The Royal Assassin

Zusatztext Praise for the Victorian Bookshop Mystery Series: An engaging heroine. New York Times Bestselling Author Emily Brightwell Engrossing. Publishers Weekly Delightful adventure in Victorian England. Victoria Thompson Informationen zum Autor While other girls read Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, Kate Parker was poring over her mother's Agatha Christie paperbacks. She fell in love with the England of Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy Sayers along with all that delectable murder and mystery. Combined with the historical non-fiction that was her father's reading choice, Kate became hooked for life on historical mysteries. When she leaves late Victorian London, Kate finds herself living with the love of her life amid the rivers, swamps, and sand of coastal Carolina. Kate's nineteenth century hometown is beautiful, but research has taught her to be grateful her home comes with twenty-first century conveniences. Klappentext From the author of The Vanishing Thief and The Counterfeit Lady comes an all-new Victorian mystery featuring antiquarian bookseller Georgia Fenchurch! who doubles as a private investigator for the secret Archivist Society... When the Duke of Blackford enters her bookstore! Georgia knows the Archivist Society is in need of her services. The Tsar of Russia and his family are visiting Queen Victoria on the auspices of the engagement of the Russian princess Kira to the son of the Queen's cousin. When Kira's bodyguard is found dead on a train returning from Scotland! the Queen calls on Blackford to discreetly protect the princess and prevent an international incident. The Russian royalty refuses help in finding the murderer! suspecting anarchists and demanding every extremist in London be hanged. But that is far from the English way. To get the job done! Georgia must go undercover as Kira's English secretary. She soon discovers that anarchy isn't the only motive in the caseand that someone is determined to turn royal wedding bells into a funeral dirge. CHAPTER ONE GOOD morning, Miss Keyes. Is Miss Fenchurch here? The familiar baritone of the Duke of Blackford reached me from the front of my bookshop. I jerked my head up to face the door of my tiny office. The metal tool I was using to pry open a crate of two-shilling novels slipped and jabbed my hand. I sucked on my injured finger, tasting blood mixed with ink and coal dust from the boxes, and felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I didn't have a mirror, but I knew my auburn curls were springing loose from my topknot. I was filthy and in no fit state to be seen by anyone. My assistant, Emma Keyes, was seeing to customers while I dealt with the shipments of new books and illustrated weeklies, which filled the office and back hall to overflowing. I shouldn't have been surprised that on a day when I looked like something Dickens, the neighborhood cat, left on my doorstep, Blackford marched back into my life. Blast . She's in the back, Your Grace. I'd given Emma orders not to let anyone see me. Traitor. A moment later, the duke appeared in the doorway with a cheerful Good morning, Georgia. He strode forward around the various stacks of periodicals and books, somehow squeezing past without a single smudge clinging to his immaculate trousers. Whipping out his pristine handkerchief, he pulled my finger out of my mouth and wrapped up the injured digit. I can't have you getting blood poisoning. We have a problem and I want your help. The words I want your help coming from Blackford's lips would lead me to cross deserts in August and fly to the moon in a hot air balloon. Unfortunately, with Blackford, those were real possibilities. The hint of excitement, of danger, that the duke carried with him made him irresistible to me. The fact that he was handsome and incredibly s...

Praise for the Victorian Bookshop Mystery Series:

“An engaging heroine.” —New York Times Bestselling Author Emily Brightwell

“Engrossing.”—Publishers Weekly

“Delightful adventure in Victorian England.” —Victoria Thompson

Autorentext
While other girls read Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, Kate Parker was poring over her mother's Agatha Christie paperbacks. She fell in love with the England of Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy Sayers along with all that delectable murder and mystery. Combined with the historical non-fiction that was her father's reading choice, Kate became hooked for life on historical mysteries. When she leaves late Victorian London, Kate finds herself living with the love of her life amid the rivers, swamps, and sand of coastal Carolina. Kate's nineteenth century hometown is beautiful, but research has taught her to be grateful her home comes with twenty-first century conveniences.

Klappentext

From the author of The Vanishing Thief and The Counterfeit Lady comes an all-new Victorian mystery featuring antiquarian bookseller Georgia Fenchurch, who doubles as a private investigator for the secret Archivist Society...

When the Duke of Blackford enters her bookstore, Georgia knows the Archivist Society is in need of her services. The Tsar of Russia and his family are visiting Queen Victoria on the auspices of the engagement of the Russian princess Kira to the son of the Queen's cousin. When Kira's bodyguard is found dead on a train returning from Scotland, the Queen calls on Blackford to discreetly protect the princess and prevent an international incident.

The Russian royalty refuses help in finding the murderer, suspecting anarchists and demanding every extremist in London be hanged. But that is far from the English way. To get the job done, Georgia must go undercover as Kira's English secretary. She soon discovers that anarchy isn't the only motive in the case—and that someone is determined to turn royal wedding bells into a funeral dirge.

Zusammenfassung
From the author of The Vanishing Thief and The Counterfeit Lady comes an all-new Victorian mystery featuring antiquarian bookseller Georgia Fenchurch, who doubles as a private investigator for the secret Archivist Society…

When the Duke of Blackford enters her bookstore, Georgia knows the Archivist Society is in need of her services. The Tsar of Russia and his family are visiting Queen Victoria on the auspices of the engagement of the Russian princess Kira to the son of the Queen’s cousin. When Kira’s bodyguard is found dead on a train returning from Scotland, the Queen calls on Blackford to discreetly protect the princess and prevent an international incident.

The Russian royalty refuses help in finding the murderer, suspecting anarchists and demanding every extremist in London be hanged. But that is far from the English way. To get the job done, Georgia must go undercover as Kira’s English secretary. She soon discovers that anarchy isn’t the only motive in the case—and that someone is determined to turn royal wedding bells into a funeral dirge.
 

Leseprobe

CHAPTER ONE

“GOOD morning, Miss Keyes. Is Miss Fenchurch here?”

The familiar baritone of the Duke of Blackford reached me from the front of my bookshop. I jerked my head up to face the door of my tiny office. The metal tool I was using to pry open a crate of two-shilling novels slipped and jabbed my hand. I sucked on my injured finger, tasting blood mixed with ink and coal dust from the boxes, and felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

I didn’t have a mirror, but I knew my auburn curls were springing loose from my topknot. I was filthy and in no fit state to be seen by anyone. My assistant, Emma Keyes, was seeing to customers while I dealt with the shipments of new books and illustrated weeklies, which filled the office and back hall to overflowing.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that on a day when I looked like something Dickens, the neighborhood cat, left o…