British author Jakeman (In the Kingdom of Mists
) introduces an intriguing Byronic hero in this first of a new series with stylistic overtones evocative of the Brontë sisters. Scarred by wounds received in the Greek fight for independence, Lord Ambrose returns in the summer of 1830 to Malfine, his ancestral West Country home, to live as a recluse with only his Greek manservant for company. As lord of the manor, he is forced out of seclusion to investigate the shooting murders of one of his tenant farmers and the farmer's son. Curiously, Ambrose finds the farmer's young widow has a predilection for opiates, while the alluring governess to the farmer's grandson has suspicious bloodstains on her costly dress. Jakeman's prose is dark and brooding at the onset, mirroring her protagonist's mood, but lightens as Ambrose, who will remind readers of Mr. Rochester, becomes more involved in the world around him. Secondary characters are also full of surprises, revealing hidden depths. The carefully constructed plot provides an illuminating glimpse of the years between the self-indulgence of the Regency and the rigid propriety of the Victorians. This series has been well received in Britain, and should be here as well. Agent, Patricia Moosbrugger. (Sept. 7)
