A Murderous Business
A Harriman & Mancini Mystery
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"Everything I love most in a mystery. If I had a crime to solve―or a dead body I needed help burying―I'd want Margot Harriman and Rett Mancini on my side." - Katharine Schellman, author of Last Call at the Nightingale
A sharp, captivating historical mystery about two queer women in turn-of-the-century New York, for fans of Lavender House and A Most Agreeable Murder
There can be a blurry line between what is ethical and what is legal.
Margot Baxter Harriman took the reins of B&H Foods after her father passed. It’s not easy being a business woman in 1912, but she is determined to continue what her grandparents started decades ago, no matter what it takes.
So when Margot finds Mrs. Gilroy, her father’s former assistant, dead in the office with a half-finished note confessing to nebulous misdeeds at B&H, she seeks out help from a very discreet, private investigator to figure out what's going on. Her company, and her good name, are at stake if scandal breaks...and she could lose everything, including her freedom.
Loretta “Rett” Mancini has run her father’s investigation operation since he started becoming increasingly forgetful. When Margot offers her the chance to look into the potential scandal with B&H, she jumps at it.
But the more the two dig in, the more it becomes clear that Margot's company may be too far lost...and someone is willing to kill them both to keep things quiet.
Charming and witty, Cathy Pegau's A Murderous Business is perfect for fans of Lev Ac Rosen, Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer, and the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney mysteries by Claudia Gray.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A woman worries she's inherited her father's sins after taking over his company in this enjoyable historical series launch from Pegau (Blood Remains). In 1912 New York City, Margot Baxter Harriman has become the head of canned goods producer B&H Foods after the death of her father, though her transition from boss's daughter to boss has been met with skepticism from her male colleagues. She arrives at the B&H offices early one morning to find the dead body of Giana Gilroy—former assistant to her father—propped up in Margot's chair. Under Giana's hand is a cryptic note addressed to Margot that alludes to her father's wrongdoings ("Your father and I were involved in a situation at B&H. People got sick. Some died") and urges her to make things right. Startled, Margot hires spunky private eye Loretta "Rett" Mancini, who helps her look into Giana's murder and the note's implications while introducing Margot to New York's queer world. Pegau's plot moves in fits and starts, with protracted rising action and a rushed finale, but convincing period detail and likable leads save the day. There's enough here to make readers excited for the sequel.
