"Victorian London's marriage season turns deadly when a poisoned punch bowl and a dessert leaves two debutantes dead and an innocent girl holding the blame.
Two deaths. One innocent girl. And a poison no one can name.
London, 1890. The Season is in full swing. The wealthy and landed set are mixing and mingling with purpose—marriages to be made, fortunes to be joined, alliances to be secured. Then a punch bowl is poisoned. Then a dessert. Two debutantes die, and a serving girl is blamed.
That serving girl is the daughter of Francine Murphy's closest friend. She is not guilty.
Francine and Doctor Jekyll must move quickly—identifying the mysterious poison, untangling the web of motives, and uncovering not only who is behind the murders, but why. In a world where reputation is everything and truth is inconvenient, finding justice may cost more than they bargained for.
John A. Hoda delivers a gripping Victorian mystery set in the glittering, treacherous world of London's high society—atmospheric, tightly plotted, and driven by a sleuthing partnership that refuses to let the wrong person hang."
"A missing child. A deadly trade. A love caught between redemption and ruin.
London, 1889. After surviving Jack the Ripper's reign of terror, Doctor Henry Jekyll and Francine Murphy dream of a peaceful future together. But their fragile hopes are shattered when Francine's estranged husband, Seamus, reappears—begging her to help find his sister's missing baby, stolen from a long-term foster home.
Reluctantly, Jekyll joins Francine in the search, only to discover the dark world of baby farming—where infants are bought, sold, and discarded for profit. As they dig deeper, every clue draws them closer to danger and to each other.
Haunted by guilt and longing, Jekyll must confront the monster within while Francine faces the past she tried to escape. Together, they risk everything to uncover a truth more horrifying than they imagined—and to save a life that could cost them both their hearts.
Blending historical realism with emotional depth, The Foundling House explores love, guilt, and redemption against a backdrop of social injustice and human frailty. Perfect for listeners who crave atmospheric storytelling and the haunting pull of characters who wrestle with both darkness and devotion."
"An utterly unique, Victorian-era mystery with a clever play on the famous Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale, where the monster becomes the hero, and lines are crossed along the way.
Unbeknownst even to himself, the kind, gentle, quietly brilliant Dr. Jekyll has created an alter ego—his polar opposite, the dark and dangerous Mr. Hyde. A little bit Dexter, Hyde hunts down criminals to make them pay for their sins. But his 'good deeds' go too far and, now, wanted for murder, he must lay low . . . until his love interest comes into Jack the Ripper's sights.
Francine Murphy, a social reformer years ahead of her time, walks the mean streets of Whitechapel London, rescuing the gin-soaked prostitutes that 'Jack' preys upon. But as she gets closer and closer to the truth, will she become the Ripper's next target? Hyde and his exceptional investigation skills—and his wicked hand—may be all that saves her.
A rich new voice in historical mysteries, John A. Hoda is an ex-police officer and private investigator, as well as a three-time winner of the publisher's award from the Legal Investigator."
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