Synopses & Reviews
The fifth in a series of Victorian murder mysteries set in London with a clever and determined female sleuth
London 1881: Harriet Antrobus, who suffers from incurable ear pain, is anxious to prove that fragments of a corpse found in the Paddington canal basin are the remains of her husband Edward, who disappeared three years ago. Calling upon Frances Doughty to investigate, the young Bayswater detective seeks to learn who the unknown man Edward met in Bristol shortly before he vanished was, why Harriets hearing specialist is suing the Bayswater School for the Deaf, and how her doctor lost his mind? Crimes are revealed and there are more bodies to be found before Frances learns how to read the signs and reveal the answers to this particular mystery.
Review
"[A] formidable Victorian historical . . . most readers will want to see more of Frances." —Publishers Weekly on The Poisonous Seed
Review
“. . . The pace moves along well and [Stratmanns] dry wit that is expressed through conversation among the characters is most entertaining.” —Joseph's Reviews
Synopsis
The third book in the series of Victorian murder mysteries set in London, with a clever and determined female sleuthA dedicated doctor has set up a waiting mortuary on the borders of Kensal Green Cemetery, where corpses are left to decompose before burial to reassure clients that no one can be buried alive. He collapses and dies, apparently of natural causes, but on the same night one of his most reliable employees goes missing. Frances Doughty, a young sleuth with a reputation for solving knotty cases, is engaged to find the missing man, but nothing is as it seems. Suspicions of blackmail, fraud, and murder lead to a gruesome exhumation in the catacombs, with shocking results.
Synopsis
The fifth in a series of Victorian murder mysteries set in London with a clever and determined female sleuth
London 1881: When a body is found in the Paddington canal basin, a woman with a hearing impairment claims that the remains are those of her missing husband, who disappeared three years ago. Unable to prove her case, she appeals to Frances Doughty, the lady detective, to investigate. In this, her fifth case, Frances soon learns that the missing man has secrets of his own, and, when another body is discovered and a witness is viciously attacked, it becomes clear that she must choose her allies wisely.
About the Author
Linda Stratmann is the author of Chloroform: The Quest for Oblivion and two previous titles in the Frances Doughty Mysteries—The Poisonous Seed and The Daughters of Gentlemen.