And Dangerous to Know

October 15, 2019
Rosalind Thorne (A Purely Private Matter, 2017, etc.) proves her acuity, her resourcefulness, and her general usefulness for a third time when she helps shield a member of the aristocracy from embarrassment. Ever since her debt-ridden father abandoned his family when she was a teenager, Rosalind has made her own way in the world. Temporarily rejecting Devon Winterbourne's proposal on the grounds that a woman in her reduced circumstances is no proper match for the future Duke of Casselmaine, she depends instead on the generosity of friends to sustain herself and her redoubtable housekeeper, Mrs. Kendricks, in their tiny but ferociously respectable household in Little Russell Street. In return for their largesse, Rosalind is willing to help even the most compromised of the haut ton avoid the scandals that would otherwise cost them their places in society. And few are more compromised than Lady Melbourne, who clings to her place atop Britain's social ladder in spite of the rumor that her youngest son is actually the child of the Prince of Wales. But an affair between her daughter-in-law, Lady Caroline Lamb, and George Gordon, Lord Byron, threatens to dislodge her from her perch unless Rosalind can manage to retrieve a packet of letters from the tempestuous poet that has disappeared from Lady Melbourne's study. She and Mrs. Kendricks repair to Melbourne House, and while they try to make sense of the dysfunction that surrounds them, Rosalind receives word from her good friend Adam Harkness of the Bow Street police that a woman whose body was delivered to him several days ago actually met her fate in the courtyard of that stately mansion. Solving both the theft and the murder puts Rosalind's considerable intellect to the test, but she handles the double challenge with typical Regency aplomb. Wilde's heroine is not only a useful woman but a highly entertaining one.

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November 25, 2019
Set in Regency England, Wilde’s captivating third Rosalind Thorne mystery (after 2017’s A Purely Private Matter) finds Lady Melbourne in need of some discreet help recovering letters regarding Lord Byron, the notorious poet, that were apparently stolen from Melbourne House in London. Rosalind, an heiress of reduced means, moves into Melbourne House, where she poses as Lady Melbourne’s secretary, to this end. The scandalous letters disappeared just as Lord Byron was seeking to take possession of them after a long affair with Lady Melbourne’s daughter-in-law, Lady Caroline Lamb. Meanwhile, the endearing Adam Harkness, a Bow Street runner who’s sweet on Rosalind, seeks her keen eye in solving the murder of a young woman found just outside the Melbourne House gates. The astute Rosalind soon learns everyone is protecting a secret and isn’t even sure whether she can trust her employer. Wilde smoothly mixes historical figures and events into a plot that’s sure to keep readers turning the pages to see what happens next. Regency fans will be charmed. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency.

December 1, 2019
Born to gentry but currently in reduced circumstances, Rosalind Thorne agrees to help the powerful Lady Melbourne recover letters written about Lord Byron that have been stolen from her desk. Lady Melbourne fears that the contents of the letters will bring about a scandal from which her family will never recover. Meanwhile, the body of a woman found just outside of Melbourne House is anonymously brought to the Bow Street police station. Reluctant to upset the Melbourne family with a police inquiry, Bow Street principal officer Adam Harkness asks Rosalind, who has assisted the police in the past, to quietly investigate. Rosalind soon learns that members of the Melbourne household, from mentally ill daughter-in-law Lady Caroline to lady's maid Claridge to Lady Melbourne herself, are keeping secrets or actively lying. The Regency frame is skillfully woven through a story that features surprising plot twists and an engaging subplot concerning Rosalind's dilemma over whom to marry?Harkness or a duke who will allow her to reclaim her past.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)