Murder in Mayfair: An Atlas Catesby Mystery

Set in 1814, this cleverly plotted series launch from historical romance author Quincy (Seducing Charlotte, etc., as Diana Quincy) introduces Atlas Catesby, a baron’s intelligent youngest son with bad memories and time on his hands. On the way home to London from Bath, Catesby stops at a rustic country inn around the time crude tradesman Godfrey Warwick is auctioning off his wife, the well-bred Lilliana, in the inn’s yard. His protective instincts aroused, Catesby “buys” the woman for £30, but both husband and wife have dangerous secrets, and he soon finds himself responsible for Lilliana in ways he never expected. Catesby’s sleuthing skills impress as he seeks to solve a murder that occurs weeks after the sale, with several suspects in the running. Quincy on occasion slips into clichéd prose (“His blood turned cold”), but she does a good job depicting the class tensions and gender relations of Regency England. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (July)