The Secrets of Wishtide

From the bestselling, award-winning novelist Kate Saunders comes the first in ''The Laetitia Rodd Mysteries'', six novels featuring a Victorian lady detective, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, M. C. Beaton and Grantchester''A Dickensian glow pervades this immensely satisfying novel. Hugely enjoyable'' James Runcie, author of ''The Grantchester Mysteries''Mrs Laetitia Rodd is the impoverished widow of an Archdeacon, living modestly in Hampstead with her landlady Mrs Bentley. She is also a private detective of the utmost discretion. In winter 1850, her brother Frederick, a criminal barrister, introduces her to Sir James Calderstone, a wealthy and powerful industrialist who asks Mrs Rodd to investigate the background of an ''unsuitable'' woman his son intends to marry - a match he is determined to prevent. In the guise of governess, she travels to the family seat, Wishtide, deep in the frozen Lincolnshire countryside, where she soon discovers that the Calderstones have more to hide than most. As their secrets unfold, the case takes an unpleasant turn when a man is found dead outside a tavern. Mrs Rodd''s keen eyes and astute wits are taxed as never before in her search for the truth - which carries her from elite drawing rooms to London''s notorious inns and its steaming laundry houses. Dickensian in its scope and characters, The Secrets of Wishtide brings nineteenth century society vividly to life and illuminates the effect of Victorian morality on women''s lives. Introducing an irresistible new detective, the first book in the Laetitia Rodd Mystery series will enthral and delight.