And Dangerous to Know

by Darcie Wilde

Overview

Darcie Wilde brings her nationally bestselling Rosalind Thorne Mysteries to Kensington for a third installment in the Jane Austen-inspired Regency-era series—now in paperback. Entrusted with recovering a packet of highly sensitive letters stolen from Lady Melbourne's desk, the charming and resourceful "useful woman," Rosalind Thorne, is about to find herself enmeshed in the trials and tangles surrounding that most notorious poet of the Regency—George Gordon, Lord Byron, and the most famous of his mistresses, the utterly ungovernable Lady Caroline Lamb.

When the ladies of the ton of Regency London need discreet assistance, they turn to Rosalind Thorne—in these mysteries inspired by the novels of Jane Austen...

Trust is a delicate thing, and no one knows that better than Rosalind Thorne. Lady Melbourne has entrusted her with recovering a packet of highly sensitive private letters stolen from her desk. The contents of these letters hold great interest for the famous poet Lord Byron, who had carried on a notorious public affair with Lady Melbourne's daughter-in-law, the inconveniently unstable Lady Caroline Lamb. Rosalind is to take up residence in Melbourne House, posing as Lady Melbourne's confidential secretary. There, she must discover the thief and regain possession of the letters before any further scandal erupts.

However, Lady Melbourne omits a crucial detail. Rosalind learns from the Bow Street runner Adam Harkness that an unidentified woman was found dead in the courtyard of Melbourne House. The coroner has determined that she was poisoned. Adam urges Rosalind to use her new position in the household to help solve the murder. As she begins to untangle a web of secrets and blackmail, Rosalind finds she must risk her own life to bring this desperate business to an end...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496720894
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	10/27/2020
Series:	Rosalind Thorne Mystery , #3
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	404,269
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Darcie Wilde is the author of the Rosalind Thorne Mysteries, a Regency-set historical mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, as well as the Regency Makeover Trilogy of eNovellas. Her book Lord of the Rakes was a RT Book Reviews nominee for Best First Historical Romance. Visit her online at DarcieWildeRomance.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/25/2019

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. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for And Dangerous to Know

"Wilde's heroine is not only a useful woman but a highly entertaining one." —Kirkus Reviews

“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.” —Booklist

“Captivating… 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.” –Publishers Weekly

"Rosalind carries the soul of Sherlock Holmes in the world of Elizabeth Bennet, and it's a hard combination to beat." --BookPage

Praise for Darcie Wilde's Rosalind Thorne mysteries:
 
“Wilde brings the haute monde of early 19th-century London to vivid life, and the characters she peoples it with are complex individuals whose basic decency, or lack of it, is carefully hidden behind a facade of manners and propriety.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“With plenty of twists and turns, and romance thrown in to boot, A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde is a delight to read, and I look forward to the next in the series.” —Fresh Fiction

 “Rosalind is an interesting, dare I say “plucky” heroine, a once-rich girl now lowered to live by her wits. She still follows the strict etiquette of her time and lost position, no matter the cost. The asides on what is proper in each situation are amusing, reminiscent of Jane Austen . . . I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next book in the series.” —The Historical Novel Society

“There are a multitude of regency era mystery novels, so it takes a unique twist for an author to set theirs apart. Darcie Wilde has succeeded with A Useful Woman by creating a heroine who, while abandoned by her family, has managed to create a niche in London Society by being necessary due to her usefulness and eye for detail.” —Night Owl Reviews

From the Publisher

2019-09-30
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.

Kirkus Reviews