A Counterfeit Suitor

by Darcie Wilde

Overview

“Wilde's heroine is not only a useful woman but a highly entertaining one.” 
 —Kirkus Reviews on And Dangerous to Know

Among the ton of Regency London, one breath of scandal can be disastrous. Enter Rosalind Thorne, a young woman adept at helping ladies of quality navigate the most delicate problems—in this charming mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen . . .

It is every mama’s dearest wish that her daughter marries well. But how to ensure that a seemingly earnest suitor is not merely a fortune hunter? Rosalind is involved in just such a case, discreetly investigating a client’s prospective son-in-law, when she is drawn into another predicament shockingly close to home.

Rosalind’s estranged father, Sir Reginald Thorne—a drunkard and forger—has fallen into the hands of the vicious scoundrel Russell Fullerton. Angered by her interference in his blackmail schemes, Fullerton intends to unleash Sir Reginald on society and ruin Rosalind. Before Rosalind’s enemy can act, Sir Reginald is found murdered—and Fullerton is arrested for the crime. He protests his innocence, and Rosalind reluctantly agrees to uncover the truth, suspecting that this mystery may be linked to her other, ongoing cases.

Aided by her sister, Charlotte, and sundry friends and associates—including handsome Bow Street Runner Adam Harkness—Rosalind sets to work. But with political espionage and Napoleon loyalists in the mix, there may be more sinister motives, and far higher stakes, than she ever imagined . . .
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496720948
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	11/30/2021
Series:	Rosalind Thorne Mystery , #5
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	38,718
File size:	778 KB

About the Author

Darcie Wilde is the author of the Rosalind Thorne Mysteries, a Regency-set historical mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, as well as the Regency Makeover Trilogy of eNovellas. Her book Lord of the Rakes was a 2014 Romantic Times nominee for Best First Historical Romance. Visit her online at darciewilderomance.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/18/2021

Rosalind Thorne, a disgraced nobleman’s daughter who discreetly helps society ladies with their more delicate problems, has her hands full in Wilde’s meticulously crafted fifth Regency mystery (after 2020’s A Lady Compromised). She’s assisting Mrs. Valentina Walford with organizing a charity ball while quietly investigating the suitability of Mrs. Walford’s daughter’s unsavory new beau, who was involved in an 1814 stock fraud. Rosalind’s task is complicated when her own drunken father shows up in London as the “guest” of her bitter enemy, Russell Fullerton, and promptly makes an embarrassing public scene. Attempting to figure out what Fullerton has up his sleeve at the same time she’s trying to help Mrs. Walford, Rosalind uncovers plot upon plot—blackmail, political intrigue, faithlessness, family drama—and every question answered inevitably leads to another as tangled as the first. Rosalind is an empathetic, perceptive lead, and her relationships with her caring friends add much to the book’s appeal. A plot as complex as a Chinese puzzle box will keep readers turning the pages. Wilde offers a fascinating, richly detailed look at Regency society. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Darcie Wilde's Rosalind Thorne mysteries

“Rosalind carries the soul of Sherlock Holmes in the world of Elizabeth Bennet, and it’s a hard combination to beat.”
—BookPage

 "A complex, enthralling mystery that rivals those of Anne Perry and Agatha Christie.”
—New York Journal of Books

“Clever and witty. Wilde artfully portrays Regency London, from its ballrooms to Bow Street, in all its glory and hypocrisy, and provides readers with a heroine worthy of our attention. With its colorful cast and scandalous intrigue, A Useful Woman would surely have set the famed patronesses of Almack’s atwitter.”
—Anna Lee Huber, national bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries  

“The Regency frame is skillfully woven through a story that features surprising plot twists and an engaging subplot concerning Rosalind’s dilemma over whom to marry—Harkness or a duke who will allow her to reclaim her past.” 
—Booklist

“Captivating. . . . Wilde smoothly mixes historical figures and events into a plot that’s sure to keep readers turning the pages to see what happens next. Regency fans will be charmed.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
 “Rosalind is an interesting, dare I say ‘plucky’ heroine, a once-rich girl now lowered to live by her wits. She still follows the strict etiquette of her time and lost position, no matter the cost. The asides on what is proper in each situation are amusing, reminiscent of Jane Austen . . . I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next book in the series.”
—The Historical Novel Society

"Complex social networks spark an equally complex puzzle."
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"In Darcie Wilde's popular Rosalind Thorne Mystery series set in Regency England, the starchy manners and sparkling repartee of Jane Austen's genteel country society hide sinister secrets. Rosalind is intelligent, empathetic, and likable.”
—Mystery Scene Magazine

From the Publisher

2021-09-01
Rosalind Thorne’s decision to continue living by her wits lands her in deep waters.

Having decided once and for all to reject the handsome proposal tendered by Devon Winterbourne, Duke of Casselmaine, Rosalind settles into modest but comfortable lodgings in Little Russell Street with journalist Alice Littlefield, her good friend, and goes back to accepting informal commissions from ladies of London’s haute ton to resolve their various domestic dilemmas. Her latest challenge, helping widowed Valentina Walford plan a charity ball while breaking up her daughter’s budding romance with unsuitable Horatio Salter, seems an easy enough task for someone of Rosalind’s considerable talents. But when a confrontation at the opera fails to move the stubborn Miss Walford, Rosalind suspects that there’s more to the problem than Mrs. Walford has revealed. The death of Rosalind’s father, a blow that should have ended the Walford commission altogether, only complicates it, since the man arrested for his murder, blackmailer Russell Fullerton, is one of Salter’s unsavory associates. Rosalind will need help from her estranged sister, Charlotte, and her dear friend and not-quite suitor, Adam Harkness, a rising star of the Bow Street Runners, to unravel this tangled skein of intrigues personal, professional, and political.

Compelling period drama.

Kirkus Reviews