A Most Intriguing Lady
A Novel
-
-
4.1 • 9 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
From Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, a sweeping, romantic compulsively readable historical saga about a Duke’s daughter—the perfect Victorian lady—who secretly moonlights as an amateur sleuth for high society’s inner circle.
Victorian London was notorious for its pickpockets. But in the country houses of the elite, gentleman burglars, art thieves and con men preyed on the rich and titled. Wealthy victims—with their pride and reputation at stake—would never go to the police. What they needed was a society insider, one of their own, a person of discretion and finely tuned powers of observation, adept at navigating intrigue.
That person was Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, the youngest child of Queen Victoria’s close friends the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. Bookish, fiercely intelligent, and a keen observer, Mary has deliberately cultivated a mousey persona that allows her to remain overlooked and significantly underestimated by all. It’s the perfect cover for a sleuth, a role she stumbles into when trying to assist a close friend during a house party hosted by her parents at their stately Scottish home, Drumlanrig Castle.
It is at this party where Lady Mary also meets Colonel Walter Trefusis, a distinguished and extremely handsome war veteran. Tortured by memories of combat, Walter, like Mary, lives a double life, with a desk job in Whitehall providing a front for his role in the British Intelligence Service. The two form an unlikely alliance to solve a series of audacious crimes—and indulge in a highly charged on-off romance.
Pacy, romantic, and fun, A Most Intriguing Lady documents one remarkable woman’s ability to be both the perfect lady, and a perfectly talented detective...and, of course, to find love too.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Can’t decide if you’re in the mood for a period romance or a light cozy mystery? Sarah Ferguson (yes, Fergie, the Duchess of York) has you covered either way. Lady Mary, the youngest daughter of a prominent Victorian society family, is an independent-minded young woman resisting her parents’ desire for her to get married. That is, until she meets the dashing Colonel Trefusis—Tre to his friends—at a ball in her family’s Scottish castle. Much like Mary, who has developed a hobby of solving low-stakes mysteries, Tre is more than he seems—and he could use a partner. The rollicking mystery plot is tremendous fun. We loved Ferguson’s perfect grasp of Victorian etiquette and morality...and the way our odd couple start finding themselves wanting to throw all those pesky rules out the window. Any fan of Victorian romances or Agatha Christie–style mysteries will immediately fall for A Most Intriguing Lady.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This superior blend of mystery and romance from the Duchess of York (Her Heart for a Compass) introduces Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, the younger daughter of close friends of Queen Victoria, who chafes at being expected to adhere to her era's rigid restrictions on women. She gets an opportunity to exercise her intellect and knowledge of human nature in 1872 when her parents host a party at a family home on the Scottish Borders. When a guest is distraught by the theft of her jewel-festooned brooch, Lady Mary solves the mystery, and this personally rewarding experience leads to other cases. By 1875, her reputation for handling sensitive inquiries discreetly—including probing the theft of charitable funds and the burglary of an aristocrat's safe concealed in her sitting room—has led to a secret life as a problem-solver for high society. Her detective work coincides with her growing interest in Col. Walter Trefusis, a 34-year-old war veteran who leads a covert life of his own. The author never lets the romantic plotline dominate and plausibly depicts the struggles of a capable woman who empowers herself to achieve her own potential. Claudia Gray fans will welcome a sequel.
