A century-old mystery haunts Manhattan’s Gilded Age: On a cold December day in 1910, twenty-five-year-old Dorothy Arnold, an Upper East Side socialite and heiress, simply vanished into thin air. Her shocking disappearance captured the nation’s attention and was later called “one of New York’s greatest mysteries.” Born into privilege – her father was a perfume magnate and her uncle a Supreme Court justice – Dorothy’s case proved that even wealth and status couldn’t guard against a chilling vanishing. Labeled the oldest missing-persons case in the United States, Dorothy’s fate remains unsolved more than a century later. Even today, modern true-crime media revisit her story – the BuzzFeed Unsolved podcast covered the case in 2019, proving that this 1910 mystery still resonates. The Vanishing Heiress delivers a gripping, page-turning exploration of this infamous cold case. Drawing on newspaper archives, personal letters, and police reports, Eliza Hawthorne meticulously reconstructs Dorothy’s final hours. Readers walk down Fifth Avenue with Dorothy as she makes seemingly ordinary stops – picking up chocolates and a novel – before she simply disappears. We witness the frantic mobilization of her family and the NYPD search party, and sift through every clue and rumor. Along the way, readers learn about Dorothy’s personal dreams: a Bryn Mawr College graduate with literary ambitions, she chafed against the gilded cage of her world. In fact, only weeks before she vanished, Dorothy had petitioned her father for permission to live in Greenwich Village, highlighting her yearning for independence and lending a poignant undercurrent to the story. Hawthorne carefully examines each prevailing theory – from kidnapping and murder to voluntary disappearance – presenting every angle with empathy and intrigue. Yet the story never loses sight of the haunting fact: Dorothy’s fate is still unknown.

• Series Premiere: The first book in the Shadows of the Past historical true-crime series, promising more chilling mysteries to come.

• Historically Immersive: Evocative detail brings early 20th-century New York vividly to life – from lavish Gilded Age mansions to the icy streets of Manhattan.

• Comprehensive Investigation: Based on decades of archival research, family correspondence, and contemporary news reports for authoritative insight into this classic cold case.

• Compelling Narrative: Told in a narrative nonfiction style, the story reads like a detective thriller while remaining faithful to documented facts.

• Unsolved Mystery: Dorothy’s fate is still unknown, engaging readers who love historical crimes, cold cases, and real-life detective stories.

Perfect for true-crime enthusiasts, history buffs, and narrative nonfiction fans, The Vanishing Heiress shines a light on a forgotten piece of American history. This evocative, meticulously researched book peels back the layers of a century-old case. Whether you crave cold-case mysteries, richly detailed history, or the suspense of an unresolved disappearance, The Vanishing Heiress will linger in your mind long after the last page. Ideal for adult U.S. readers fascinated by early 20th-century history, vintage crime cases, and narrative nonfiction drama, this book delivers the perfect blend of investigative intrigue and historical context. For fans of the Gilded Age and unsolved mysteries, The Vanishing Heiress is an enthralling look into a vanished era. Uncover the secrets of Dorothy Arnold’s disappearance – add this captivating true-crime investigation to your collection and join the hunt for answers! Don’t miss this enthralling saga—grab your copy now and uncover the truth!