Kirjahaku

In the glittering world of Regency London, where gossip is exchanged--and reputations ruined--with the tilt of a fan, Melanie Fraser is the perfect wife. Devoted to her husband, Charles, the grandson of a duke, she is acknowledged as society's most charming hostess. But just as the elegant facade of Regency London hides a dark side, Melanie is not what she seems. She has a secret: one that could destroy her perfect jewel-box life forever . . . and the cost to keep it is an exquisite heirloom ring surrounded by legend and power. The search for it will pull Melanie and Charles into a gritty underworld of gin-soaked brothels, elegant gaming hells, and debtors' prisons. In this maze of intrigue, deception is second nature and betrayal can come far too easily . . .

Every spy has a past. But M lanie Suzanne Rannoch is not prepared to meet her husband Malcolm's past literally walking towards them across a candlelit Mayfair ballroom in the person of brilliant, stunning Katelina Ashford, Malcolm's first love. Nor is she prepared to find that Kitty is a former agent herself, who has come to London seeking Malcolm's help. M lanie, who misses her own past as a spy, always relishes the intrigue of espionage. But even as Kitty's secret mission unsettles London society, it leaves M lanie questioning her own assumptions about the man whose name and bed she has shared for seven years. The quest that has brought Kitty to London began in Spain in the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars, but it stretches into some of the Britain's most powerful families. From the gritty bustle of Bow Street to the scandalous grottos of Vauxhall, the Rannochs find themselves involved in a search for a mysterious operative known as the Goshawk, a painting that holds the key to unraveling a long-buried secret history, and a fiendishly clever killer working very much in the present. But even as they try to keep the revelations from overturning vital alliances and smashing the lives of their closest friends, M lanie and Malcolm discover the greatest danger may be to their own personal alliance. "Shimmers like the finest salons in Vienna." -Deborah Crombie "Meticulous, delightful, and full of surprises." -Tasha Alexander "Glittering balls, deadly intrigue, sexual scandals. . .the next best thing to actually being there "- Lauren Willig "A superb storyteller."- Deanna Raybourn

A Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch Historical Mystery 13 The secrets of Suzanne Rannoch's scandalous past have forced Suzanne and her husband Malcolm- also a spy - to flee London's intrigues and ballrooms. Suzanne fears they will go mad from boredom in their gilded refuge on Lake Como. But before they even reach the villa, they are attacked by bandits who think the Rannochs possess a mysterious treasure. Are their past deeds catching up with them or were they mistaken for someone else? As they settle in at the lake, they encounter Italian revolutionaries, gun smugglers, an English nobleman living in self-imposed exile with a beautiful contessa, and Lord Byron and Percy and Mary Shelley, who have their own reasons for fleeing Britain. The exquisite beauty of the villas and gardens holds layers of deceit, tied to the very enemies the Rannochs sought to escape. When a golden afternoon on the lake turns crimson with murder, Malcolm and Suzanne realize that boredom is the least of their concerns...but they may have to fear for their lives and the lives of those closest to them... "Shimmers like the finest salons in Vienna." -Deborah Crombie "Meticulous, delightful, and full of surprises." -Tasha Alexander "Glittering balls, deadly intrigue, sexual scandals. . .the next best thing to actually being there "- Lauren Willig "A superb storyteller."- Deanna Raybourn

Every spy has a past. But M lanie Suzanne Rannoch is not prepared to meet her husband Malcolm's past literally walking towards them across a candlelit Mayfair ballroom in the person of brilliant, stunning Katelina Ashford, Malcolm's first love. Nor is she prepared to find that Kitty is a former agent herself, who has come to London seeking Malcolm's help. M lanie, who misses her own past as a spy, always relishes the intrigue of espionage. But even as Kitty's secret mission unsettles London society, it leaves M lanie questioning her own assumptions about the man whose name and bed she has shared for seven years. The quest that has brought Kitty to London began in Spain in the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars, but it stretches into some of Britain's most powerful families. From the gritty bustle of Bow Street to the scandalous grottos of Vauxhall, the Rannochs find themselves involved in a search for a mysterious operative known as the Goshawk, a painting that holds the key to unraveling a long-buried secret history, and a fiendishly clever killer working very much in the present. But even as they try to keep the revelations from overturning vital alliances and smashing the lives of their closest friends, M lanie and Malcolm discover the greatest danger may be to their own personal alliance. "Shimmers like the finest salons in Vienna." --Deborah Crombie "Meticulous, delightful, and full of surprises." --Tasha Alexander "Glittering balls, deadly intrigue, sexual scandals. . .the next best thing to actually being there "-- Lauren Willig "A superb storyteller."-- Deanna Raybourn

