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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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A CURIOUS BEGINNING

Deanna Raybourn

In her thrilling new series, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries, returns once more to Victorian England…and introduces intrepid adventuress Veronica Speedwell.
London, 1887. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

Deanna Raybourn, the author of the award-winning New York Times bestselling Lady Julia Grey series and several standalone novels, is pleased to introduce her new Victorian-set mystery series featuring Veronica Speedwell. Deanna lives in Virginia with her husband and daughter.
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Book

Published 2015-09-01 by New American Library NAL

Book

Published 2015-09-01 by New American Library NAL

Comments

Creating strong character pairings, placing the action in unexpectedly unusual but actual historical settings, and folding it all into a clever mystery are hallmarks of this author’s magical signature style...This new series starts off with a bang.

Oh, frabjous day! Deanna Raybourn is back in the Victorian era with a heroine who could give Amelia Peabody a run for her money. No one write parasols, petticoats, and pistols like Deanna Raybourn.

A treat. One of the few writers who can make history feel immediate and exciting without losing a grasp of the period.

With wicked intelligence, Deanna Raybourn has created a fresh and fascinating sleuth. Veronica Speedwell is sure to join the greats of mystery fiction. Impeccably plotted and meticulously researched, A Curious Beginning will leave you, as it left me, whimpering for more.

Wickedly clever and devilishly amusing... Veronica Speedwell is a joy—unflappable, unrepentant, and thoroughly delightful.

The intrepid Veronica's witty narration and the sexual tension she shares with the equally eccentric and articulate Stoker deliver a fun read with promises of more to come. Read more...

I love this book! Brings us the powerful Veronica Speedwell, who triumphs over adversity and danger with wit, charm, and uncanny determination. A real find.

A thrilling - and hilarious - beginning to a promising new series. Read more...

UK: Titan ; Russia: AST