Miss Morton and the English house party murder

Caroline Morton, the heroine of this uneven series launch set in 1837 England from Lloyd (the Kurland St. Mary mysteries), and her younger sister, Susan, are left penniless after the suicide of their debtor father. Unwilling to depend on the largesse of their closest relative, Lady Eleanor Greenwood, Caroline leaves Susan at Greenwood Hall and goes to work as companion to Mrs. Frogerton, a warmhearted, affluent widow seeking to launch her daughter in society. When Caroline and the Frogertons are invited to a house party at Greenwood Hall, Caroline anticipates a pleasant reunion with her sister. Instead, torrential rains isolate the hall just before her reclusive great-aunt Ines and then Mr. Woodford, the hall's butler, are murdered. Lady Eleanor and her husband hush up the crimes, but Caroline feels compelled to investigate. Mrs. Frogerton and outspoken local physician Oliver Harris--whose gruffness hides an attraction to Caroline--help her unravel the mystery. The smart and colorful sleuthing trio help offset the glut of secondary characters that overcomplicates the novel's first half, though there isn't much sense of time and place. Lloyd has done better. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency. (June)

Lloyd leaves behind Kurland St. Mary to introduce a sassy new Regency-period heroine with a tough row to hoe. Lady Caroline Morton's engagement was broken and her reputation destroyed when her father, the Earl of Morton, committed suicide, leaving her and her sister, Susan, penniless. For some years Lady Eleanor, their aunt, has taken in stray children and raised them along with her own offspring, if not always successfully, and some of these are still friends of the family. Lady Eleanor has been housing Susan, and she's offered Caroline a home as well. But Caroline decides that she'd rather be a paid companion than an unpaid drudge. Now Lady Eleanor insists that Caroline come to the birthday party for her cousin Mabel. To that end, she invites Caroline's employer, Mrs. Frogerton, a wealthy widow whose fortune comes from trade, and her beautiful, well-dowered daughter, Dorothy. Unfortunately, the other guests include Caroline's former fiance, Lord Francis Chatham, and his sister, who used to be her best friend. When young Dr. Harris arrives to attend to Lady Eleanor's butler, who's had a messy accident in the cellar, it reinforces the doctor's dislike of the wealthy. Next, Caroline's great-aunt Ines, who has lived on the estate for many years, is found murdered and Caroline finds a large sum of money hidden in her room. Caroline fears that past secrets have come back to haunt her family members, who insist there were no murders, and at Mrs. Frogerton's urging, she investigates. A charming cross between a Regency romance and a well-constructed detective story with a surprising denouement. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.