March 2009 Debut of the Month.

All the style and ingredients of a classic tale with memorable characters and thrilling plot twists.  It begins a trilogy of smuggling, spying and skulduggery with a plucky, rather impulsive heroine.  Good fun.

Comparison: Daphne du Maurier, Will Davenport, Susanna Kearsley.

Synopsis

1795, and a young woman called Mary Finch travels in haste from Cambridge to the Suffolk coast. She has been invited to meet her wealthy uncle – and so end a twenty-year estrangement. But before she reaches her destination she discovers a dying man on the road. He is a stranger, and yet he is carrying an oddly familiar watch bearing her uncle’s initials. He also seems to know who Mary is, and hints that she is in terrible danger.

His whispered warning soon exposes Mary to a ruthless conspiracy that threatens not only her family’s reputation, but her very life. Far from home, Mary must learn quickly how to distinguish friend from foe. Can she trust the two men who want to help her? What is their interest in the mysterious Blackstone Key? Does it guard a secret treasure, or might it have a more sinister purpose…?

The first in an exciting new mystery series, The Blackstone Key is a gripping and vivid historical adventure that will appeal to fans of such classic tales as Jamaica Inn.

About the Author

Rose Melikan was born in Detroit, Michigan, and since 1993 she has been a Fellow of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, Dr Quentin Stafford-Fraser.   Author photo © Quentin Stafford Fraser More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation