Historical Regency Amateur Sleuths

With the threat of war looming over the Continent now that Napoleon has reseized the throne of France, London is abuzz with intrigue as diplomats from the European powers gather to negotiate a military alliance against him. But Lady Arianna and her husband, the Earl of Saybrook, are intent on staying clear of the conflict, deciding it's a battle for nations and armies to fight. Until things turn very personal. When a Prussian diplomat is murdered, two items found in his pocket force Arianna and Saybrook to once again become reluctant allies with the shadowy head of British security.

With the epic victory at Waterloo behind them, Arianna and Saybrook are looking forward to a quiet summer of scholarship, far from the turmoil of war and politics. But little do they know that an even more dangerous battle is about to test their mettle. The shocking news that Lord Grentham, the steely minister of state security, has been accused of treason and is on the run from arrest takes them and their close circle of friends by surprise. Arianna and Saybrook don't want to believe it. Despite their fraught past with the minister, they've developed a grudging friendship.

1796, England. When Lady Ottilia Fanshawe finds herself launched into a river and fighting for her life, she becomes convinced someone pulled her under the water. And when a dead body washes up on the riverbank, her theory becomes a certainty. Lady Fan recognizes the dead woman as someone connected to one of her past cases. Had the woman been spying on her? Was she Lady Fan's attacker? If so, why was she killed? Lady Fan is desperate to unravel the mystery but her dedicated husband, Francis, is determined to keep her out of harm's way.

MURDER AT MORLAND MANOR, Book One in Marilyn Clay's Juliette Abbott Regency Mystery Series features clever, young Miss Juliette Abbott as sleuth. A former companion to a titled London lady, Miss Abbott has now agreed to serve as lady’s maid to one of the young ladies invited to the country estate of Morland Manor, each girl hoping to win the heart of the wealthy Morland heir. But nothing at the house party goes as planned and suddenly Juliette finds herself the suspect in a shocking murder! The only way to escape the muddle is to solve the mystery herself, otherwise she'll lose this ...

MURDER IN MARGATE, Book 3 in Marilyn Clay's Juliette Abbott Regency Mystery Series features clever young Regency sleuth, Miss Juliette Abbott. What begins as a relaxing holiday for Juliette in the seaside village of Margate quickly turns into an anxiety-riddled nightmare! Once Juliette and her friend Miss Cathleen Haworth are settled in the picturesque village, things go vastly awry when the younger sister of Juliette’s new friend in Margate goes missing and Juliette finds the girl’s abigail dead on a ledge below a cliff! As she searches for clues to the killer’s identity, and for the...

MURDER ON MARSDEN MOOR by Marilyn Clay is the 12th and final book in the Juliette Abbott Regency Mystery Series. The former Miss Juliette Abbott and her new husband, Lord Sheridan, who continues to represent England's Home Office, and her companion Miss Paula Woods, all travel to Castle Longley on Marsden Moor in North Yorkshire. Lord Sheridan has been tasked with conducting an exhaustive search of official records to insure that the unwed and childless Duke of Longley bequeaths his vast wealth and estates to a legitimate heir. If no heir is found, the Duke's fortune will, of course, revert...

OPERAS CAN BE DEADLYIn the cobblestone streets of Vienna, rumors of a musical treasure draw out a killer. . . Kapellmeister Joseph Haydn is busy preparing for the opera season when he receives an urgent request from Vienna. An impoverished violinist with bills to pay wants Haydn to examine his bequest—a collection of scores so valuable they could wipe out his debts. A collection reputed to be the long-lost works of the Italian master of opera Monteverdi. Haydn agrees to help, but remains skeptical. Until Kaspar is murdered—beaten and left to die in front of a wine tavern. The police ...

MURDER ON MARSH LANE is book 8 in the popular Regency-set Mystery Series by best-selling author MARILYN CLAY. What can possibly go wrong when Miss Juliette Abbott agrees to pass a pleasant fortnight chaperoning two young ladies making their debuts into Polite Society? In the spring of 1822, the Season is about to get underway when a frantic Lady Medley, of Medley Park, and her daughter Hannah and a friend, Miss Ellie Palmer, arrive in London; the girls excitedly looking forward to attending Almack’s Assembly Rooms, passing long afternoons shopping in Mayfair, and evenings attending ...

When his violinist disappears just weeks before the Empress's visit, Haydn uncovers a treacherous secret. . . Kapellmeister Joseph Haydn would like nothing better than to show his principal violinist, Bartó Daboczi, the door. But with the Empress Maria Theresa's visit scheduled in three weeks, Haydn can ill-afford to lose his surly virtuoso. But when Bartó disappears--along with all the music composed for the imperial visit--the Kapellmeister is forced to don the role of Kapell-detective, or risk losing his job. Before long Haydn uncovers pieces of a disturbing puzzle. Bartó is more than...

When murder invades Haydn's opera stage, scandal isn't far behind . . . Charged with ensuring that an imperial wedding transpires without mishap, composer Joseph Haydn has his hands full. Barely seventeen, Archduke Ferdinand Karl, the imperial bridegroom, is reluctant to marry. And the bride, Maria Beatrice, has her reservations as well. But when an extortion note surfaces—an unpleasant reminder of the bridegroom's shameful past—the wedding seems truly doomed. Worse still, all the evidence points to Haydn's prima donna, Lucia Pacelli, being the blackmailer. Before Haydn can confront her...

