Rutherford Series by Alice Chetwynd Ley

It was a splendid soiree to start the new social season. The creme de la creme were eyeing new frocks, new romances, and most certainly, the new bride of Lord Velmond, last season's most hotly coveted bachelor. Mr Marmaduke Yarnton, ton tattler and scandalmonger, had been invited to provide amusement. But his tongue wagged once too often. By the end of the ball he was found slain in the cloakroom - and all evidence pointed to the newly wed lord... moreIt was a splendid soiree to start the new social season. The creme de la creme were eyeing new frocks, new romances, and most certainly, the new bride of Lord Velmond, last season's most hotly coveted bachelor. Mr Marmaduke Yarnton, ton tattler and scandalmonger, had been invited to provide amusement. But his tongue wagged once too often. By the end of the ball he was found slain in the cloakroom - and all evidence pointed to the newly wed lord. But good friends of the Velmonds will offer to clear their good name. Justin Rutherford will dare danger to find the real criminal. And his pert, devilishly witty niece Anthea will volunteer her own special talents to find the true villain - as well as her heart's most fervent desire, true love. less

A captivating mix of mystery and romance! For fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Barbara Erskine and Jane Austen. Did Lord Jermyn’s final love affair prove fatal? London, 1816 When Lord Jermyn goes missing, his wife asks scholar-turned-sleuth Justin Rutherford to find him without raising a scandal. It seems that Justin’s niece, Anthea, was the last person to see the rakish lord — waiting in a secret room in a fashionable dress shop... moreA captivating mix of mystery and romance! For fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Barbara Erskine and Jane Austen. Did Lord Jermyn’s final love affair prove fatal? London, 1816 When Lord Jermyn goes missing, his wife asks scholar-turned-sleuth Justin Rutherford to find him without raising a scandal. It seems that Justin’s niece, Anthea, was the last person to see the rakish lord — waiting in a secret room in a fashionable dress shop. But days later, Jermyn is found shot and buried in a pauper’s grave. Their curiosity piqued, the Rutherfords team up with the Bow Street police to find out how he got there. Known for his roving eye, there’s no shortage of jealous husbands who could have wanted Jermyn dead. And as Justin attempts to unravel his past, it seems that few people are willing to admit their dealings with him… A FATAL ASSIGNATION is the second book in The Rutherford Trilogy, an intriguing series of historical romance murder mysteries set in Georgian England. THE RUTHERFORD TRILOGY SERIES: Book One: A Reputation Dies Book Two: A Fatal Assignation Book Three: Masquerade of Vengeance less