Author Stephanie Laurens has told nearly two dozen stories about the Cynster family and their friends. As far as I remember, I haven't read any of the others, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of AND THEN SHE FELL, the story of Henrietta Cynster. She's 29 years old and has given up on finding her true love. Instead, she helps other women make sure their suitors are up to snuff, by using her extensive connections in the haut ton to find out if the gentlemen are hiding anything from the ladies they're pursuing. The hobby has earned Henrietta the nickname "The Matchbreaker."

As the novel opens, she tells a young woman that her suitor James Glossup must marry -- soon -- or he'll lose his inheritance, a fact he hadn't shared with the girl or her family. When she turns down his offer, James goes after Henrietta -- his best friend's sister -- and when he explains that the situation is about more than the money, she agrees to help him find a wife to meet his needs. It takes just a few days for them both to see they are each other's perfect match, but soon after, they realize that someone is stalking Henrietta, with an eye to murder.

AND THEN SHE FELL starts off as a delightful tale of love and society, set at the very end of the Georgian era. About a third of the way in, this Cynsterstory starts to turn sinister, and Henrietta and James turn to their family and friends to help solve the mystery and save her life. Laurens devised a crafty plot that puts the couple in real and regular danger. I loved how clever, careful, and strong her characters are as they investigate the crime. I will admit that I had formed a good guess about who the killer was by the time the identity was revealed, but it involved a good deal of re-reading certain passages to piece the clues together -- and I still couldn't figure out how our heroes were going to figure it all out in time to save Henrietta and James!

I highly recommend AND THEN SHE FELL for readers who enjoy historical mysteries and thrillers as well as Georgian- and Victorian-era romance.