Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord

This delightful Regency mystery series launch from Connally, a pseudonym for S.C. Perkins (the Ancestry Detective Mystery series), draws readers into the life of Lady Petra Forsyth, whose unconventional behavior and affinity for sleuthing is frowned upon by most of her acquaintances and, especially, her nosy uncle Tobias. After her fiancé dies and her dearest friend, Duncan, decamps to mainland Europe to work for his grandfather, Petra announces at age 24 that she’ll remain single, shocking the public and moving her contemporaries to label her a premature spinster. Despite the undue scrutiny, Petra takes an interest in some of the women in her social circle, particularly after she learns that Gwen, wife of Lord Milford, has died suddenly in a physician’s care. When Gwen’s footman swears he’s seen the woman days after her supposed death, Petra starts digging, and soon uncovers a growing network of wives who’ve disappeared from society’s upper crust under mysterious circumstances. Soon Duncan reappears in England, arousing Petra’s suspicions further, and her determination to get to the bottom of things may put her own life in danger. Petra is marvelously drawn—an easy-to-love, instantly memorable heroine—and Connally equips her with a brisk, page-turning adventure. This is catnip for historical suspense fans. Agents: Chrstina Hogrebe and Jess Errera, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Nov.)