Useful Woman Mysteries Series: Book 3
Publication Date: December 24, 2024
Jane Austen meets Fleabag in Regency London, as a resourceful young woman with a talent for helping ladies of the ton with their most delicate and pressing predicaments finds herself facing a task of royal proportions. Literally.
King George IV is petitioning Parliament for a divorce from his queen on the grounds of her adultery. But rumor has it that the king secretly married Maria Fitzherbert—long before he married the queen. Now Mrs. Fitzherbert has been robbed—and she’s frantically calling on Rosalind for help.
Because what those thieves took is proof that she and King George did really marry. That single piece of paper could destroy Mrs. Fitzherbert and her family—or it could prove the king guilty of bigamy.
Rosalind races to investigate. With her is ex-Bow Street officer, Adam Harkness, with whom Rosalind shares a complex and rapidly intensifying bond. But a case of theft soon turns to murder . . .
Josiah Poole, a disreputable attorney specializing in helping debtors—and who was seen entering Mrs. Fitzherbert’s house—is found brutally murdered. Mrs. Fitzherbert has debts. Could she have staged the theft, and employed Mr. Poole to sell the marriage certificate? Or is the truth even more complicated? Mrs. Fitzherbert’s daughters have secrets of their own. And Poole himself had no shortage of enemies.
With suspicious coincidences mounting, and more danger encroaching, Rosalind and Adam must move quickly to unravel a history-making mystery that might just lead them straight to the palace itself . . .
Combining the Regency period along with a mystery featuring royal ties sets the stage for a fascinating story.
Author Darcie Wilde uses this as the basis for the third book in the A Useful Woman Mystery series. Rosalind Thorne continues her adventures in The Matter of the Secret Bride.
Although it can be read as a standalone, the recommendation would be to read the books in sequence in order to appreciate the growth of the characters. Inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, the series features Rosalind, who helps ladies of the ton with delicate matters.
This time, she is tasked with trying to track down a stolen marriage certificate for Maria Fitzherbert. In the process, she relies on Adam, the former Bow Street Officer, as the search takes a dark turn into murder.
The real-life connection between Mrs. Fitzherbert and King George IV serves up an interesting historical note about morganatic marriages.
The Matter of the Secret Bride provides a fast-paced Regency mystery while showcasing history.
Darcie Wilde is the award-winning author of stylishly adventurous historical mysteries and romances, including the Rosalind Thorne Mysteries, a Regency-set series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, as well as the Regency Makeover Trilogy. She has also written, under the name Sarah Zettel, Locus and Philip K. Dick Award-winning novels, including Fool’s War, a New York Times Notable Books of the Year selection. She lives in Michigan and can be found online at DarcieWildeRomance.com.
