Of Hoaxes and Homicide
A Dear Miss Hermione Mystery
-
- $20.99
-
- $20.99
Publisher Description
The second in the delightful Dear Miss Hermione mystery series from Anastasia Hastings—when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain, fielding questions from both irate housekeepers and heartbroken mothers is par for the course...
"Dear Miss Hermione—what is a mother to do?"
Sensible Violet Manville and her very ladylike half-sister Sephora are absolutely bored, thank you very much. Though neither of them would ever admit it aloud, they're missing the thrill of playing detective.
So when Violet receives a letter from "A Heartbroken Mother" sent to her alter-ego, the Agony Aunt known to the world only as Miss Hermione, her pulse can't help but quicken. The daughter in question has gotten caught up in a cult: the Hermetic Order of the Children of Aed. Rumors of human sacrifices, mystical doings, and a ghost in the ruined Alburn Abbey where the Children pray have gripped the public consciousness, helped along by a series of novels about the group, written by the mysterious Count Orlando, and clearly this girl has fallen prey.
Miss Hermione’s investigation soon collides with very real life when Violet discovers a surprising connection to the cult. With the dashing-but-frustrating Eli Marsh turning up and a member of the Children poisoned, Violet and Sephora—along with their ever-trusty housekeeper Bunty—may have more intrigue than they can manage.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The captivating second installment in Hastings's Dear Miss Hermione historical mystery series (after 2023's Of Manners and Murder) sends half-sisters Violet and Sephora Manville on the trail of a nature-worshipping cult in Victorian England. Strong-minded Violet has made a secret career as Miss Hermione, a London magazine columnist who answers letters from the public about etiquette and matters of the heart. When she receives a message from a frantic mother whose daughter has run off with a "wanton" group called the Hermetic Order of the Children of Aed, she's intrigued, but not enough to act—until she realizes that the daughter in question is Margaret Thuringer, Sephora's best friend. Pretending to be interested in joining the Order, Violet travels to their base, an eerie community in a ruined abbey in which devoted members tend to the whims of their charismatic "Master." Shortly after her arrival, one member is murdered, and Margaret is suspected of the crime. After she's arrested, Violet and Sephora set out to find the real killer. Hastings never loses her footing while toggling between her large cast of characters, and fluidly intersperses comedic moments and game-changing twists. Readers will be ravenous for the next installment in the series.
