Publication Date: December 2, 2025
She expected her return to Painswick would bring memories of the past—not danger and romance.
Anne Loveday, a surgeon’s daughter, is determined to live a single, useful life. To escape her matchmaking stepmother, she accepts an invitation from an old friend to return to Painswick, the place where she and her sister spent many happy summers until that last, fateful year.
Soon after arriving, Anne is asked to serve as sickroom nurse to Lady Celia, who forbade her nephew to marry Anne’s sister years before. Pushing aside resentments, Anne moves into Painswick Court, a shadowy old house rumored to be haunted. Also in residence are Lady Celia’s spinster daughter, her handsome adult nephews, and a secretive new lady’s maid. Two local doctors visit regularly as well, one of whom admires Anne while concealing secrets of his own.
As an escalating series of mishaps befalls her patient, Anne realizes someone is trying to kill the woman. But who? When Anne finds herself a suspect and her resolution to avoid romance challenged, can she discover the real culprit—and protect her heart—before it’s too late?
Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this compelling Regency—era novel laced with intrigue, love, and English village charm for fans of historical romance and whodunit mysteries.
Anne Loveday yearns to follow her dream of working in medicine, but Regency women were expected to be wives and mothers.
Author Julie Klassen delivers a historical romance woven with mystery in Whispers at Painswick Court. When Anne accepts an invitation from an old friend, it opens the door for her to exercise her nursing abilities.
Anne must deal with returning to her hometown, along with figuring out why her patient continues to experience mishaps. She faces memories from the past while trying to identify the culprit.
Danger and intrigue mix to create a Jane Austen-inspired tale with well-developed characters.
Whispers at Painswick Court provides a clean Regency story featuring a mystery with an unexpected romantic twist.
Julie Klassen loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s Best Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full-time. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.
