Murder in Drury Lane

Written by Vanessa Riley

Narrated by Chanté McCormick

Pressed into a union of convenience, Lady Abigail Worthing knew better than to expect love. Her marriage to an absent lord does at least provide some comforts, including a box at the Drury Lane theater. Abigail has always found respite at the theater, away from the ton's judgmental stares and the risks of her own secret work to help the cause of abolition-and her fears that someone from her past wants her permanently silenced. But one evening everything collides, and the performance takes an unwelcome turn . . .

Onstage, a woman emits a scream of genuine terror. A man has been found dead in the prop room, stabbed through the heart. Abigail's neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, is also in attendance, and the two rush backstage. The magistrate, keen to avoid bringing more attention to the case, asks Abigail not to investigate. But she cannot resist, especially when Henderson offers his assistance.

Abigail discovers a tangled drama that rivals anything brought to the stage, involving gambling debts, a beautiful actress with a parade of suitors, and the very future of the Drury Lane theater. For Abigail the case is complicated further, for one suspect is a leading advocate for the cause dearest to her heart-the abolition of slavery. Uncovering the truth always comes at a price. But this time, it may be far higher than she wishes to pay.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798765076101

Vanessa Riley

In addition to being a novelist, Vanessa Riley holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a master’s in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. She currently juggles mothering a teen, cooking for her military-man husband, and speaking at women’s and STEM events. She loves baking her Trinidadian grandma’s cake recipes and collecting Irish crochet lace. You can catch her writing from the comfort of her porch in Georgia, with a cup of Earl Grey tea. Riley lives in Atlanta.