BOOK OF THE WEEK
Lady Irene Darling, a 50-year-old widowed marchioness, returns to London in the first installment of Gleason’s newest mystery series. Lady Darling intends to chaperone a friend’s daughter, Miss Priscilla Bedwith, during her first season out in society. Her return is followed by whispers of a troublesome past connected to a tragic event at Lady Enfield’s ball four years prior, resulting in the friends not speaking since. As the aging Lady takes on the challenging task of finding a husband for Priscilla, she finds herself at the heart of a new mystery, the murder of Mr. Tripley at his home during a dinner party she attended. Deciding she is the only person equipped and smart enough to conduct an investigation—with a little help from her friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s curious detective in mind—she sets out to solve the case, eliminating one suspect at a time (even as the suspects become victims themselves). This tale of strong-willed women, amateur sleuthing, and unraveled secrets is great for fans of Bridgerton and Sherlock Holmes alike.
