The Mayfair Dagger

An unmarried young sleuth gets embroiled in a murder investigation in this fluffy historical from January (The Lady Detective). In 1894, plucky Albertine Honeycomb arrives in London with her best friend, Joan, in tow, fleeing their provincial hometown and sparing Albertine from an arranged marriage to a loutish widower with 15 children. In London, the pair opens a detective agency catering to upper-class society women; to better fit in with their chosen clientele, Albertine rebrands herself as the Countess Von Dagga, with Joan playing the part of her maid. After their first two clients put up a fight when they’re asked for payment, Albertine decides she and Joan need a man to front their enterprise, and places an ad in the newspaper. Into their office strides Spencer Sweetman, the recently titled Duke of Erleigh—who also happens to be a Scotland Yard agent tasked with investigating the murder of a lord at the center of Albertine and Joan’s first case. The emphasis here is squarely on the blossoming romance between Spencer and Albertine, with few clues to follow as the murder investigation unfolds. Though the love story is sweet and breezy, as a mystery this falls short. (Apr.)