A LADY'S GUIDE TO ETIQUETTE AND MURDER By: Dianne Freeman
Countess of Harleigh #1
Kensington
July 2018
On Sale: June 26, 2018
Featuring: Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh; Inspector Delaney
272 pages ISBN: 1496716876 EAN: 9781496716873 Kindle: B07638LZZB Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List
In this exciting historical mystery debut set in Victorian England, a wealthy young widow encounters the pleasuresβand scandalous pitfallsβof a London social seasonβ¦
Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, enjoys more freedom as a widow than she did as a wife. After an obligatory year spent mourning her philandering husband, Reggie, she puts aside her drab black gowns, leaving the countryside and her money-grubbing in-laws behind. With her young daughter in tow, Frances rents a home in Belgravia and prepares to welcome her sister, Lily, arriving from New Yorkβfor her first London season.
No sooner has Frances begun her new life than the ghosts of her old one make an unwelcome appearance. The Metropolitan police receive an anonymous letter implicating Frances in her husbandβs death. Frances assures Inspector Delaney of her innocence, but sheβs also keen to keep him from learning the scandalous circumstances of Reggieβs demise. As fate would have it, her dashing new neighbor, George Hazelton, is one of only two other people aware of the full story.
While busy with social engagements on Lilyβs behalf, and worrying if Reggie really was murdered, Frances learns of mysterious burglaries plaguing Londonβs elite. The investigation brings death to her doorstep, and Frances rallies her wits, a circle of gossips, and the ever- chivalrous Mr. Hazelton to uncover the truth. A killer is in their midst, perhaps even among her sisterβs suitors. And Frances must unmask the villain before Lilyβs seasonβ and their livesβcome to a most unseemly endβ¦