M.C. Beaton: Sick of Shadows (USA 2013)

From the Publisher:
"A lighthearted romantic romp through Edwardian snobbery, with hints of the cataclysmic changes in store for high society." -- Kirkus Reviews

Lady Rose Summer couldn't be more delighted to assist Society's most beau- tiful new debutante, Miss Dolly Tremaine, in negotiating her very first season: Now eagend to Capris in Carton in ole to and bein shipped off to India, Rose is desperate to do something more useful than attend endless balls and parties. And the country-bred Dolly is totally at sea -- and needs all the help Rose can give. But when Rose rushes to prevent Dolly from making a disastrous mistake, she discovers her stabbed to death and floating in a boat on the Serpentine River. And it isn't long before Rose barely survives an attempt on her own life.

Now Rose and Harry's race to uncover the secrets of Dolly's life is stirring up a hornet's nest of deceptions and devilish schemes, from London's most exclusive townhouses to the seemingly peaceful Yorkshire coast. And a cunning murderer is only a breath away from burying the truth -- and the persistent Lady Rose -- with one devastating stroke.

M.C. BEATON, the British guest of honor at Bouchercon 2006, is a New York Times bestselling romance and suspense writer who has been hailed as the "Queen of Crime" (The Globe and Mail). She is the author of twenty-three Agatha Raisin novels, whose fans range from the actress Elizabeth Hurley to the Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as the Hamish Macbeth series. Born in Scotland, she now divides her time between Paris and the English Cotswolds.

M.C. Beaton: Sick of Shadows. A Novel. Minotaur Books, ISBN: 9781250022509 (February, 2013), 215 p., $14.99.

M.C. Beaton: Sick of Shadows (UK 2010)

From the Publisher:
It would seem that even a pretend engagement cannot keep Lady Rose Summer from trouble. Bored with endless parties, teas and balls, she befriends Dolly Tremaine, a beautiful young girl newly arrived from the country and overwhelmed by the demands of the Season. Their friendship is cut tragically short, however, when Dolly is found dead in the river, with flowers in her hair and blood on her breast.

Rose immediately summons her fiancé, investigator Captain Harry Cathcart, to help solve the mystery of Dolly's death - and to keep her from becoming the murderer's next victim.

M.C. Beaton: Sick of Shadows. C & R Crime, ISBN: 9781849012911 (September, 2010), 247 p., £6.99.

M.C. Beaton writing as Marion Chesney: Sick of Shadows (USA 2006)

From the Publisher:
A DEADLY FIRST SEASON
Lady Rose Summer couldn't be more delighted to assist Society's most beau- tiful new debutante, Miss Dolly Tremaine, in negotiating her very first season: Now eagend to Capris in Carton in ole to and bein shipped off to India, Rose is desperate to do something more useful than attend endless balls and parties. And the country-bred Dolly is totally at sea -- and needs all the help Rose can give. But when Rose rushes to prevent Dolly from making a disastrous mistake, she discovers her stabbed to death and floating in a boat on the Serpentine River. And it isn't long before Rose barely survives an attempt on her own life.

Now Rose and Harry's race to uncover the secrets of Dolly's life is stirring up a hornet's nest of deceptions and devilish schemes, from London's most exclusive townhouses to the seemingly peaceful Yorkshire coast. And a cunning murderer is only a breath away from burying the truth -- and the persistent Lady Rose -- with one devastating stroke.

M.C. Beaton writing as Marion Chesney: Sick of Shadows. An Edwardian Murder Mystery. St. Martin's Minotaur, ISBN: 0312998007 (November, 2006), 215 p., $6.99.

Marion Chesney: Sick of Shadows (USA 2005)

From the Publisher:
CAPTAIN HARRY CATHCART AND LADY ROSE Summer have entered into an engagement of convenience-convenient for Rose, who wants to avoid being sent to India with all the other failed debutantes. Despite her considerable good looks, Rose's sharp intellect and radical ideas have served to repel her would be suitors. Rose's parents, unaware of the deception, are hardly thrilled that their only child is marrying a man in trade, but Harry comes from a good family, and at the very least, they hope he will keep their troublesome daughter out of mischief.

Unfortunately, even a pretend engagement cannot save Rose from trouble. Bored with endless parties, teas, and balls, she befriends Dolly Tremaine, a beautiful young girl newly arrived from the country and overwhelmed by the demands of the Season. Rose is delighted to have a protégée but their friendship is cut tragically short when Dolly is found floating in a river. Harry is summoned immediately to help solve the mystery of Dolly's death, and to keep Rose from being the murderer's next victim.

Marion Chesney: Sick of Shadows. An Edwardian Murder Mystery. St. Martin's Minotaur, ISBN: 0312329644 (August, 2005), 215 p., $22.95.