Mary Finch Series

1795, and a young woman travels in haste from Cambridge to the Suffolk coast. Her name is Mary Finch, and she has been invited to meet her wealthy uncle - and so end a family estrangement that has held fast for more than twenty years. Smart, courageous and blessed with good looks if not good fortune, Mary is excited by the prospect of adventure, and the chance to escape a miserable future teaching at Mrs Bunbury's school for young ladies. But a whispered warning from a man dying on the road who carries a strangely familiar watch bearing her uncle's initials, exposes her to a ruthless conspiracy that threatens not only her family's reputation, but her very life. With England embroiled in a bloody war with Republican France, and spies and smugglers active all along the coast, Mary must learn quickly how to fight for her survival, and to distinguish friend from foe. Can she trust the two men who want to help her? What is their interest in the mysterious Blackstone key? Does it guard a secret treasure, or might it have a more sinister purpose?

The Mistaken Wife

by Rose Melikan and R a Melikan

Published 1 April 2010

Autumn, 1797. With Napoleon's forces sweeping through Europe, a young English woman travels to Paris, risking her life on a secret mission that may buy Britain vital time...

Mary Finch is no stranger to adventure, but even she hesitates before accepting her new assignment, travelling as the wife of an American artist into the very heart of enemy territory. The plan is so secret she can't even tell Captain Holland, with whom she is supposed to have 'an understanding'.

After a terrifying journey through revolutionary France she arrives in Paris only to discover that her American 'husband' is not quite what he appears. With the French chasing a deadly new weapon and an old nemesis threatening to unmask her as a spy, Mary soon finds herself in mortal danger...

Thrilling and deeply satisfying, The Mistaken Wife is a spirited and gripping historical mystery from the author of the acclaimed The Blackstone Key.

The Counterfeit Guest

by Rose Melikan

Published 5 March 2009

"It is 1797, and Mary Finch, heroine of The Blacksone Key, is now a wealthy heiress. Young ladies in her situation ought to marry well--as her friend Susannah Armitage has. But is Susannah's marriage to Colonel Crosby-Nash all that it seems? Mary thinks not, and when her suspicions lead to a meeting with the elusive spymaster Cuthbert Shy, he reveals the terrible truth: the colonel is a traitor. At Shy's request, Mary agrees to accompany the Crosby-Nashes to their country estate in order to discover his communicating with Shy is murderously cut off. If only Mary could contact the redoubtable Captain Robert Holland--but as he has inexplicably ended their friendship, his help seems out of reach..."--p.[4] of cover.