From Library Journal
In 1820s London, Mark Craddock, formerly a stable hand for the ancient, respectable Fontclair family, blackmails Hugh Fontclair into asking for the hand of his only daughter. During a prenuptial house party at the Fontclair estate, gadabout dandy Julian Kestel discovers a murdered woman in his bed, then joins in the subsequent investigation. Likely suspects include Hugh's rakish cousin, evasive uncle, penniless poor relation, and so forth. Period atmosphere, polished dialog, ever-present class distinctions, and sprinklings of Regency romance make this a nice series opener with an unusual "hero."Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

ANNOTATION

Impeccably evoking Regency England, this period thriller stars historically authentic detective Julian Kestrel. During an elegant country weekend, Kestrel finds the corpse of an attractive young woman in his bed, and sets out to find the killer among the glittering denizens of a titled house harboring too many secrets.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

To the ranks of great sleuths of ages past, add a new candidate - Julian Kestrel - a detective as historically authentic as Brother Cadfael and as dashing as Lord Peter Wimsey. Kestrel is the reigning dandy of London in the 1820s, famous for his elegant clothes and his unflappable sangfroid. One night he rescues a young aristocrat named Hugh Fontclair from a gambling house, and in gratitude Hugh invites him to be best man at his wedding. But when Kestrel goes to stay with the Fontclairs at their sumptuous country house, he is caught in the crossfire of the bride's and groom's warring families. Soon, discord erupts into murder. In a world without fingerprinting, chemical analysis, or even police, murder poses a baffling challenge. Undaunted, Kestrel sets out to solve the crime. With the help of his Cockney manservant, Dipper a (mostly) reformed pickpocket, Kestrel delves beneath the Fontclairs' respectable surface. What he finds is a trail of crime, deception, and forbidden lust that leads him at last to the killer. The combination of a new author, a charming new sleuth, and a strikingly original setting adds up to a smashing mystery that moves with force and intelligence - and expert suspense - from beginning to end.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In its opening chapters, this mystery debut set in early 19th-century England reads like a promising Regency romance. Ruthless money-lender Mark Craddock has used ``dishonourable means'' to engineer the engagement of his daughter Maud to Sir Robert Fontclair's son Hugh. ``Howling swell'' Julian Kestrel has no plans for amateur sleuthing when he arrives at the Fontclair country home for the wedding, but the bride, aware that the groom is reluctant, asks Julian to help her foil Papa's scheme. Soon Julian uncovers a new problem tucked neatly into his own bed: a fully clothed young woman, dead of a stab wound, whom nobody in the household admits to recognizing. Sir Robert, a magistrate, seems content to pin the murder on Julian or his valet, Dipper, formerly a pickpocket, so Julian must find the real culprit. As soon as the corpse surfaces, this tale turns into a very decent whodunit. Julian is a dandy sleuth who manages to sort out both the murder and Maud's problem. However, Regency fans may be disappointed when social maneuverings are nudged aside by the crime investigation, while mystery lovers may resent having to wait several chapters for the first blood. Should Ross learn how to smoothly integrate these two genres in her next novel, she could earn a loyal audience. ( Mar. )

Library Journal

In 1820s London, Mark Craddock, formerly a stable hand for the ancient, respectable Fontclair family, blackmails Hugh Fontclair into asking for the hand of his only daughter. During a prenuptial house party at the Fontclair estate, gadabout dandy Julian Kestel discovers a murdered woman in his bed, then joins in the subsequent investigation. Likely suspects include Hugh's rakish cousin, evasive uncle, penniless poor relation, and so forth. Period atmosphere, polished dialog, ever-present class distinctions, and sprinklings of Regency romance make this a nice series opener with an unusual ``hero.''

Kirkus Reviews

Cambridgeshire, 1824. London dandy Julian Kestrel finds himself invited as best man to the wedding of a virtual stranger, Hugh Fontclair, whose bride, Maud Craddock, has been forced on him by her parvenu father's undisclosed hold on the high-and-mighty Fontclairs. It's an explosive situation, even before Julian discovers an unknown dead woman decorously tucked into his bed at Bellegarde, the Fontclair country seat—and his valet Dipper, a former cutpurse, accused of murder by the local magistrate, Sir Robert Fontclair. Who is the victim? How did she get into the house? What does her death have to do with the secret that Mark Craddock knows about the family? And how can Julian vindicate Dipper without accusing the family of the local law or bringing his man before the Bow Street Runners, who know his past all too well? Most historical mysteries drown in period detail, but this first novel by Boston attorney Ross subordinates its authoritative grasp of manners, language, and history to an expertly spun-out series of riddles. Whodunit is only the climactic revelation in a tale that crackles with contemporary tension.