporting character, her cousin Tommy, is a former boxing champion described as “not the marrying kind,” and he lives as fulfilling a gay life as is possible in 1900, largely because everyone assumes the Champ couldn’t be anything other than a model of masculinity.

Over the series, we’ve also seen a key character who is African-American passing as white for his opera career, and met people from a wide variety of classes, backgrounds, and experiences. I’ve always looked for ways to include people other than the “dead white people in big houses” that fill many historical mysteries.
All of that to say, it’s entirely within my wheelhouse and the frame of the series to have the character of a man living as a woman in A FATAL WALTZ. Still, it required a lot of research and care. I’d toyed with the idea for some time, but it wasn’t until this book that I had the right plotline to create the character.

It’s actually the second major plot of the book: the “A” plot features Ella’s new husband, the Duke, trying to determine whether the Prince of Wales may have committed a succession-threatening indiscretion during his 1860 visit to New York. Ella and Tommy, meanwhile, are working to break up a blackmail plot against her best friend’s husband, Paul, a civil court judge, who’s just been arrested in a raid on a sporting house – a brothel.

As it turns out, he was at the brothel to visit his sister the madam. “But I thought Paul only had a brother,” Ella says to her friend Marie. “He had a brother, but now he has a sister,” Marie replies. Later, their mutual pal Dr. Silver explains that some people feel they have the wrong body for their soul, and there’s nothing science can do for them right now. They all come to understand it through the lens of a recent story of a Civil War veteran who was found to be a woman after their death.

When we meet Alice LaJoy, formerly Paul’s brother Allen, she appears to be an attractive woman, known as the most ethical madam in Five Points. She’s a person with her own agency who’s found a way to live her truth in the world she has. The blackmail plot is an ugly complication for Alice and her brother, and Ella and Tommy put themselves at considerable risk to help them.

No spoilers – let’s just say Alice’s fate is anything but the stereotype of the poor tragic trans person, while still period-appropriate.

All of this, of course, happens as Ella and friends are sorting out that little mess involving the Prince of Wales. Which is part of the point. People of all different backgrounds and experiences have always been here and always will be.
Both stories, of the Prince, and the blackmail plot around Alice, touch on big themes of privilege and power, which are as relevant in Ella’s world as they are in ours. By the end of the book, you’ll have answers to the big plot questions…but you may have plenty of other questions to consider.
 
 
 
Kathleen Marple Kalb describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at New York’s 1010 WINS Radio, she’s the author of short stories and novels including the Ella Shane and Old Stuff series, both from Level Best Books. Her stories, under both pen names, have been in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and many anthologies, and short-listed for Derringer and Black Orchid Novella Awards. Active in writer’s groups, she’s served as Vice President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and is VP of the New York/Tri-State Sisters in Crime Chapter. She, her husband, and son live in a Connecticut house owned by a large calico cat.
 
 
 
 
 

Close your eyes and try to remember the last time you heard an accent. Was it spoken by a friend, a colleague, someone in line at the store, or maybe a telemarketer? What were the first assumptions that came to mind when you heard those accented phrases or words? Whatever you thought, your perception or judgment was likely shaped by both personal experience and the media.

In entertainment, accents are used to establish a character in seconds. Think Gloria Pritchett’s passionate Columbian lilt in Modern Family, Kamala Nandiwadal’s Indian inflection in Never Have I Ever, or (Nintendo) Mario’s Italian cadence. Accents hint at a character’s background without the use of words or action scenes, reflecting society’s diversity. But accents aren’t simple tools to play with as their portrayal leads to social categorization (the natural cognitive process by which we place individuals into social groups) and prompts conversations on authenticity, diversity, and stereotyping.
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A ”new comer” in the “accent realm” is Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS), a speech disorder I explore in Threads of Deception, my novel about a criminal attorney who switches career paths after a bomb destroyed her firm and left her with a French-sounding speech disorder. But FAS is more than an amusing plot twist, it challenges our notion of linguistic identity and what it means to sound foreign or native.

Accents aren’t just flavors—they shape perceptions of intelligence and what it means to be American. Did you know that Americans speak roughly 30 major dialects of English and that there are more than 350 languages spoken in the United States? Consequently, the US hosts a large number of accents, reflecting the country’s history and beautiful tapestry of cultures.
But, some accents, like the General American accent and the Queen’s English, have always had a superior status, gifting its speakers with assumed authority, intellect, or prestige, while others suffer from opposite assumptions. This bias places Claire Fontaine, the California-born-and-raised protagonist of Threads of Deception, under a constant microscope, her competence and presence being questioned. Though portrayed humorously, similarly to Adrian Monk’s obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias in the series Monk, the concept of accent discrimination is an important matter which requires attention.

The same is true with speech disorders. Individuals with conditions like lisp, stutter, or dysarthria often face additional layers of judgment based on how they speak. Just as with accents, society often attaches unfair assumptions about intelligence, capability, or even personality to those with speech impediments. This reality stresses the need for accurate and sensitive representation in media, as it directly impacts the perceptions and treatment of individuals dealing with such challenges.

Research has shown that media representation of accents shape how we view them and the people who speak with them. When accents become punchlines or stereotypes, it's not just harmless fun— such practice can fuel prejudice and keep harmful stereotypes alive. That is why storytellers need to handle accents with care and abandon the clichés in favor of authentic and nuanced representations. Speech impediments should be subject to the same considerations.

Through our stories, we can challenge stereotypes, champion inclusivity, and celebrate the wonderful diversity of our world. By including characters with accents or speech disorders authentically and respectfully, we not only enrich our narratives but also contribute to a more compassionate and understanding society.

Elle Jauffret is a French-born American lawyer, former criminal attorney for the California Attorney General’s office, and culinary enthusiast. She holds a Master of Laws from Université Côte d’Azur Law School (France) and a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School (USA). She is an avid consumer of mystery and adventure stories in all forms, especially escape rooms. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She lives in Southern California with her family. You can find her at https://ellejauffret.com or on social media @ellejauffret.