The Curse of Ill-Gotten Gains

#1 NYT-bestselling author Stephanie Laurens is back with a complex case in which her favorite sleuths must wade through the attendees of a ton house party to discover which one was moved to murder their host.

When the genial and highly regarded Sir Montague Underhill is found murdered in his own orchard, Inspector Stokes is dispatched, together with Barnaby and Penelope Adair, to Patchcote Grange to uncover the culprit. But a fashionable house party provides a large cast of potential suspects, and when the investigators learn what business Sir Montague had been dabbling in, the challenge before them grows even larger.

Richard Percival has bowed to familial pressure and agreed to attend a tonnish house party at Patchcote Grange, where the gathering’s unabashed aim is to introduce eligible gentlemen to suitable young ladies. Two of Richard’s elderly aunts have assured him that Miss Rosalind Hemmings will make him the perfect wife, and after meeting Miss Hemmings over dinner on the first evening of the party, Richard is sufficiently intrigued to be willing to learn—indeed, he’s even looking forward to learning—more of the unusually direct young lady.

But on coming downstairs the following morning, he hears an anguished scream for help. On racing outside to the orchard from whence the scream came, he finds his possibly-intended standing over the very dead body of their universally well-regarded host, Sir Montague Underhill. This is clearly a matter for Scotland Yard, and Richard wastes no time in summoning Barnaby and Penelope Adair and Inspector Stokes to the company’s aid. For, indeed, very soon, it becomes blatantly clear that the murderer is one of those presently residing in the house.

On arriving at the Grange, Penelope, Barnaby, and Stokes are confronted with a dauntingly large cast of potential suspects. Wedding through the throng takes time, but on uncovering Sir Montague’s private means of earning a little extra cash, it becomes ever more likely that his murderer is, indeed, one of the guests at the house. All too soon, the questions facing the investigators become whether Sir Montague learned a secret someone was desperate to conceal, and if so, what secret was powerful enough to compel an otherwise reasonable man to murder?

A historical novel of 85,000 words interweaving mystery, crime, and a touch of romance.

“Fans of Penelope and Barnaby Adair will be pleased to see them once again step forward to unravel a mystery involving members of nineteenth-century England's high society. When the host of a country-house party is murdered, the Adairs and Inspector Stokes are called in to discover who among the dozens of guests could have committed the crime. Their investigation uncovers secrets, betrayals, blackmail, and even romance. Sedately paced but precisely plotted, this story will keep readers engaged from start to finish.” Kim H., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing

“A house party in the English countryside goes dreadfully awry when the host is bludgeoned to death in the orchard, but it turns out that quite a few of the guests had a reason to want him gone. Enter Inspector Stokes of Scotland Yard and his sidekicks, the aristocrats Barnaby and Penelope Adair, and this becomes one house party that intriguingly combines the exploits of the haut ton with some good old shoe-leather investigating.” Angela M., Copy Editor, Red Adept Editing  

“Fans of Regency-set fiction with a taste for murder mysteries will enjoy The Curse of Ill-Gotten Gains.” Virge B., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing