The Serpent and the Scorpion

Book excerpt: In this “absorbing” Edwardian mystery, an heiress turned amateur sleuth investigates murder in a “tightly knit tale with an unexpected twist” (Publishers Weekly). As heiress to her father’s international textile empire, Ursula Marlow’s fortune puts her at the top of English society. But as an Edwardian-era woman with wealth and power, Ursula is also the ultimate outsider. Her business leads her to Egypt, a trip turned sour after the mysterious wife of a wealthy Russian financier is violently killed. Days later, a young woman dies in a fire in one of Ursula’s factories. When Ursula learns the woman was already dead before the fire began, she is determined to find justice—especially after discovering a connection between the two murdered women. Ursula’s investigation reveals that someone is also trying to ruin her reputation, causing her to turn to her past lover Lord Wrotham for help. If only that were really an option for a woman as headstrong and independent as Ursula. . . . “Ursula’s second period adventure caps its romance and mystery with a shocking climax.” —Kirkus Reviews “The book sweeps from the steamy bazaars of Egypt to proper English drawing rooms as Ursula battles international intrigue and her own sensuous nature. Dorothy Sayers would be proud of her Oxford sister.” —Rhys Bowen, New York Times–bestselling author of the Molly Murphy Mysterie