Marianne Starr Series by Issy Brooke
Marianne Starr #1
The Willing Game
Issy Brooke
London, 1890: Marianne Starr's job is unmasking fake mediums, not fake fathers…She takes the new case anyway. She's desperate for money, her father is ill, and an unfortunate incident with a hatpin has scared away most of her clients - except George Bartholomew. He's just returned from Prussia and he's convinced his father is an imposter.Marianne thinks George is mad.Then George turns up dead and suddenly everyone's waving pistols around and not even her scientific training can unravel the mystery. She needs the help of her socialite cousin, Phoebe, and her stage magician friend, Simeon.Now she's deep in blackmail, poisoning, and trickery, with fraudulent mediums and vengeful Prussians after her. And who is the man in the blue top hat shadowing her every move?She's not just fighting for her family, but she's fighting for her future … and her life.Light, fun and intriguing, THE WILLING GAME is the start of a thrilling new historical mystery series from the author of Lady C Investigates.
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Marianne Starr #2
The Talking Board
Issy Brooke
London, 1890: scientific investigator Marianne Starr must discover the source of the unearthly screams that plague a gothic house at night. The suspects seem obvious though the reasons are a mystery. Nevertheless, she is quick and clever and is soon ready to expose the fraud, and pocket the money and fame.But then someone is killed, someone else flees, and suddenly her world is turned upside down. Her father is breaking out at night on a mission of his own, and her funds are running low. The murderer knows that Marianne is coming after them, and will stop at nothing to protect their interests.Her knowledge is not enough. She has to call on favours from some less-reputable members of London society and she runs the risk of being arrested herself.The race is on to track down the real object of the murderer's actions, but once again Marianne has dragged everyone else she knows and cares about into mortal danger…Light, fun, intriguing and irreverent, THE TALKING BOARD is a standalone historical mystery. It comes after THE WILLING GAME but they can be read in any order. Suspend your disbelief, and join Marianne on her high jinks through Victorian London!
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Marianne Starr #3
The Murdering Ghost
Issy Brooke
The urchins of Victorian London say that a ghost is murdering young women …Maybe it wouldn't matter on the chaotic and dingy streets – but these victims are respectable ladies, and when the Chief Inspector asks questions, he's transferred out of the way.Marianne Starr is asking questions, too. One of the victims was her friend. Asking the wrong questions puts her in the firing line and suddenly she's on the run, hiding out in the very worst rookeries, and the only way to return to her normal life is to expose the truth behind the murdering ghost.But the truth behind the murderer also reveals some dangerous facts about her dead friend, too, and calls into question everything she thought she knew about women, society and justice.There is one thing more powerful than justice. And that's money. Marianne has neither. How can she avenge her friend's death – and with her surprising past revealed, does she even want to?
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