The Secrets Of Wishtide

Description

Mrs Laetitia Rodd is the impoverished widow of an Archdeacon, living modestly in Hampstead with her landlady Mrs Bentley. She is also a private detective of the utmost discretion. In winter 1850, her brother Frederick, a criminal barrister, introduces her to Sir James Calderstone, a wealthy and powerful industrialist who asks Mrs Rodd to investigate the background of an 'unsuitable' woman his son intends to marry - a match he is determined to prevent. In the guise of governess, she travels to the family seat, Wishtide, deep in the frozen Lincolnshire countryside, where she soon discovers that the Calderstones have more to hide than most. As their secrets unfold, the case takes an unpleasant turn when a man is found dead outside a tavern. Mrs Rodd's keen eyes and astute wits are taxed as never before in her search for the truth - which carries her from elite drawing rooms to London's notorious inns and its steaming laundry houses. Dickensian in its scope and characters, The Secrets of Wishtide brings nineteenth century society vividly to life and illuminates the effect of Victorian morality on women's lives. Introducing an irresistible new detective, the first book in the Laetitia Rodd Mystery series will enthral and delight.

Promotion info

From the bestselling, award-winning novelist Kate Saunders comes the first in 'The Laetitia Rodd Mysteries', six novels featuring a Victorian lady detective, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, M. C. Beaton and Grantchester

Reviews

A Dickensian glow pervades this immensely satisfying novel. Hugely enjoyable James Runcie, author of The Grantchester Mysteries Saunders's prose is precise and a pleasure to read. The plot twists and turns, and Laetitia is a warm and engaging heroine The Times Murder, mayhem and rather gothic melodrama are all treated with wry composure by the redoubtable Mrs Rodd ... The whole book has the cosiness and wit of a Sunday evening costume drama. Think Lark Rise To Candleford. I was left greedy for the return of Mrs Rodd in the next of the promised series Daily Mail Pure delight Sunday Times Wishtide combines the twists and coincidences of a sensation novel with social commentary, then brightens it with light touches ... I think that what the old bird has done is to start her journey to becoming a new literary favourite Independent Kate Saunders immerses us in Victorian England in this delightful new series. You'll love Laetitia Rodd and her charming cohorts as they unravel an intriguing tangle of mysteries to save the innocent and punish the guilty. I couldn't put it down! Victoria Thompson, bestselling author of Murder in Morningside Heights A breath of fresh air ... It's packed with pithy observations about human nature and Mrs Rodd makes a genuinely likable character you can't help but root for ... 8/10 Sunday Post Saunders evokes the period with witty references and shrewd insights Saga A delightful Victorian mystery Stylist Simply begging to be made into a Sunday night bonnet drama Red Introducing Mrs Laetitia Rodd, widow and Victorian private detective whose investigation into the suitability of a would-be bride is derailed by a murder Woman & Home The first book in the series will delight Woman's Way Energetically written, it's the first of a series featuring the adventures and wit of this endearing Victorian detective - the next one can't come soon enough Choice Feisty widow and super sleuth Laetitia Rodd plunge the murky depths of Victorian society's demi-monde My Weekly

Author description

Kate Saunders is an author and journalist. She has worked for The Times, Sunday Times, Sunday Express, Daily Telegraph and Cosmopolitan amongst others, and has contributed to Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Start the Week. She has written numerous books for adults and children, including the bestselling Night Shall Overtake Us, and her follow on to E Nesbit's Five Children and It stories, Five Children on the Western Front, which won the Costa Children's Book Award in 2014. She lives in London.