Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld

by Catherine Lloyd

Overview

From the author of the critically acclaimed Kurland St. Mary series, this new historical mystery series is “a charming cross between a Regency romance and a well‑constructed detective story” (Kirkus Reviews), and will appeal to fans of Victoria Thompson and Deanna Raybourn.

Lady Caroline is happy to be back amid the swirl of London society, guiding her employer’s daughter, Dorothy Frogerton, through her first Season. Dorothy has been declared “an original” by a patron of the exclusive social club, Almack’s, and is sifting through potential suitors. Mrs. Frogerton, meanwhile, finds her own diversions, including spiritualist gatherings at the home of Madam Lavinia, and begs Caroline to come along.
 
Caroline is skeptical of Madam’s antics and faux French accent—until she slips a note into Caroline’s hand, which contains intimate family knowledge. Even as Caroline tries to discern whether the spiritualist’s powers are real, a much darker mystery presents itself. Madam Lavinia is found lifeless in her chair, a half-empty glass of port at her elbow. In her desk is a note addressed to Caroline, entreating her to find her murderer.
 
Caroline needs no psychic abilities to determine a motive, for it seems that Madam was blackmailing some of her clients and has left a trail of aggrieved aristocrats behind. But as Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton investigate further, they find other suspects, and a litany of deceptions, some very close to home. Now Caroline will need to keep all her wits about her if she is to stop others from joining Madam Lavinia in the afterlife . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496740632
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	08/22/2023
Series:	A Miss Morton Mystery , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	47,984
File size:	617 KB

About the Author

Catherine Lloyd was born just outside London, England, into a large family of dreamers, artists, and history lovers. She completed her education with a master’s degree in history at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and uses the skills she gained there to research and write her historical mysteries. Catherine currently lives in Hawaii with her husband and four children. Her website is located at www.catherine-lloyd.com.

Editorial Reviews

07/31/2023

This lively historical cozy from Lloyd (a sequel to 2022’s Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder) centers on Lady Caroline Morton, whose reduced financial and social circumstances in 1838 London have led her to become a paid companion to the irrepressible widow Mrs. Frogerton. When Mrs. Frogerton’s interest in spiritualism brings the pair to the home of medium Madam Lavinia, Caroline is skeptical of the woman’s powers. At the end of the evening, however, Lavinia passes Caroline a note containing intimate details about her childhood. A short time later, Caroline and her friend, Dr. Harris, return to Madam Lavinia’s for a reading and find her murdered. Because the last people to see her alive were members of high society, the police are eager to pin the crime on someone of a lower social order, and they promptly arrest Dr. Harris. Caroline, following Mrs. Frogerton’s lead, investigates in an attempt to clear Dr. Harris’s name. The ladies’ efforts are nicely balanced by their amusing asides with Dorothy Frogerton, the widow’s daughter, who’s determined to snag a titled husband. Numerous plausible suspects and perceptive observations on the period’s social mores make this an entertaining entry in the series. More Morton mysteries would be welcome. Agent: Deirdre Knight, Knight Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise For the Miss Morton Mystery Series By Catherine Lloyd:

"[A] lively historical cozy...Numerous plausible suspects and perceptive observations on the period’s social mores make this an entertaining entry in the series. More Morton mysteries would be welcome.” –Publishers Weekly on Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld

“A charming combination of mystery, Regency romance, and social mores.” –Kirkus Reviews on Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld

“A thoroughly captivating Victorian whodunit.” –Historical Novel Society on Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld

“A fast paced, well-written walk through London’s high society in 1838.” –New York Journal of Books on Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld
 
“Social injustices, prejudices, and all things Regency, including the appropriate flowery narrative, may be hard pills for present-day readers to swallow, but are era appropriate and well researched in this superb series debut. Caroline is an absolute gem of a heroine, whom readers will surely come to love as she bravely maneuvers through polite society to gather evidence and determine whodunit. Regardless of the unresolved ending, fans of historical mysteries and uncompromising women protagonists will find Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder impossible to put down.” –Mystery Scene Magazine
 
“A charming cross between a Regency romance and a well-constructed detective story with a surprising denouement.” –Kirkus Reviews on Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder
 
“[A] smart and colorful sleuthing trio.” –Publishers Weekly on Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder

“Utterly engrossing.” –Historical Novel Society on Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder

“Lloyd’s story has myriad twists and turns—enough to keep the reader entranced—all the while thinking they have solved the crime and discovering that they have not. Lloyd’s imagination takes us on a roller coaster ride through the murders, romances, illicit affairs, and secrets of Regency England, enough so it is hard to put the book down.” –New York Journal of Books on Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder

From the Publisher

2023-07-13
A lady’s companion and her shrewd and curious employer take up sleuthing when a friend of theirs becomes a murder suspect.

When Lady Caroline Morton and her sister, Susan, are left penniless by the death of their father, the Earl of Morton, Caroline becomes the companion to Mrs. Frogerton, whose money comes from trade and who hopes that the dowry for her beautiful daughter, Dorothy, may be large enough to arrange an aristocratic marriage. Their acquaintance Dr. Harris, who’s taken a job in London, soon becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. Mrs. Frogerton, who’s been attending séances at the home of Madam Lavinia Dubois, convinces the skeptical Caroline to join her at one. Among the guests are a masked young woman; the equally skeptical Professor Brown, who’s doing a study on mesmerism and spiritualism; and others desperate to hear from loved ones. Caroline is shaken when Madam gives her a note with information about her that very few others would know. Dr. Harris offers to accompany her to another séance in order to judge Madam Lavinia’s authenticity; there he meets Brown, who’s a colleague of his. The event is interrupted by an irate Sir Alfred Fielding, who barges in to extract his mother, Lady Fielding. Harris tells Caroline that he needs to speak to Madam Lavinia privately and asks her to accompany him back to her house the next day—and when they arrive, they find the woman dead. Harris rifles through her desk and appropriates some papers, including letters addressed to both himself and Caroline. Provoked by the police, who fasten on Harris as Madam’s most socially acceptable poisoner, the duo manage to fit snooping into their busy social schedule. If Madam was blackmailing some of her clients, the field of suspects is broad indeed.

A charming combination of mystery, Regency romance, and social mores.

Kirkus Reviews