Die I Will Not: A John Chase Mystery

Set in 1813, Rizzolo’s intricate third Regency mystery (after 2003’s Blood for Blood) centers on the era’s heated politics. Twenty years earlier, Eustace Sandford fled England to avoid arrest for seditious writings under the name Collatinus and the alleged murder of his lover, courtesan Nell Durant. Though Eustace is not the source, new radical writings begin appearing in the press under the Collatinus pseudonym, alluding to the murder of “N.D.” Penelope Wolfe, Eustace’s daughter, attempts to see newspaperman Dryden Leach, who has vowed to expose the new Collatinus, in hopes he can identify the writer. After an unknown woman fatally stabs Leach, Penelope calls on barrister Edward Buckler and Bow Street Runner John Chase for help in clearing herself and her family’s reputation. Despite the overly complex backstory, Rizzolo vividly depicts Regency London through her trio of contrasting but equally likable protagonists—Penelope, Buckler, and Chase. (Nov.)