Witty, racy, and full of gorgeous period detail, Ask Me No Questions is the perfect book for all of us who miss Downtown Abbey.” —Tasha Alexander, NewYork Times bestselling author
“Told with wit and humor...a spirited and spunky addition to the ranks of aristocratic women sleuths of the early 20th century.”—New York Times bestselling author Rhys Bowen
“Sparkles from start to finish!” —Tessa Arlen, author of the Lady Montfort mystery series
"Brimming with wit and rich historical detail...atmospheric and charming." —Chanel Cleeton, author of Next Year in Havana
“The many fascinating characters and historical details make this a thoroughly entertaining read. I can’t wait for Lady Dunbridge’s next adventure!” —Victoria Thompson, bestselling author of Murder in Union Square
“This first book in a new series is deftly plotted, well-researched, sharp with wit, and teases at the possibility of future romance. Highly intriguing and entertaining.” —Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries
“If you’ve missed Miss Fisher, Lady Phil will fill the bill. She’s at it again, taking Manhattan by storm and managing to meet the most interesting people as she investigates another murder. Don’t miss the non-stop adventure.” —Victoria Thompson
USA Today Bestselling author of MURDER ON TRINITY PLACE
"The book fairly flies along, whisking readers through Manhattan’s champagne-sipping high life, with jaunts to the racetrack along the way. Classy, clever, and fun, this is a propitious start for dashing Lady Phil.”—Publishers Weekly
“A saucy countess leaves English society behind when she ventures to New York City in 1907... This delightful series debut is a frisky combination of mystery and romance whose R-rated heroine clearly has a bright and adventurous future.”—Kirkus Reviews
08/20/2018
Set in 1907, this promising series launch from romance author Noble (Whisper Beach) introduces Philomena Amesbury, Lady Dunbridge, who’s coming to the end of the official mourning period for her much older husband, “a man who had no feelings, including the intimate kind, unless it involved whips and madams.” Her father gives her an ultimatum: find a suitable companion, return to her parental home, and remain a spinster, or live with her dreaded great-aunt Sephronia in Yorkshire. Refusing these fates, Lady Phil, in the company of her butler and her lady’s maid, sets sail for New York City to visit her friend Bev Reynolds, whose husband, Reggie, is shot dead in the back seat of his automobile, his head in the lap of his most recent mistress, shortly after her arrival. Lady Phil steps up to investigate. The book fairly flies along, whisking readers through Manhattan’s champagne-sipping high life, with jaunts to the racetrack along the way. Classy, clever, and fun, this is a propitious start for dashing Lady Phil. Agent: Kevin Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Oct.)
Author Shelley Noble embroils amateur British sleuth Lady Philomena “Phil” Dunbridge in the murder investigation of her friend’s husband upon her arrival in early-twentieth-century New York City. Narrator Erin Bennett introduces listeners to the series characters—primary and secondary—informing their accents and tones with their backgrounds and personalities. Determined and savvy Phil is accompanied by her mysterious, multilingual lady's maid and a loyal and fastidious butler as she searches for clues in high society and the world of horse racing. Bennett unravels the mystery at an unhurried pace, dangling plausible motives for the victim's mistress, wife, and business partners. With this series debut, Noble sets the stage for further intrigue involving law enforcement and an enigmatic figure. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2018-07-31
A saucy countess leaves English society behind when she ventures to New York City in 1907.
After getting pushed into marrying an older man she disliked, Lady Philomena Dunbridge is now a widow; she has spent two horrible years in mourning, enlivened by only a few discreet romantic interludes. Faced with several unpleasant places to live, she decides to visit Bev Reynolds, an old school friend in New York, taking along her butler, Preswick, and her newly hired maid, Lily, who speaks several languages and carries a hidden stiletto. At the dock, a gunshot rings out as Bev goes to fetch her husband, Reggie, and his car, and Phil arrives just in time to see a horrified Bev staring at the bleeding corpse of Reggie in the arms of his mistress, Mimi LaPonte. When DS John Atkins arrives to investigate, Phil spirits Bev away. Reggie was a wild sort whose only true loves were his racehorses and breeding stable. Since the ruggedly handsome Atkins clearly considers Bev his prime suspect, Phil plays detective in order to free Bev from suspicion despite dire warnings from Atkins, one of the few honest police officers in New York. Matters go from bad to worse when Atkins finds a dead man in Reggie's study shot with Bev's gun. Undeterred, Phil buys several books on crime-solving and uses Lily's lockpicking skills to search Reggie's study for incriminating evidence. Reggie's cousin, his stable manager, and a few other pals offer to help Bev, who, despite the fact that Reggie had secretly divorced her and obtained tickets for two to South America, remains his legatee. As Phil seeks gossip in drawing rooms and stables, she can't shake the feeling that she's being followed. It's up to her to discover which of Reggie's many risky activities got him killed before she becomes the next victim.
This delightful series debut is a frisky combination of mystery and romance whose R-rated heroine clearly has a bright and adventurous future.
