An intrepid female reporter matches wits with a serious, sexy detective in award-winning author Manda Collins’ fun and flirty historical rom-com!

England, 1865: As one of England’s most notorious newspaper columnists, Lady Katherine Bascomb believes knowledge is power. And she’s determined to inform and educate the ladies of London on the nefarious-and deadly-criminals who are praying on the fairer sex. When her reporting leads to the arrest of a notorious killer, however, Katherine flees to a country house party to escape her newfound notoriety-only to witness a murder on her very first night. And when the lead detective accuses Katherine of inflaming-rather than informing-the public with her column, she vows to prove him wrong.

Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham’s refusal to compromise his investigations nearly cost him his own career, and he blames Katherine. To avoid bad publicity, his superiors are pressuring him to solve cases quickly rather than correctly. When he discovers she’s the key witness in a new crime, he’s determined to prevent the beautiful widow from once again wreaking havoc on his case. Yet as Katherine proves surprisingly insightful and Andrew impresses Katherine with his lethal competency, both are forced to admit the fire between them is more flirtatious than furious. But to explore the passion between them, they’ll need to catch a killer.

Review:

Mysterious, atmospheric, and delightfully entertaining!

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is a clue-like murder mystery set in England during 1865 that features Lady Katherine Bascomb, a widowed newspaper owner who after stumbling upon what appears to be another victim of the elusive Commandments Killer on the country estate of her friend Lord Valentine Thorn, joins together with the disgruntled, enigmatic, handsome, Inspector Andrew Eversham of Scotland Yard to try and solve the case.

The writing style is light and witty. The characters, including the intelligent, independent heroine, are well-developed, multi-layered, and intriguing. And the plot is a well-paced whodunit full of amateur sleuthing, red herrings, suspects, deduction, attraction, and of course a touch of romance.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is the first book in the Lady’s Guide series, and if you love historical mysteries/romance this novel won’t disappoint. It is a passionate, enjoyable, refreshing read that is the first novel I’ve read by Collins but undoubtedly won’t be my last.

This book is available now.

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