A Blighter is Bumped Off (A Duchess of Stortford Mystery): A Victorian whodunnit with a hint of humour (The Duchess of Stortford Mysteries Book 4)

The only thing worse than a persistent suitor? A dead one on your lawn.

London, 1892. Alice, Duchess of Stortford, has returned to town determined to enjoy her first Season as a wealthy widow. But instead of waltzes and whispered gossip, she finds herself dodging a parade of eager bachelors—and none is more insistent than the insufferably smooth-talking Miles Fonthill. When Alice refuses his sudden proposal, she expects him to disappear with his tail between his legs.

Instead, he turns up dead in her garden.

The police call it an accident. Alice calls it suspicious. After all, corpses don't usually come calling. So when a highly placed duchess confesses to her that her husband was being blackmailed by the late Mr Fonthill, Alice is reluctantly drawn back into the role of amateur sleuth.

With the help of her ever-loyal maid and footman duo, along with her childhood friend, Baxter, Alice begins untangling a web of secrets that stretches from Mayfair’s drawing rooms to the Foreign Office. Add a meddling aunt, a blackmail ring, six very suspicious suspects, and an unexpected consultation with Sherlock Holmes—and this Season is shaping up to be murder.

Alice must tread carefully. Because in a world of polished manners, reputation is everything—and someone is willing to kill to protect theirs.

Perfect for fans of feisty female sleuths, London High Society, secret scandals, server with a dash of humour and a cup of tea.