The Charlotte Richmond Mysteries
2 primary works
Book 1
Outwardly a grieving young Victorian widow, Charlotte Richmond is concealing some scandalous secrets when she arrives at Finchbourne Manor to start a respectable new life with her husband's family.The wealthy Richmonds must never discover that her husband Frampton's recent death in the Indian Mutiny came as a great relief to Charlotte. Nor must they hear about the rumours circulating in the army regarding both his scandalous behaviour and money missing from the officers' mess. His death has also been the subject of speculation and Charlotte must take care not to spill any secrets. Above all she must make certain that nobody in her new life hears of her own adventurous upbringing in Australia, knowing that any whisper about her past would cause her to be sent packing.When the past catches up with Charlotte, and a murder is committed, she begins to fear for her own life.
Book 3
Young Victorian widow, Charlotte Richmond, has lately found herself tripping over the occasional corpse, but surely the festive season, beginning with a christening party, can't present the same hazard? Oh yes it can...There are some strange incidents and a death, apparently from natural causes, that leaves Charlotte puzzled and anxious over questions that seem to have no answers. Over Christmas, however, she does manage to learn a surprising amount about medieval gardening, some unusual and unpleasant ailments, London property values, and how to conduct a rat-hunt. As if that isn't enough, Charlotte encounters someone who may know far too much about her unorthodox upbringing in Australia, and Florence Nightingale keeps making an offer that she insists Charlotte can't refuse. To cap it all, Boxing Day finds the resourceful Charlotte in a garden dedicated to a long-dead queen, fighting for her life and armed only with what is possibly the least likely weapon ever.