The Stolen Star

The second Mary MacDougall mystery novella…

For neophyte sleuth Mary MacDougall, the holiday season is a flurry of activities—including the 1901 Gala Christmas Musicale, starring opera diva Josie Borrell. But when the celebrated sapphire that Josie wears for her performance goes missing, Mary is drawn into the hunt for the purloined gem.

Did a master thief swoop into town to nick the Star of the North? Was it the lovelorn maid? The manager with money troubles? The foul-tempered chef? The pianist with the scandalous past? Or was it the famous singer herself?

In the middle of all this tumult Mary has to cope with the unexpected appearance of the only man who has ever aroused her longing—and the lovely woman who seems to have captivated him.

As she unpeels the layers of deceit and duplicity behind the Star’s disappearance, Mary juggles affairs of the head and of the heart, driving her practically mad. In the end, the matter of the stolen Star comes down to the simplest of clues. While the matter of the man she loves couldn’t possibly be more complex.