Death and the Sisters

(Hardback)

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Description

Before there was Frankenstein, a young Mary Shelley, her stepsister Jane Claire Clairmont, and poet Percy Bysshe Shelley are drawn into a shocking murder investigation in this deliciously captivating new historical mystery revolving around the real-life trio who would later scandalize 19th century England even as they transformed the literary world.

London, 1814: Mary Godwin and her stepsister Jane Clairmont, both sixteen, possess quick minds bolstered by an unconventional upbringing, and have little regard for the rules that other young ladies follow. Mary, whose mother famously advocated for womens rights, rejects the two paths that seem open to herthat of an assistant in her fathers bookshop, or an ordinary wife. Though quieter and more reserved than the boisterous Jane, Marys imagination is keen, and she longs for real-world adventures.

One evening, an opportunity arrives in the form of a dinner guest, Percy Bysshe Shelley. At twenty-one, Shelley is already a renowned poet and radical. Mary finds their visitor handsome and compelling, but it is later that evening, after the party has broken up, that events take a truly intriguing turn. When Mary comes downstairs in search of a book, she finds instead a man face down on the floorwith a knife in his back.

The dead man, it seems, was a former classmate of Shelleys, and had lately become a personal and professional rival. What was he doing in the Godwins home Mary, Jane, and Shelley are all drawn to learn the truth behind the tragedy, especially as each discovery seems to hint at a tangled web that includes many in Shelleys closest circle. But as the attraction between Mary and the married poet intensifies, it sparks a rivalry between the sisters, even as it kindles the creative fire within . . .

Reviews

Praise for Heather Redmond's Historical Mysteries:

Crafted with vivid historical detail, an artfully twisted plot, and engaging characters, Death and the Sisters is an excellent start to what I hope will be a long-running series. Dianne Freeman, author of the award-winning Countess of Harleigh Mysteries on Death and the Sisters

"It might be the way London comes to life in all of its dark and gritty complexities, or the dynamics between Mary and her step-sister, Jane, as they set out to find the killer of the man who they discover dead in the bookshop. Everyone is a suspecteven Percy Shelley who has caught the eye of the women in the household. Propulsive and immersive, Heather Redmond is at the top of her game until the intense and satisfying end." Mary Keliikoa, author of Hidden Pieces on Death and the Sisters

An intrepid cast of characters, a stunningly atmospheric 19th-century London, and a riveting murder Highly recommend.Melissa Bourbon, bestselling author on Death and the Sisters

Besides painting a finely detailed portrait of life in London and its social hierarchy, Redmond creates captivating sleuths with sharp-eyed observations of British society and its individuals. - Publishers Weekly on The Pickwick Murders

[Readers] travel through a historical London that's vivid without being overcrowded with detail. Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW for A Tale of Two Murders

Atmospheric, absorbing.Booklist onGrave Expectations

A fast-moving and engaging story. Historical Novels Review on Grave Expectations

The life of a promising journalist in 19th-century London is complicated, butRedmond's hero is more than up to the challenge in this topsy-turvy take on a British literary classic. Redmondmixes history, mystery, and a little bit of whimsy. Kirkus Reviews on Grave Expectations

The details of the authors life and the Victorian world stand out. Library Journal on A Tale of Two Murders

Author Bio

Heather Redmond is the author of the Mary Shelley Mysteries, Dickens of a Crime series and the Journaling Mysteries, as well as historical andcontemporary romances written under the name Heather Hiestand. Though her last known British ancestor departed London inthe 1920s, she is a committed anglophile, Dickens devotee, and lover of all things nineteenth century. She has lived in Illinois,California, and Texas, and now resides in a small town in Washington State with her husband and son. The president of theColumbia River Chapter of Sisters in Crime, she be found online at HeatherRedmond.com.