Relentless Society Mysteries

A timeless villainy, a growing love, and the couple who battles them both . . . Miss Marianne Beaumont, a spinster, and her younger sister are on their way home from a night at the theater when they come upon a townhouse fire. They stop to help the victims, including Mr. James Harcourt, a confirmed bachelor, and his parents Sir and Lady Harcourt. Although Mr. Harcourt distrusts the beau monde, he accepts Marianne's ministrations. That should have been the end of their association, but then a folded piece of paper shaped like a chameleon slips out of his mother's sleeve. It's an ornament Marianne has come across only one time before-next to her father's dead body. Recognizing that ornament-an orikata-might at last help her catch her father's killer, Marianne joins forces with Mr. Harcourt. He has a penchant for solving mysteries and has been searching for the elusive criminal who uses that identifier. Together-with a chaperone, of course-their investigations take them from one baffling clue to another. But the closer they get to finding their answers, the more they discover that all isn't as it seems, and the dangers are more sinister-and personal-than they'd realized. A gripping Regency cozy mystery packed with romance and secrets.

A daring rescue, a secret love, and a conspiracy that threatens them all . . . The masquerade ball should have been an evening of harmless intrigue. Instead, on the dark roads of Hounslow Heath, highwaymen attack Miss Leah Crauford's carriage. Leah escapes, but her dearest friend, Miss Susanna Talbot, is not so fortunate. Refusing to abandon Susanna to an unknown fate, Leah partners with Sir William Talbot, Susanna's brother, to hunt for her missing friend. With guidance from Mr. Harcourt and Miss Beaumont-who are pursuing a dangerous investigation of their own-Leah and William follow a trail of cryptic clues through Regency London's glittering ballrooms and shadowed countryside. But the deeper they dig, the more troubling questions emerge. Why were they targeted? Who among London society cannot be trusted? And why does every lead circle back to the same chilling truth-someone planned this. Someone who knows them. Someone who may be watching still. As the investigation draws Leah and William closer together, Leah faces an impossible conflict: her heart belongs to William, but her hand has been promised to another man. And the closer they get to finding Susanna, the clearer it becomes that the danger surrounding them is far more personal-and deadly-than they ever imagined. With time running out and enemies closing in, Leah must decide what she's willing to risk-for friendship, for love, and for the truth.