The secret of the lost pearls

In Wilde's well-crafted sixth Rosalind Thorne mystery (after 2021's A Counterfeit Suitor), Rosalind again gracefully navigates the snares of the haut ton of Regency London to resolve a problem rooted in family secrets. When Rosalind's old friend Bethany Hodgeson requests her help in locating a missing pearl necklace, Rosalind takes up residence in her home. There, under the guise of assisting Bethany's two sisters and her sister-in-law in making their debut into London society, Rosalind discovers an array of scandals and secrets, including a botched elopement, bigamy, and various machinations by overbearing parents and sly servants. The chapter headings include quotes from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice; and like Elizabeth Bennet, Rosalind seeks to know the truth of characters' motivations and feelings through acute observation of small actions that border on the private--a sudden flush, a hesitation, an overheard conversation, a brief disappearance. A sweet romance involving the handsome Adam Harkness of the Bow Street Runners enhances the complex puzzle surrounding the pearls. Fans of Dianne Freeman and Anna Lee Huber will find much to enjoy. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Jan.)

Wilde's ("Rosalind Thorne Mysteries") first installment in the "Useful Woman" series takes listeners to fashionable Edwardian London. Rosalind Thorne is a fixer of sorts, offering her services to London society families in need of discreet, practical assistance. Longtime acquaintance Bethany asks Rosalind to solve the mystery surrounding the theft of a string of valuable pearls. To give her access to Bethany's family and home, Rosalind is to shepherd Bethany's sister-in-law Penelope through her first London season. Bethany's husband thinks his disgraced sister-in-law Nora is the thief. In fact, everyone in the family has a motive for stealing the pearls, but the evidence does not single out anyone. As Rosalind begins to introduce Penelope to society, scraps of information begin to add to the puzzle, revealing unhappy family dynamics and even a murder. Wilde's complex and twisty mystery is narrated by Kitty Kelly, who adorns the story with a wide variety of English accents. VERDICT Fans of period mysteries will be clamoring for the next installment in this promising series. Share with listeners who enjoy Jane Austen, Liz Carlyle, and Dianne Freeman.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

A gentlewoman lives by her wits without losing her heart. Rosalind Thorne treads a knife edge in Edwardian London. Working for pay would erase her claim to gentility. But, since her father left her penniless, she maintains her small household by helping more prosperous members of the haute ton solve their problems--domestic, romantic, and occasionally legal--and relying on their good breeding to reward her discretion with an appropriate sum. Her latest commission is no exception. Her old school friend Bethany Hodgeson, now Mrs. Gerald Douglas, implores Rosalind to discover who stole a valuable pearl necklace from her dressing room while pretending to help Bethany's sister-in-law, Penelope, prepare for her London season. The Hodgeson family, including Bethany's feckless father and malingering mother, moved to London when Gerald's wealthy uncle, Sir Jasper, made Gerald his heir. Their situation is stressed not only by Sir Jasper's demands for attention, but by the presence in the household of Bethany's disgraced sister, Nora, who returned to her family after a failed elopement. Rosalind's desire to earn the expected gift from Bethany is complicated by her pain at watching her friend struggle to adjust to a world more socially fraught than the one she grew up in. Wilde springs a series of surprises that prove that the planning of every successful fraud goes back far longer than the victims could ever suspect. The jolts provide a series of tests for Rosalind that are also opportunities for the reader to bond with her, hoping that she has the acuity to fit each piece of the puzzle into place, the heart to do right by her friend, and the strength to face down the tide of social convention. A compelling lesson in manners and morals. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.