Part of Lady Darby Mysteries, book 11
First published 2023
Sebastian and Kiera Gage have a newborn daughter and a trip planned to introduce her to Sebastian's father. The reunion never happens the way they imagined. Lord Gage is attacked on the road to Scotland in August 1832, left badly wounded, and Sebastian and Kiera rush to his side instead. The father and son relationship has always been strained, made worse by the recent revelation that Lord Gage hid an illegitimate son for years. Now Sebastian has to set that grievance aside and keep the man alive. England is unsettled. The Reform Bill and the Anatomy Act have just passed, and Lord Gage had a hand in both. Political enemies are a real possibility. But the village where Lord Gage is recovering holds its own secrets. Locals turn cold the moment Sebastian and Kiera start asking questions. Stories circulate about people vanishing and robberies on the roads. Lord Gage could be attacked again before Sebastian and Kiera work out who is behind the first attempt. The investigation forces Sebastian to reckon with how much he actually wants to save a father he is still learning to forgive.
Genres: drama, historical-fiction, mystery, adult-fiction, mystery-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotionally-complex, introspective, suspenseful
Tropes: family-reconciliation, forced-proximity, investigation-mystery, secrets-revealed
Setting: Scotland, England
Period: 1832, 19th-century
384 pages · Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: death, violence