A Counterfeit Suitor
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4.6 • 63 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“Wilde's heroine is not only a useful woman but a highly entertaining one.”
—Kirkus Reviews on And Dangerous to Know
Among the ton of Regency London, one breath of scandal can be disastrous. Enter Rosalind Thorne, a young woman adept at helping ladies of quality navigate the most delicate problems—in this charming mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen . . .
It is every mama’s dearest wish that her daughter marries well. But how to ensure that a seemingly earnest suitor is not merely a fortune hunter? Rosalind is involved in just such a case, discreetly investigating a client’s prospective son-in-law, when she is drawn into another predicament shockingly close to home.
Rosalind’s estranged father, Sir Reginald Thorne—a drunkard and forger—has fallen into the hands of the vicious scoundrel Russell Fullerton. Angered by her interference in his blackmail schemes, Fullerton intends to unleash Sir Reginald on society and ruin Rosalind. Before Rosalind’s enemy can act, Sir Reginald is found murdered—and Fullerton is arrested for the crime. He protests his innocence, and Rosalind reluctantly agrees to uncover the truth, suspecting that this mystery may be linked to her other, ongoing cases.
Aided by her sister, Charlotte, and sundry friends and associates—including handsome Bow Street Runner Adam Harkness—Rosalind sets to work. But with political espionage and Napoleon loyalists in the mix, there may be more sinister motives, and far higher stakes, than she ever imagined . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rosalind Thorne, a disgraced nobleman's daughter who discreetly helps society ladies with their more delicate problems, has her hands full in Wilde's meticulously crafted fifth Regency mystery (after 2020's A Lady Compromised). She's assisting Mrs. Valentina Walford with organizing a charity ball while quietly investigating the suitability of Mrs. Walford's daughter's unsavory new beau, who was involved in an 1814 stock fraud. Rosalind's task is complicated when her own drunken father shows up in London as the "guest" of her bitter enemy, Russell Fullerton, and promptly makes an embarrassing public scene. Attempting to figure out what Fullerton has up his sleeve at the same time she's trying to help Mrs. Walford, Rosalind uncovers plot upon plot—blackmail, political intrigue, faithlessness, family drama—and every question answered inevitably leads to another as tangled as the first. Rosalind is an empathetic, perceptive lead, and her relationships with her caring friends add much to the book's appeal. A plot as complex as a Chinese puzzle box will keep readers turning the pages. Wilde offers a fascinating, richly detailed look at Regency society.
