A Deadly Dowry

For readers of Alison Goodman's Ill-Mannered Ladies series, Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in this delicious Regency country estate mystery with a feminist twist. It introduces accidental detective Lady Miranda Harwood, a woman of great fortitude and admirable sleuthing skills, determined to save her family from ruin.

When the eldest daughter of the aristocratic Godfrey family, Lady Miranda Harwood, rejoins her family for the annual lauded performance of Shakespeare at their country estate, it is a welcome reprieve from two years of widow's weeds. The occasion is entertaining and lively, as the young debutantes of the Ton and their mamas flock to take part in the play and find good matches, resulting in dramas, fights, and love affairs aplenty, both on and off stage.

It's even more enjoyable when the devilishly handsome Richard, Lord Elsingham, falls for her. She knows it can only be a summer fling—a barren woman cannot help Elsingham in his quest to produce an heir. A pity, but at least they can have some fun.

Then Mrs Willoughby, mother of the season's Diamond and a practised blackmailer, is murdered. A deadly game is afoot, and Miranda and Richard join forces to find the killer and save Miranda's family from disgrace. However, instead of no suspects, they have been gifted too many... Is everyone in the Ton being blackmailed? Can Miranda and Richard stay alive long enough to uncover the murderer, and save the play and the family's reputation by summer's end?