The future of Thorncroft House and its occupants is in the balance while a mysterious murder brings up a past best forgotten! An authentic Victorian murder mystery depicting upstairs-downstairs life in nineteenth century England.

October 1861, England. Harriet and Matthew Rowsley, the housekeeper and estate manager of Thorncroft House in Shropshire, have to cut short their successful trip to Oxford when they receive a telegraph: a decapitated and mutilated body has been found on the estate.

While trying to help the strangely slow police investigation, the couple face an unsettling threat to their livelihood: after years of searching, a legitimate heir of Thorncroft estate has been found! They find themselves hosting an American gentleman whose charm doesn’t quite conceal his alarming plans for the future of the estate and all its inhabitants.

Falsely imprisoned and forced to be silent about the identity of the murdered man, Harriet not only has to confront her past but also share a secret of her own that could change her and her loved ones’ lives forever . . .

Ideal for fans of other married sleuths, like Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. Think Downton Abbey with a compelling murder mystery twist. This is the final instalment in the Harriet and Matthew Rowsley series and “a treat for historical mystery fans” (Booklist).

Author Biography

Judith Cutler, Birmingham’s Queen of Crime, is the author of fifty novels, most of them crime series featuring strong women protagonists. Her prize-winning short stories have appeared regularly in anthologies and leading crime fiction magazines. She is married to fellow crime-writer Edward Marston.

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