Historical Victorian Women Sleuths

Penrose and Pyke go together like fire and kerosene in this first-in-series Victorian era mystery. Trouble’s brewing in the Devil’s Half Acre. A death in an alleyway, a tragic accident in a factory, rumours of a murderer loose on the streets. It’s enough to give a genteel lady a fit of the vapours. Fortunately, Grace Penrose isn’t one to swoon at the sight of blood. All she wants is the chance to become the first female doctor in the colony. Instead, she must confront the harsh realities of the city’s most notorious sweatshop. When the police prove reluctant to investigate the ...

Lord Lindale wants the truth. Lady Ellen wants to keep her family’s secret hidden. One lady intrigues the new Marquess of Lindale. He is interested in getting to know Lady Ellen. However, Lord Lindale does not believe she is entirely trustworthy. He even believes that she stole something of great importance from his house. *** Lady Ellen does not trust anybody who holds the Marquess of Lindale title. How could the new marquess be any different from his late uncle? When Ellen does the unthinkable and steals from Lord Lindale, she believes it will right the Lindale line's wrongs. What she ...

The Duke of Ellsworth and Lady Foster must discover the person who is trying to destroy their reputations! Lady Foster has lost her husband at a very young age. With his death, she has also lost her status in society. She is penniless and has nowhere to go. Becoming a companion to the niece of the Duke of Ellsworth is her only option to survive. But when a rumor begins to spread through London about her, will Louisa be able to keep her position? Or will the Duke of Ellsworth ask her to leave? *** The duke does not want to be back amongst the ton, but he has returned to London solely for the...

Bubble, bubble, toil, and murder... When a woman is found dead near her village in Norfolk, the verdict is suicide. Not everyone agrees. Detective James Simpson is ordered to investigate and he brings Agatha Aston, Betty Simpson and Talleyrand the hound, with him. They stumble across a tale of murder that stretches back two centuries. Part occult story, part murder mystery - this creepy tale is steeped in witchcraft and strange rural festivals where everything is not as it seems. The second Agatha Aston murder mystery is full of laughs, twists and things that go bump in the night. Golden ...

It’s 1900, and Kat Livingston jumps at the chance to become one of the first female journalists in a small town just outside of old Chicago. Born to society and wealth, the death of her parents has forced her out into the working world. Kat’s good friend returns after a long and secret absence and the threat of scandal hangs in the air. When a suspicious stranger is murdered, casting blame on her friend, Kat uses her wits and natural gifts to find the cold blooded killer.

Spirited debutante Lady Olivia McLeod, cherished daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Strathaven, has two interests: solving mysteries and winning the love of her rescuer and secret crush, the infamous Duke of Hadleigh. When Livy joins Lady Charlotte Fayne's charity for young ladies and discovers that it is a front for a covert investigative agency, she is thrilled. Livy dedicates herself to solving a deadly case. Little does she realize that the path to danger will also lead to her heart's deepest desire.

In 1851, private detective Laetitia Rodd is enjoying a well-earned holiday when she gets an urgent request for her services. Mrs. Rodd’s neighbor Jacob Welland is a reclusive rich gentleman dying of consumption, and he wants Mrs. Rodd to find his brother, who has been missing for 15 years. Joshua Welland was a scholar at Oxford, brilliant, eccentric, and desperately poor when he disappeared from the university. Friends claim to have seen him since, in gypsy camps and wandering around the countryside.

London's social season is in full swing, and Victorian aristocracy can't stop whispering about a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. But he's not the only topic of wagging tongues. Drawing rooms, boudoirs, and ballrooms are abuzz with the latest news of an audacious cat burglar who has been systematically stealing valuable items that once belonged to the ill-fated queen. Light gossip turns serious when the owner of one of the pilfered treasures is found murdered, and the mysterious thief develops a twisted obsession with Lady Emily Ashton.

After she captured the interest of detective Sir Charles Sheridan during their first case together, Kathryn Ardleigh and Sir Charles are brought together once more by the demise of a local constable and the disappearance of a child. The sleuthing couple catches a trail of deadly greed and criminal mischief once again and, with the help of a shy woman who calls herself Beatrix Potter, Kate intends to uncover the sinister secrets of Gallows Green.