London, 1820. Britain and Continental Europe teeter on the edge of upheaval, but M lanie Rannoch tells herself she's left behind the dangers of the spy game and the sometimes equally-perilous intrigues of London society as she prepares for the premiere of her first play.Until her children stumble upon the body of the Hon. Lewis Thornsby in the wings of the Tavistock Theatre. Suddenly, M lanie and her husband, Malcolm, plunge into an investigation that cuts closer to their former life of espionage than they would have thought possible. Thornsby, a seemingly guileless young man about town, was part of the Levellers, a secret group of reformers whose leader is a friend of the Rannochs. A paper on Thornsby's body hints at a plot to assassinate a member of the royal family.Was Thornsby the would-be assassin or was he killed because he had learned too much? Is the plot genuine or an attempt to entrap and discredit the Levellers? As their investigation takes them from gin-soaked Covent Garden alleys to Mayfair drawing rooms, the Rannochs learn Lewis Thornsby was not at all what he seemed. Whether his death is tied to the assassination, the pretty young actress he was willing to give up his fortune for, or his unexpected links to the Continent, someone was very determined he take his secrets to the grave. And if M lanie and Malcolm can't uncover those secrets, their fate (along with that of their closest friends and Britain itself) may be in deadly peril.

Autumn 1820. From Mayfair to Covent Garden to Seven Dials, London is in an uproar over George IV's (the former prince regent) attempts to divorce his wife Queen Caroline. And nowhere is the crisis more intense than in Westminster where the royal divorce is playing out in the House of Lords.In this tense atmosphere, former spies Malcolm and M lanie Rannoch go on an undercover mission in a brothel that leads to a brawl--and the murder of the man they were tracking. The victim, Captain James Blayney, was selling the memoirs of a notorious courtesan, whose lovers may include Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, and key noblemen involved in the royal divorce trial. The missing memoirs may also hold crucial information about the Elsinore League, the powerful organization the Rannochs have been battling for years.As revelations mount, Malcolm and M lanie uncover the secrets of some of the most powerful people in Europe. The future of the British monarchy hangs in the balance. But as the Rannochs unravel the clues in the memoirs, they realize that the consequences for the royal family may be nothing compared to the consequences for their own...

A Rannoch Fraser Mysteries NovellaOctober 1820. As London simmers over the scandalous royal divorce trial, a pistol shot aimed at the Duke of Wellington's carriage shatters the peace of the autumn night. When Malcolm and M lanie Rannoch learn their friend Robby Simcox has been arrested for the crime, they are convinced it is a miscarriage of justice, but it will require all their resources as former spies to uncover the truth. The race against time to save Robby from the gallows takes the Rannochs across the breadth of London, from the slums of St. Giles to elegant Mayfair to lively Covent Garden, and to Wellington's glittering home at Apsley House. But the culprit proves cleverly elusive. The consequences of their investigation could rip Robby's sister Bet from her aristocratic true love-and may also reveal secrets that threaten all Malcolm and M lanie hold dear...

