Product Description
A cold draft extinguishes the flame of a small candle and darkness envelops the frightened group seeking to contact the spirit world. Nothing answers their call except a suggestion, a touch of the unknown wavering in the shadows. Is it real, or an expert illusion created by spiritualist Prudence Barnard?
Their host, Lord Crowley, believes the séance is nothing but a clever fraud. Denouncing those who believe as fools or worse, Crowley attempts to expose Prudence by hiring an inquiry agent to attend the séance.
Then someone poisons Lord Crowley, right under the nose of the inquiry agent he hired.
Knighton Gaunt has sacrificed family and social standing to found the Second Sons Inquiry Agency, only to have his reputation tarnished when his employer dies and he’s unable to identify the murderer. Who had the nerve to execute such a bold maneuver? Could it really be Prudence, angered by Crowley’s efforts to discredit her, or was it one of the other twelve guests?
The truth seems as elusive as smoke as Knighton delves into the secrets drifting through the hallways of Rosecrest manor. Long-time friends turn against one another, and Knighton is desperate to separate fact from fiction before death strikes again.
“The Vital Principle” is the first in the Second Son’s Inquiry Agency series of Regency mysteries, featuring the agency’s coolly intellectual founder, Knighton Gaunt. The series includes a variety of inquiry agents associated with Second Sons and is set in England’s fascinating Regency period when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and the Prince Regent, the eventual George IV, ruled in his stead.
Each volume stands alone as a mystery touched with romance.
“Murder, mystery, and a dash of romance combined with witty dialogue and unforgettable characters make The Vital Principle a book that will definitely go on my keeper shelf!” Lilly Gayle, author of Into the Darkness and Slightly Tarnished.
From a reader, “The dialogue is always witty, the characters always engaging.“
Their host, Lord Crowley, believes the séance is nothing but a clever fraud. Denouncing those who believe as fools or worse, Crowley attempts to expose Prudence by hiring an inquiry agent to attend the séance.
Then someone poisons Lord Crowley, right under the nose of the inquiry agent he hired.
Knighton Gaunt has sacrificed family and social standing to found the Second Sons Inquiry Agency, only to have his reputation tarnished when his employer dies and he’s unable to identify the murderer. Who had the nerve to execute such a bold maneuver? Could it really be Prudence, angered by Crowley’s efforts to discredit her, or was it one of the other twelve guests?
The truth seems as elusive as smoke as Knighton delves into the secrets drifting through the hallways of Rosecrest manor. Long-time friends turn against one another, and Knighton is desperate to separate fact from fiction before death strikes again.
“The Vital Principle” is the first in the Second Son’s Inquiry Agency series of Regency mysteries, featuring the agency’s coolly intellectual founder, Knighton Gaunt. The series includes a variety of inquiry agents associated with Second Sons and is set in England’s fascinating Regency period when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and the Prince Regent, the eventual George IV, ruled in his stead.
Each volume stands alone as a mystery touched with romance.
“Murder, mystery, and a dash of romance combined with witty dialogue and unforgettable characters make The Vital Principle a book that will definitely go on my keeper shelf!” Lilly Gayle, author of Into the Darkness and Slightly Tarnished.
From a reader, “The dialogue is always witty, the characters always engaging.“