Miss Lucinda Williams has very rarely felt happiness. With an overbearing father dictating her every move, she finds herself longing for just a moment of freedom. When she meets Lord Wiltshire, a viscount and gentleman, Lucinda finds herself immediately drawn to him – but her father, instead, pushes her towards the arrogant Viscount Astley. When she continues to enjoy the company of Lord Wiltshire, much to her horror, he suffers a dreadful accident which she is certain is Lord Astley's doing. Fearing for Lord Wiltshire’s safety, Lucinda pulls back from their acquaintance and resigns ...

Lord Farrington is returning from what had been a wonderful evening at White’s, when he is struck suddenly and knocked unconscious. Waking up to find himself in a locked room, he has no knowledge as to why he is there or who attacked him. With no means of escape, he struggles between fear and anger, only to be greeted by a veiled lady who promises to explain everything. Lady Josephine Rutherford has spent five years searching for the truth about her husband’s death. Believing that Lord Farrington is responsible, she uses her wealth and influence to have him captured and brought to her ...

A romance filled with love, mystery, and deception! Lady Violet has been warned to stay away from the Duke of Claverhouse, but she has never been one to do exactly as she is told. Believing that the Duke has an interest in her, Lady Violet cannot help but imagine how her life would change if she were a duchess. However, the Duke is not the only gentleman who seeks her company. The Marquess of Coatbridge always seems to have Lady Violet’s best interest in mind. Her heart is torn between two men. When Violet is caught up in a disastrous and dreadful situation, she must choose whom to trust....

Can a rogue really change his ways? The Duke has a dark past. Miss Kelling does not believe that he has changed. She finds him irritating, and she does not want to give him a minute of her time. The Duke wants to redeem himself, but his efforts are futile. However, when the Duke needs Miss Kelling’s help, can she really turn him away in his time of need?

Lady Juliet wants answers. Lord Strickland does not want her involved. Finding a mysterious letter, Juliet becomes entangled in a scandal she would rather avoid. Her situation becomes worse when she overhears someone planning an attack on Lord Strickland. She cannot keep this information to herself. Duncan, the Earl of Strickland, did not expect a disastrous Season—but that is precisely what has happened. Along with Lady Juliet, Duncan is thrown into a great mystery that surrounds them with danger. With the threat growing ever closer, they must find a way to unearth the truth – and then...

When a local publican is murdered, Inspector Witherspoon takes Mrs. Jeffries' advice to heart. He is going to trust his own instincts - but that keeps Mrs. Jeffries in the dark. She must rouse the household staff to action and hope the Inspector doesn't arrest the wrong person before they can solve the crime.

Penrose & Pyke venture to the edge of madness when they reunite to investigate two tragic deaths and an old mystery. The last words of a frightened woman may be a vital clue to the disappearance of an old friend, if they aren’t the ravings of delusional lunatic. Detective Constable Charlie Pyke is desperate to find out. But is he desperate enough to risk the life of his sleuthing partner, medical student Grace Penrose? More to the point, can he stop her? The answers lie behind the locked doors of an asylum for wealthy young women of delicate sensibilities, where high walls and dark ...

It was a most peculiar murder. A man's body was found in the canal - but the evidence showed that he had drowned in a bathtub. A theater critic known for his savage reviews, the victim had had a full cast of enemies. While Inspector Witherspoon scoured the theater, his housekeeper and unofficial sleuthing partner Mrs. Jeffries uncovered the critic's secret past: a real-life drama more compelling than any stage play.

Jack the Ripper begins his reign of terror. Miss Sarah Bain, a photographer, supplements her meager income by taking illicit boudoir photographs of the town's local ladies of the night. But when two of her models are found gruesomely murdered within weeks of one another, Sarah begins to suspect it's more than mere coincidence.

Susanna is keeping a secret. Can she risk telling the truth? Benedict, the Earl of Knightsbridge is something of a recluse. His mother is insistent that he find a wife, but marriage is the last thing on his mind. Threatening notes arrive at his home every few days, which is why he continues to avoid society. However, when his mother insists that they throw a house party to find him a bride, Benedict has no other choice but to do so. He soon discovers that all is not as terrible as he feared, especially when he finds himself quite taken with one particular young lady. Miss Susanna Millerton ...

After an odd encounter at a grand masquerade ball, Lady Emily becomes embroiled in the murder investigation of one of the guests, a sometime actress trying to pass herself off as the mysterious heiress and world traveler Estella Lamar. Each small discovery, however, leads to more questions. Was the intended victim Miss Lamar or the imposter? And who would want either of them dead?