A Mirabelle Bevan Mystery Series

After WWII, a woman settles in a seaside town—where her old intelligence skills come in surprisingly handy: “Great fun.”—James Runcie, author of the Grantchester mysteries   In post-World War II England, former Secret Service operative Mirabelle Bevan becomes embroiled in a new kind of intrigue . . .   1951: In the popular seaside town of Brighton, it’s time for Mirabelle Bevan to move beyond her tumultuous wartime years and start anew. Accepting a job at a debt collection agency seems a step toward a more tranquil life.   But as she follows up on a routine loan to Romana Laszlo, a pregnant Hungarian refugee who’s recently come off the train from London, Mirabelle’s instincts for spotting deception are stirred when the woman is reported dead, along with her unborn child.   After encountering a social-climbing doctor with a sudden influx of wealth and Romana’s sister, who seems far from bereaved and doesn’t sound Hungarian, Mirabelle decides to dig deeper into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. Aided by her feisty sidekick—a fellow office worker named Vesta Churchill (“no relation to Winston,” as she explains)—Mirabelle unravels a web of evil that stretches from the Brighton beachfront to the darkest corners of Europe. Putting her own life at risk, she must navigate a lethal labyrinth of lies and danger to expose the truth.   “[An] entertaining series launch . . . Mirabelle is indeed a lady, even when she’s climbing over back fences and knocking back whiskey.” —Publishers Weekly

In 1950s England, a debutante disappears from a Soho jazz club, pulling a pair of sleuths into a seedy underworld, in this “series that deserves a long run” (Booklist).   In the years following World War II, former Secret Service employee Mirabelle Bevan can’t seem to resist an attraction to danger and a thirst for justice . . .   The mysterious disappearance of eighteen-year-old debutante Rose Bellamy Gore, last seen outside a Soho jazz club in the company of a saxophone player named Lindon Claremont, has the London tabloids in a frenzy. When Lindon turns up in Brighton desperately seeking help, Mirabelle counsels him to cooperate with the authorities. But after the local police take the musician into custody and ship him off to Scotland Yard, Mirabelle and her best friend, Vesta Churchill, decide to take matters into their own hands.   After hopping a train to London, Mirabelle and Vesta scour smoky jazz clubs searching for clues to the deb’s disappearance. What they find is a sinister underworld where the price of admission can be one’s life. Mirabelle will need to draw on her espionage skills to improvise her way out of a disappearing act of her own . . .   Praise for the writing of Sara Sheridan and London Calling   “Mirabelle Bevan’s second case takes her into the divided worlds of underground jazz clubs and missing debutantes. As a British historical mystery, this fits the bill.” —RT Book Reviews   “An extraordinarily rich historical.” —Publishers Weekly   “Great fun. The world needs Mirabelle’s feistiness, intelligence, and charm.” —James Runcie, author of the Grantchester mysteries

Dangers abound in 1950s Brighton as former Secret Service operative Mirabelle Bevan cuts to the chase to solve multiple murders . . .   When sportswriter Joey Gillingham stops off at a Brighton barbershop for a shave and a trim, he gets more than he bargained for—a slashed throat. The journalist's next headline story in the paper is his obituary.   With the ghastly murder the talk of the seaside town, Mirabelle and her close friend and coworker Vesta Churchill find themselves irresistibly drawn to the case. Rumors of the newspaperman being a member of the freemasons lead the ladies to the group’s local lodge, where they happen upon a cleaning lady in the throes of poisoning. Are the two deaths related? The common thread seems to connect to the secret society.   Despite being warned off by Superintendent McGregor, the fearless friends continue to investigate, breaking into an abandoned royal residence in Brighton and following a trail of clues to a Cambridge college and bizarre masonic rituals.   To beard the lion in his own den, Mirabelle and Vesta will need to walk the razor's edge—but with desperate characters and more bodies turning up, it's going to be a close shave . . .