Tag: murder mystery
Will two bullets allow the murderer and the French master spy to continue their work against the British government?
Meet Phinney ~ at this link
Meet Conrad ~ by following this link.
Vic the lockpick ~ is introduced here.
And have another Glimpse of the Danger ~ read it here.
Purchase it Here or at one of the online distributors at this link.
It’s Anniversary Day for The Hazard for Spies.
Disguised to Spy.
A young constable tracks treacherous traitors. A spinster hopes to find a killer. Will murder destroy their chance for love?
Conrad Hoppock left his village and the girl he secretly loved for a chance at a better livelihood. He joined the London constabulary and began working with the Bow Street Runners. Now he hunts the master spy stealing information for Bonapartist France. His search sends him undercover in a lawyer’s office.
When Phinney Darracott’s sister and brother-in-law died, their children whispered “murder”. She dismissed that claim as unreasonable terrors caused by the tragic loss. Yet after repeated burglaries and an arson that destroyed their home, Phinney believed the whispers. Now she wants justice for their murders.
The clues lead her to London. There, she disguises herself as a cleaning maid for the very law office where Conrad is disguised as a clerk. Phinney’s young niece Elise and the street urchin Vic secretly pursue a different tangle of clues to the murders.
In the night hours, when all is still, Phinney prowls for the evidence. Then she encounters Conrad.
And the lawyer at the center of the tangle of clues is shot dead while they watch from their hiding place.
Can Conrad discover the identity of the French mastermind? Will Phinney’s single-minded pursuit lead her into the murderer’s snare? Will the children be caught and sold into London’s underworld?
Will they discover the connection between past and present murders?
Or will two bullets allow the murderer and the French master spy to continue their work against the British government?
The Hazard for Spies is Book 11 in M.A. Lee’s Hearts in Hazard series of Regency mysteries and suspense. The novels are loosely connected, and each story is complete in one book.
Vic the lockpick and Phinney (disguised as Mrs. Coates) were minor characters in The Hazard of Secrets. Chief Constable Hector Evans, who returns here after his inclusion in The Hazard of Secrets, had his introduction in The Dangers to Hearts and received his own story in The Key to Secrets. The fight against French spies on British soil began with the first Hearts in Hazard
Find it here, ebook or paperback, from online distributors everywhere
OR Amazon.
View the Trailer here:
The words just poured onto the page, a flood of ideas that I barely could keep up with.
I had struggled with the previous novel, The Key for Spies. I hit a writing block with that one, swirled around not knowing what to do … then figured out a character was demanding a greater role in the story than I had anticipated. That novel turned out to be the longest of all 12 books in the Hearts in Hazard series.
I started The Key with Hearts with a bit of trepidation.
All writers starting completely new projects have a bit of trepidation: Do I remember how to write? Do I remember how to create likeable characters and an intriguing story? Is this story going to flow?
When we are writing after experiencing a block, the trepidation increases.
The Key with Hearts, though, had waited long enough. The words came so easily that a different worry attacked me. Is this novel as good as I think it is? Am I fooling myself?
My first readers enjoyed it, thank Heavens, crushing all those self doubts.
The Key with Hearts ~ Regency England. Suspense. Murder. Two hearts at odds.
Married for money, not for love.
A convenient marriage inconveniently causes murder.
Six months ago, Beth Corbett married Greville Myers. Her money saved his estate. His nobility raised her station. The couple have achieved an uneasy relationship, tepid and uncomfortable.
Then Beth is nearly killed in a failed attempt at murder.
Who wants her dead?
Who can Beth trust?
When the murderer strikes again and injures someone by mistake, how can Beth discover the truth? Or will she be the next victim?
The little dog nosed along the edge of the bricked planters. His white tail wagged, excitement quivering through his whole body. He sniffed at every speck, whether dirt or leaf or twig. Brightly colored ribbons, tied tightly together to create a long leash, trailed over his back and the terrace’s paving stones.
His sniffing increased. He growled. His short nose swept across the slate-colored pavers. He retreated several steps as he tracked the scent, then followed it back to the grass. The clipped grass tickled his nose. He strained against the ribbon leash as he dug at the stones, as if the pavers were the edge of a cairn hiding a vicious rodent. Then his head popped up. Ears pricked forward. Dark eyes stared at the high hedge with its thick branches of boxwoods.
He glanced behind him at the woman holding one end of his tether. They had ended their walk by traversing the maze. Throughout their tour of the garden, she seemed distracted, barely attending to his tugs on the leash. Now her gaze focused on the drive that swept from the parkland. The gravel turned into a gentle curve as it approached the manor’s forecourt. The little terrier sniffed the air. Then he lunged forward.
The leash held him back. He strained against it then lunged again, but his paws didn’t find grass beneath him. His claws scrabbled on the pavers. He barked.
Gordon, Lord Musgrove, returns from A Game of Spies. He’s escaped from his mother’s garden party, at which she planned to trap him into a betrothal. Imagine his surprise when he meets the woman of his dreams while escaping his mother’s plans for his engagement.
Maddy Whittaker, on the shelf for years, never expects the man of her dreams will be the one she once called a stick in the mud.
Banished from a country party so she won’t ruin her sisters’ chances in snaring husbands, Maddy is sent to visit a cousin named Simon Jespers, who is hosting his own Valentine’s party. She expects three weeks of boredom.
Gordon, Lord Musgrove, expects he will propose to a biddable lady and live unhappily ever after.
He escapes his mother’s country party (where the dowager Musgrove expects her only son to snare a wife) for one last bid at freedom. He decides to retreat to his friend Simon Jespers. Gordon never expects that his friend will be hosting a Valentine’s party. He does expect days and days of boredom.
On arrival at Jespers’ country manor, Maddy and Gordon meet for the first time. A quick flirtation finds them well matched in mind and soul, and the flirtation changes into romance.
Yet a secret from Maddy’s past threatens their future.
And a serial murderer threatens Maddy’s life.
Can Gordon overcome past secrets and present dangers to marry his perfect match?
The character of Gordon, Lord Musgrove, was first introduced in A Game of Spies, published in the fall of 2015.
Warning: While the romance is sweet, the murders have been described as sordid. Unwanted memories of abuse may be triggered. Please be cautious.
Use these links for online distributors everywhere. The book is available as a paperback from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X9137D9
https://books2read.com/u/boENK9
View the trailer https://youtu.be/1zZ_ZisDLLU