Amelia Amesbury—widow, mother, and countess—has a secret. Amelia writes for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners under the pen name Lady Agony. But when a lady’s maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her mistress has been murdered—and then ends up a victim herself—Amelia is determined to solve the case.
With the help of her best friend and a handsome marquis, Amelia begins to piece together the puzzle, but as each new thread of inquiry ends with a different suspect, the investigation grows ever more daunting. From London’s docks and ballrooms to grand country houses, Amelia tracks a killer, putting her reputation—and her life—on the line.
Release Date: Mar 28, 2023
Series:Â Lady of Letters
Book:Â 1
Publisher:Â Penguin Group
Imprint:Â Berkley
Price: $11.99
Lady Amelia Amesbury is still a young woman but has been a widow for two years. She lives with her aunt by marriage and raises her late husband’s niece. Amelia wasn’t born with a title and was bored with high society life until her childhood friend gave her a new purpose. Grady Armstrong is a newspaper editor and gave Amelia the job of responding to letters written to the paper’s advice column. Amelia loves helping others but must keep her identity as “Lady Agony” a secret because the people in her aunt’s social circles would not approve. Her secret becomes hard to keep when a woman writes a letter to the paper asking for help because she thinks her mistress has been murdered. Now Amelia has to find a way to solve the murder while keeping her own secrets.
This is the first book in a new series, and I really liked it! I like the character of Amelia as well as the relationship she has with her niece, Winifred, who is like a daughter to her. Even though Amelia feels obligated to follow certain societal conventions of the times, she doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind when it involves her niece or someone in need. While trying to help the woman who reached out to her through her advice column, she is spotted by a friend of her late husband’s family, the mysterious Lord Barinbridge. The two form an unlikely sleuthing team, and each has a reason to wonder about the sparks that fly when they’re together. I love the chemistry between the two and hope they act on it sooner than later.
Almost every chapter of the book begins with a letter written to Lady Agony along with Amelia’s reply. The topic of the letter often ties in with what’s going on in the story for that chapter. The letters are fun and give the reader a glimpse into both the customs of the times and Amelia’s witty personality. Amelia and her best friend Kitty Hamsted end up in danger themselves as they try to do some investigating without Lord Simon there to assist. There is so much to like about this well-written mystery. I like how everything comes together at the end of the murder investigation, and was pleased with the resolution. A development at the end hints at what I assume will be the plot of the next book, and I can’t wait! Fans of Anne Perry’s Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series or Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight mysteries will enjoy the debut of this new series.
~ Christine
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