Dianne Freeman – författare

Filled with Victorian-era intrigue for readers of Rhys Bowen, Deanna Raybourn, Tasha Alexander, and Julia Seales, Dianne Freeman’s Agatha Award-winning series takes a delightful jaunt to the City of Light as Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, encounters a murder scene at the Paris Exposition.Former Countess of Harleigh, Frances Hazelton, is among a throng of pleasure seekers and art lovers in the City of Lights. But what catches her eye most is the art of murder . . . Frances and her husband, George, have two points of interest in Paris. One is an impromptu holiday to visit the Paris Exposition. The other is personal. George’s Aunt Julia has requested her nephew’s help in looking into the suspicious death of renowned artist Paul Ducasse. Though Julia is not entirely forthcoming about her reasons, she is clearly a woman mourning a lost love. At the exposition, swarming with tourists, tragedy casts a pall on the festivities. A footbridge collapses. Julia is among the casualties. However, she was not just another fateful victim. Julia was stabbed to death amid the chaos. With an official investigation at a standstill, George and Frances realize that to solve the case they must dig into Julia’s life—as well as Paul’s—and question everything and everyone in Julia’s coterie of artists and secrets. They have no shortage of suspects. There is Paul’s inscrutable widow, Gabrielle. Paul’s art dealer and manager, Lucien. Julia’s friend Martine, a sculptress with a jealous streak. And art jurist, Monsieur Beaufoy. The investigation takes a turn when it’s revealed that George has inherited control of Julia’s estate—and another of her secrets. While George investigates, Frances safeguards their new legacy, and is drawn further into danger by a killer determined to keep the past buried.

In this Victorian-era mystery novella, the Countess of Harleigh, Frances Hazelton, and her husband, George, discover that a French seaside resort is a fetching backdrop for business, pleasure...and murder.

Frances and George arrive in Deauville by the sea to enjoy a long-awaited honeymoon. It’s also an opportunity for George to inspect a villa inherited by his ward and arrange for its sale. To the Hazeltons’ surprise, they find it inhabited by wealthy revelers playing an illegal game of Hazard—forbidden fun, hosted by Albert Roth, a charismatic professional gambler who has a lease and no desire to vacate.

The discovery doesn’t sit well with Frances and George. Especially since Albert also fixes horse races and polo matches and is said to pay off authorities who turn a blind eye to his criminal endeavors. But not anymore. The Hazeltons plan to break up the party. Yet the game abruptly changes when a popular British polo player who claims to have lost a fortune to Albert is found murdered in the villa’s salon.

Now Frances and George have to do more than prove ownership of the valuable Normandy coast property. They have to find a killer. They’re sure all roads lead to Albert. But in a world of bribery, loansharking, corruption, and high society risks, nothing is what it seems. And for the Hazeltons, the stakes are getting higher...