A Scandal in Mayfair

Red herrings, strange illnesses, a complex mystery, and romance are highlights of Schellman’s fifth Lily Adler historical mystery (after Murder at Midnight). Widowed Lily moves back to London for the season, having gained a reputation as a fixer and “lady of quality” who discreetly investigates delicate cases for other gentlewomen. She receives a visit from Sarah Forrest, a young woman who’s worried that her uncle and guardian is stealing her inheritance and begs Lily to search his house for a missing will. Sarah is accompanied by a strange but familiar enforcer: Mr. Clive, a con man Lily encountered on an earlier case, who threatens to reveal Lily’s connections to previous mysteries unless she helps Sarah. Under threat of blackmail, Lily agrees to attend a ball at the uncle’s house. She doesn’t find a will, but the next morning she is called back to the house because Sarah’s uncle has been killed, and Mr. Clive is found hiding in a closet; now the hunt is afoot. Schellman’s Regency mystery series explores the nuances of societal rules and includes characters whose biracial backgrounds sometimes cause uneasiness in the ton.