Synopses & Reviews
The first book in an exciting new Victorian murder mystery series featuring a young female detective In 19th century Brighton, England spirit mediums are all the fashion—especially Miss Eustace, a psychic who claims to produce apparitions of the dead, and oleaginous Mr. Bradley, a self-proclaimed spirit healer. Diminutive Mina Scarletti, a writer of horror stories, is sure that her widowed mother and friends are in the hands of cheats and extortionists so she enlists the help of Daniel Hamid, an Anglo-Indian doctor, her charming but disreputable brother, Richard, and Richard’s mistress, Nellie, to expose the frauds. But the scheming criminals have spread their nets wide, and dramatic séances easily convince and captivate the vulnerable, including Daniel’s disabled sister Eliza. When Mina’s determined campaign backfires she only succeeds in adding to Miss Eustace’s fame. With chaos reigning in the Scarletti house, Mina and Richard must turn to desperate methods to outwit the illusionists and reveal the truth.
Review
"Her knowledge of the London area in which the Victorian Frances lived is detailed and cleverly given in a way that avoids any tedium." —Mystery Women
Review
"Her adventures as a detective, and the slowly unraveling evidence of multiple crimes in a murky Victorian setting, make for a gripping read." — The Historical Novels Review
Synopsis
The first in a new Victorian murder mystery series set in London, featuring a clever and determined young female sleuth When a customer of William Doughty's chemist shop dies of strychnine poisoning after drinking medicine he dispensed, William is blamed, and the family faces ruin. William's daughter, 19-year-old Frances, determines to redeem her ailing father's reputation and save the business. She soon becomes convinced that the death was murder, but unable to convince the police, she turns detective. Armed only with her wits, courage, and determination, and aided by some unconventional new friends, Frances uncovers a startling deception and solves a 10-year-old murder. There will be more deaths and a secret in her own family will be revealed, before the killer is unmasked and Frances finds that her life has changed forever.
Synopsis
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.
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 three previous titles in the Frances Doughty Mysteries: The Poisonous Seed, The Daughters of Gentlemen, and A Case of Doubtful Death.