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.

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 ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

The theft of a priceless emerald neckless leads to murder and Blythe, the Dowager Duchess of Ashby along with Bow Street Runner Owen Kennedy must rely on a lie to find the killer before they become the next victims.

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...

For Frances Wynn, widow to the late earl of Harleigh, life has a cosmopolitan flavour of late. No sooner has she sent her mother and daughter off on a shopping trip to Paris than she and her fiancé, George Hazleton, are socializing with visiting members of the Russian royal family. Yet amid this whirlwind, scandal also comes calling when Inspector Delaney turns up outside Frances' house with a young French woman with a shocking claim: she is Mrs. George Hazelton.

Miss Caroline has doubts when she receives an urgent invitation from a London law firm to discuss her late father's estate. After all, the dishonored Earl of Morton died without a pound sterling to pass on to his two daughters. But while immersing herself in helping Mrs. Frogerton's capricious daughter navigate the high social season, Caroline meets with a cagey lawyer, Mr. Smith, who shares life-altering news—the earl composed a second will, leaving behind an undisclosed fortune. Mrs. Frogerton, however, is thoroughly unimpressed with the firm's conduct and suspicious of their true motives.

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 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 ...

The Dowager Duchess of Ashby is proudly hosting the coming out ball for her beloved ward, Miss Rose O’Mara. But a con man is planning a scheme that will sweep Rose and her young friends into a plot that could cost them more than just their reputations. As Owen Kennedy is drawn into a case of a missing footman and stolen jewels, his sister attempts to protect a willful debutant and expose a criminal. But everyone has secrets that must be protested, no more so than Owen, Rose and the Dowager Duchess. As those secrets come pouring into the light of day, everyone will pay a steep price and ...

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...

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 ...

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 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.

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 ...

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...

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 ...