Published in 2024, the ninth Cleopatra Fox mystery is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.

In August 1900, Cleo is on a seaside holiday in Brighton with her aunt Lilian and cousin Flossy. Her uncle Ronald joined them for the first week but soon grew restless and returned to London. Floyd, responsible for an important guest’s wedding, stayed to oversee preparations. On the last day of her vacation, Cleo receives a blackmail note demanding help or threatening to reveal her detective activities in the newspaper. Cleo agrees to meet the blackmailer, a young, bookish woman who says she will contact Cleo after they return to London.

The same woman boards the train but does not get off, which concerns Cleo. When she tells the conductor, he does not take her seriously. The sergeant assigned to the missing person case is lazy, so Cleo decides to look for the missing passenger herself. With Victor’s help, they search the railway line until they find her body, confirming Cleo’s suspicions.

The motives for killing her blackmailer lead Cleo into the world of gossip columnists, scandals, and secrets worth killing for. Tracking down the murderer is dangerous, and Cleo is grateful for Harry’s intervention. The heat in their friendship grows, and although Cleo tries to put distance between them, she always finds a reason to see Harry. Floyd disapproves of their closeness, and Uncle Ronald seems ambivalent about Harry, almost regretful about dismissing him from the hotel. Is that enough to make him good enough for his niece?

Gossip, scandals, and pressure on the hotel staff to host the society wedding, be featured in the social pages for the right reasons, and please the most important and challenging guest create the perfect backdrop for this sleuthing adventure. The easy-to-read book is a light cozy mystery and a 3-star read.