**A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses
her wits and invisibility as an 'old maid' to protect other women in a
new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York
Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.
**
Lady Augusta Colebrook, "Gus," is determinedly unmarried, bored by
society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She
and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a
distraction. One soon presents itself: to rescue their friend's
goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.
The sisters set out to Caroline's country estate with a plan, but their
carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally
shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan
Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and
exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is a high adventure
full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a
little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.
Back in London, Gus can't stop thinking about her unlikely (not to
mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was
falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades
Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in
need--society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and
adventures of the Colebrook twins.
