Part of Series
#1 NYT-bestselling author Stephanie Laurens is back with a challenging case in which, from the first, the Adairs and Inspector Stokes are under significant pressure to identify the murderer of a powerful nobleman. When the Earl of Moran is found bludgeoned to death in his study, the finger is pointed at his mother’s companion, Mary Alder, who the earl had dismissed and who was found standing over his body. Mary is the mother of Julian, one of Barnaby Adair’s Lads Network’s brightest stars, and in desperation, Julian and his employer, Curtis, appeal to the Adairs and Stokes for help in saving Mary from the hangman. While the investigators quickly establish that Mary couldn’t have been the murderer, pressure builds to quickly declare the murderer’s identity, yet who actually accomplished the deed is difficult to imagine, let alone prove. After being dismissed—for no apparent reason—from her position as companion to the Dowager Countess of Moran, Mary Alder believes she is fulfilling her last duty to the earl before leaving his employ the following morning, only to discover, on entering his study, that the earl has been struck down and is very dead. Then she’s discovered standing, horror-struck, over the body, and is accused of committing the crime. On learning of his mother’s predicament, Julian seeks help from his employer, Curtis, who immediately enlists the assistance of the Adairs and Stokes on Mary and Julian’s behalf. As the investigators have already been directed to solve the politically and socially sensitive case without delay, they are swiftly on the scene—only to find that all their prime suspects were in the drawing room at the time of the murder, under each other’s eyes. Indeed, despite a plethora of potential suspects, there’s a dearth of evidence that places any of them anywhere near the earl’s study at the fateful time. In solving this case, the investigators are forced to look past the obvious and confront their own prejudices before—fact by fact and motive by motive—they finally answer the question of who killed the Earl of Moran. A historical novel of 78,000 words interweaving mystery, crime, and a touch of romance.
Author
Stephanie Laurens was born in Sri Lanka, which was at the time the British colony of Ceylon. When she was 5, her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised. After continuing through school and earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Australia, Stephanie and her husband moved to Great Britain, taking one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London. Once in London, Stephanie and her husband both began work as research scientists in Kent. They lived in an area surrounded by history. Their own cottage was built in the 16th century, while next door were the protected ruins of an early Roman villa, and nearby was a 14th century castle. After four years in England, Stephanie and her husband returned to Australia, where she continued to work in cancer research, eventually heading her own research laboratory. One evening Stephanie realized that she did not have any more of her favorite romance novels to read. After years of thinking about writing her own novel, during nights and weekends for the next several months, she began crafting her own story. That manuscript, Tangled Reins, was the first of her books to be published. After achieving a level of success with her novels, Stephanie "retired" from scientific research and became a full-time novelist. Her novels are primarily historical romances set in the Regency time period. Stephanie and her husband live on peaceful acreage on the outskirts of Melbourne. If she isn't writing, she's reading, and if she's not reading, she's tending her garden.