The options for the penniless daughter of a deceased earl are few indeed in Regency England. So, following the suspicious death of her father, the Earl of Morton, and the discovery that she and her much younger sister have been left without income or home, Lady Caroline takes a post as a lady's companion to the wealthy widow Frogerton. Just as Caroline is getting accustomed to her new position, her aunt, Lady Eleanor Greenwood, invites her and her employer to a house party in the countryside to celebrate her youngest daughter's birthday. But all is not well at the Greenwood estate.

MURDER IN MARTINDALE by MARILYN CLAY is book nine in the popular JULIETTE ABBOTT REGENCY MYSTERY SERIES. When clever young sleuth Miss Juliette Abbott is invited to spend a fortnight at Martindale Manor as companion to a young blind girl whose father suddenly passed away, she believes she has been offered the perfect respite from murder and mayhem in the tiny hamlet of Martindale in England’s North Country. Told that the girl’s brother and heir, Sir James Martindale, is even now on his way home, Miss Abbott and her trusted maid Tilda set out in high spirits for their four-day journey ...

MURDER AT MARLEY CHASE by MARILYN CLAY is book ten in the popular JULIETTE ABBOTT REGENCY MYSTERY SERIES. Whilst Lord Marley prepares for the important Derby he is hosting at his large country estate Marley Chase, located near London, his lady wife is in the midst of readying their sumptuous mansion for the onslaught of house guests set to arrive to take part in the festivities surrounding the horse races. Frantic that she’ll not be ready in time, Lady Marley has recruited Miss Abbott’s help in assembling a prestigious art gallery in her home. Whilst gathering precious artifacts to ...

When an enemy makes overtures of friendship, is anyone safe? An unexpected invitation from wily King Frederick causes composer Joseph Haydn to fear he’s walking into a trap. After all, the Prussian King has never had any use for Haydn’s music. His Majesty seems more intrigued at Haydn’s being the son of a market-judge. Worse still, the invitation appears to stir up suspicion in the highest quarters in Vienna. So much so that a mysterious, cloaked lady visits Haydn’s Music Room and issues a thinly veiled threat. Now Haydn is convinced there’s mischief afoot. But not even he can ...

When murder propels him backstage, Haydn is forced to confront a deadly killer. . . When the Burgtheater’s impresario unexpectedly meets his maker, Joseph Haydn is relieved to learn no one expects him to look into the matter. The impresario was murdered—and the Salzburger believed to be the killer is already behind bars. But the impresario’s untimely death is not without consequences. Haydn’s employer insists he take over the dead man’s duties. Handling the tedious technical details of putting on an opera is bad enough. Confronting the suspicious behavior backstage is even worse. ...

MURDER AT MONTFORD HALL is Book 7 in Marilyn Clay's Juliette Abbott Regency Mystery Series. A pair of mysteries collide in this intricately-plotted tale set against the glamorous backdrop of the London theater in the 1820s. What can possibly go wrong when a group of former actors and actresses, all of whom once appeared to great acclaim on the London stage, all gather for a lovely winter house party at the country home of Lord and Lady Montford? How about the vicious murder of one of their group on her way to Montford Hall, the poor lady found dead in her carriage before she even arrives at...

Beatrice Steele has none of the accomplishments of a true lady: she is terrible at needlework, has no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Little does anyone know that Beatrice also harbours a dark secret: an obsession with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper. For her family's sake, she's vowed to put this most unladylike obsession behind her. Eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that Louisa will steal his heart.

MURDER IN THE MERRYTON MEWS by MARILYN CLAY is book eleven in the popular JULIETTE ABBOTT REGENCY MYSTERY SERIES. Miss Abbott, now wed to her beloved Mr. Sheridan, (who is now Lord Sheridan dur to inheriting his late father's title and fortune) has been invited to Merryton to visit with two of her husband's cousins, a married couple. Although they specifically invited Juliette to come for a visit, they seem far less than cordial or welcoming. Juliette quickly begins to uncover the Harris’s deadly secrets but as the complications mount and her fears grow, her options to seek and find help ...

MURDER IN MAIDSTONE is Book 6 in best-selling author Marilyn Clay's popular Juliette Abbott Regency Mystery Series. Upon arriving at Maidstone Manor to begin her next assignment as curator of artifacts and precious collectibles, Miss Abbott and her maid Tilda are stunned to find that a gentleman on the estate has only just been found face down in the knot garden, and that the killer absconded with the dead man's clothing! When Miss Abbott learns that another suitor to one of the Wentworth daughters of Maidstone Manor disappeared a few days earlier, as did the former owners of the manor ...

MURDER AT MEDLEY PARK is the fourth book in best-selling author Marilyn Clay's Juliette Abbott Regency Mystery Series. In the tradition of Stephanie Barron, Jane Austen and Carola Dunn, Marilyn Clay’s Regency mystery novels contain no strong language or violent scenes and are suitable for young adult readers. All titles are also now available in LARGE PRINT paperback from Amazon. WHAT HAPPENS when clever young Miss Juliette Abbott accepts an assignment to catalogue the precious artifacts belonging to the wealthy Lord and Lady Medley at their country estate? When Lady Medley's jewelry ...