Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Countess Amelia Amesbury returns in the limp third Lady of Letters mystery from Winters (after Murder in Masquerade). In 1860 London, Amelia writes advice columns under the alias Lady Agony Her younger sister, Margaret, travels to London for a visit after she sends Charles Atkinson, one of her costars in a play, to the hospital for making unwelcome advances. Margaret arrives in the middle of London's debutante season and exchanges tense words with baronet Arthur Radcliffe, an acquaintance of Charles's, just before a society dinner. When Arthur dies by poisoning at the same event, Margaret becomes the obvious suspect. Then jewelry belonging to London's upper crust begins to go missing, bringing her twice as much scrutiny. Using her gifts of deduction, Amelia sets out to solve the crimes and clear her sister's name. Unfortunately, Winters fails to make Amelia's supposed talents convincing, sharing only banal excerpts from her columns and barely touching on her detective work. Readers intrigued by the premise will have better luck with Anastasia Hastings's Dear Miss Hermione series. Agent: Amanda Jain, BookEnds Literary. (Dec.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An advice columnist has yet another mysterious murder to solve in 1860. Lady Amelia Amesbury's late husband, Edgar, told her he was a wealthy earl only after she agreed to marry him, but his money and position couldn't cure the illness that took his life after only two months of marriage. Bored with her widowhood, she's been writing an advice column under the name Lady Agony while living in London with Edgar's starchy aunt, Lady Tabitha, and niece, Winifred, whom she loves dearly. Her quiet life is upset by the arrival of her boisterous younger sister, Madge, who's eager to get away from the inn their family owns in Mells, where she's been embroiled in a scandal after breaking a forward young man's arm. Agreeing to take Madge for the season will certainly make life more interesting, but Amelia never imagines that her sister will be suspected of murder at her first ball. When Arthur Radcliffe dies after an unpleasant encounter with Madge, one of his friends accuses her of poisoning him. Madge's flare-up with Radcliffe makes her the first and perhaps only suspect for Scotland Yard's Detective Collings, so Amelia realizes she'll need to learn a great deal more about Radcliffe's background if she's to find someone else who wished him dead. Edgar's best friend Simon, Lord Bainbridge--Amelia's partner in solving murders--is still trying to convince himself that he and Amelia aren't attracted to each other. With the help of friends and relatives and the hindrance of much danger and confusion, Amelia and Simon work to prove Madge's innocence. Dashing characters and thwarted romance combine in a charming mystery. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
