1888 the Dead & the Desperate

London’s social season is in full glory when Scotland Yard Inspector Frederick Abberline discovers an unidentified, well-dressed corpse down by the London docks.

A widower for three years, Lord Langsford is in a dark place of his own. Although he is shocked by the murder of his gambling acquaintance, Edwin Percy, he is astounded when he realizes all clues point to him. He must solve the crime before Scotland Yard does or he, himself, will be accused. Langsford and Inspector Abberline, at odds with each other, independently race to identify the killer while the aristocrats and social elite attend dinners and balls. Even when Langsford is distracted by Grace Westfield, Percy’s wealthy and beautiful American fiancée, he must turn his attention back to his desperate quest to find the killer and avoid being arrested and hung for a crime he did not commit.

In this exciting historical mystery, Lord Langsford must face dire facts about a murder while wrestling with his heart over a lady promised to another.


“ … ‘Expect the unexpected’ because Wasserman, in addition to being a superb writer, is very adept at pulling surprises out of the bag.”
– Discovering Diamonds Reviews, UK