When former spies Malcolm and Melanie Rannoch learn their enemies are trying to sell letters that could prove key at the trial between George IV and Queen Caroline, the Rannochs are determined to intercept the papers before they can be used.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the life of a former spy cannot remain quiet for long.London, December 1820.Former spies Malcolm and M lanie Rannoch are hosting a small party and looking forward to an intrigue-free holiday season when their friend, Thomas Thornsby, turns up dripping wet on the doorstep of their Berkeley Square house.Not only is Thomas clearly overwrought, his arrival is particularly awkward. Thomas is newly betrothed to an heiress. Edith Simmons, the woman he wished to marry - if not for lack of fortune - is one of the Rannochs' guests that evening. But Thomas says he had no one else to turn to. His fianc e, the decorous Marianne Schofield, has vanished without a trace from a Mayfair holiday ball.Always willing to help a friend, the Rannochs don evening attire and join the elegant gathering. Amidst the holiday revelry they find that Thomas's seemingly perfect betrothed has secrets of her own. As they uncover layers of mystery, M lanie and Malcolm realize some of the plots being hatched beneath the mistletoe may prove deadly.

London, 1821. Former spies Malcolm and M lanie Rannoch have been friends with Bow Street runner Jeremy Roth since they all met in the intrigues of the Peninsular War. Now settled in London, they frequently collaborate. On a chilly night, an urgent summons from Roth takes Malcolm to a tavern in the slums of Seven Dials. He finds Roth standing over the body of a murdered woman. Malcolm offers his assistance with the case, but Roth says Malcolm must investigate alone. When Malcolm asks why, Roth replies-because this is my wife.Malcolm and M lanie plunge into the secrets of Roth's estranged wife Allegra. Why did she disappear from England? Where has she been for five years? And why did she return now to the husband she abandoned? Their investigation is a race against time as another Bow Street runner is all too eager to arrest Roth for the murder. And though Malcolm and M lanie are both convinced Jeremy Roth is not a killer, his story keeps changing.Secrets are nothing new for the Rannochs. But this investigation will force them to question everything they thought they knew about some of those closest to them. And to re-examine the secrets at the heart of their own marriage-before someone else they love falls victim...

In dazzling Regency London, married spies Malcolm and M lanie Rannoch find their most challenging investigation may be uncovering the secrets of the cunning spymaster who shaped both their destinies.Spymaster. Revolutionary. Master of disguise. Raoul O'Roarke remains an enigma even to those closest to him. By the age of three, Malcolm Rannoch knew enough of Raoul's life that he wondered if every goodbye would be their last. Thirty years later, Malcolm, now a spy himself, understands a great deal more, but in many ways Raoul is still a mystery. Malcolm's wife and fellow agent M lanie has her own complicated relationship with Raoul, who was once her spymaster.When a contact at a dockside tavern warns the Rannochs that powerful forces want Raoul dead, Malcolm and M lanie are shaken to the core. They've barely had time to absorb the revelation when a nearby ship explodes. Rushing to help fight the ensuing fire, the Rannochs find the body of the powerful Duke of Bamford amid the charred wreckage.Bamford, a Tory diplomat and Raoul, a revolutionary, knew each other far better than anyone realized. Their unlikely alliance leads from the French Revolution through Napoleon and Josephine's glamorous court to the glittering Congress of Vienna, and the horrors of Waterloo. The clues from their past hold the key to Bamford's murder. As Malcolm and M lanie connect the pieces, they find as many questions as answers. Raoul has even more secrets than either of them guessed-secrets they need to uncover to prevent his meeting the same fate as the duke. But the process may shake their relationships with him to the core. And their next goodbye could be their final parting.

A duke's manor house party. Feuding spies. Stolen jewels. A ducal divorce. What could go wrong?An invitation to the country estate of the Duke of Bamford seems a welcome escape from London intrigues for former spies Malcolm and M lanie Rannoch. They've just survived one of their most challenging and personal investigations ever. But the ducal house party is not quite the bucolic idyll they hoped for. Anthony and Henrietta Southcott, Duke and Duchess of Bamford, plan to announce their shocking plans to divorce to their friends and grown children.The ensuing scandal alone is enough to shake the Regency beau monde, but stolen treasure from the English Civil War, a secret passage, and stolen papers from the far more recent Napoleonic Wars plunge the Rannochs right back into the dangers they thought they had left behind. Soon they're racing to untangle a fiendish plot and prevent a disaster that would prove far more deadly than divorce...

The Rannoch Fraser Mysteries #18 London, December, 1819. After their recent adventures, former spies Malcolm and M lanie Rannoch are looking forward to spending a quiet holiday season with friends and family. The greatest danger seems to be M lanie's scandalous debut in a Christmas pantomime, which has shocked Mayfair's elite. But when an old friend smuggles a fugitive from the Continent into the theatre on opening night, the Rannochs find themselves facing both government agents and a mysterious assassin. As they infiltrate secret meetings, intercept coded documents, and reunite estranged lovers, they quickly realize nothing is quite what it seems. At least, as M lanie tells her husband, they are spending the holidays with those closest to them-even if they aren't sure they can trust their nearest and dearest... "Shimmers like the finest salons in Vienna." -Deborah Crombie "Glittering balls, deadly intrigue, sexual scandals. . .the next best thing to actually being there "- Lauren Willig "A superb storyteller."- Deanna Raybourn

Former spies Malcolm and M lanie Suzanne Rannoch have fled Britain with their family to escape the exposure of Suzanne's past as a French agent in the Napoleonic Wars. The news that Malcolm's grandfather, the Duke of Strathdon, is dangerously ill makes them risk a secret voyage to Scotland in the depths of winter. But they arrive at the Rannoch castle on the Highland coast to find that all is not as expected. Dunmykel Castle holds dangerous mysteries beyond the sliding panel in the library, the hidden rooms, and the secret passage to the beach. As snow falls and the holiday season approaches, the Rannochs face smugglers and old enemies, and must race to uncover a deadly secret that could destroy their hard-won escape."Shimmers like the finest salons in Vienna." -Deborah Crombie"Meticulous, delightful, and full of surprises." -Tasha Alexander "Glittering balls, deadly intrigue, sexual scandals. . .the next best thing to actually being there "- Lauren Willig "A superb storyteller."- Deanna Raybourn

The Rannoch Fraser Mysteries #15 Former spies Malcolm and M lanie Suzanne Rannoch return to Dunmykel Castle in Scotland in response to a secret summons from Malcolm's grandfather, the Duke of Strathdon. The duke has a plan that will allow the Rannochs to resume their former life in Britain. Malcolm, worried that M lanie could face treason charges for her past as a French spy, wants nothing more than to take his family safely back to Italy. But when Malcolm's sister Gis le disappears from Dunmykel, Malcolm instead find himself doing the one thing he didn't want to do-risking a return to London in search of his missing sister. Meanwhile in Scotland, M lanie uncovers information that connects her own shadowy past with Gis le's disappearance, which sends M lanie on a quest of her own. As they unravel the tangled threads, Malcolm and M lanie learn Gis le's disappearance is part of a dangerous game involving two old enemies and the highest reaches of Britain's government. The stakes rise still higher when one of their enemies is arrested for murder. From snowy Scotland to glittering Mayfair drawing rooms and the stews of St. Giles, the Rannochs unearth a conspiracy that could topple kings-and shake their family to the core... "Shimmers like the finest salons in Vienna." -Deborah Crombie "Meticulous, delightful, and full of surprises." -Tasha Alexander "Glittering balls, deadly intrigue, sexual scandals. . .the next best thing to actually being there "- Lauren Willig "A superb storyteller."- Deanna Raybourn

A diplomatic scandal. An escape over the rooftops. Charges of treason. Just a normal night out for Regency London's most elegant spies M lanie and Malcolm Rannoch. For aristocratic former spies M lanie and Malcolm Rannoch, an attempt to steal incriminating documents is a normal evening out in Mayfair. The Napoleonic Wars taught the Rannochs to be prepared for the unexpected. But it seems they've acquired a lethal new enemy who not only snagged the papers ahead of them, but has been amassing information to blackmail them and their dearest friends. Suddenly their mission turns far more dangerous. They're no longer just working to avert a diplomatic scandal. They are trying to protect those closest to them from arrest and imprisonment. M lanie and Malcolm hatch a dangerous plot to outwit their enemy on a royal night at the opera, with the king in attendance. But in candlelit salons it's difficult to tell allies from enemies. And if they fail, it is the Rannochs themselves who could be facing charges of treason...