"What a thoroughly charming book! A beautiful combination of entertaining characters, minute historical research, and a powerful evocation of time and place." —New York Times bestselling author Barbara HamblyBoston, 1868: The dawn of the Gilded Age, an era of burgeoning commerce and invention, of unimaginable new fortunes and lavish excess—for some. Born into poverty, young Nell Sweeney scratches by on her wits and little else until fortune blesses her wit...

“Death on Beacon Hill continues Ms. Ryan’s excellent Nell Sweeney series. The rich characterization and her strong evocation of place, coupled with a well-plotted tale, make for a rich story. Add a clever conclusion and Ms. Ryan delivers a fascinating read.” —Fresh FictionBoston, 1869: As governess to the wealthy Hewitts, Irish immigrant Nell Sweeney belongs to no particular caste—hers is halfway between her brethren and the Brahmin. But now, a double murder involves both maid and ...

“Nell is one of the strongest, most honorable, and dearest heroines to grace the pages of an amateur sleuth novel.... P.B. Ryan knows how to write a tale that will grip and keep readers’ interest throughout the novel.” —Midwest Book ReviewsNell Sweeney, a young Irish-born governess in post-Civil War Boston, may not have much, but she does possess both a keen mind and a brave heart. As governess to the wealthy Hewitt family, she finds plenty of opportunities to use both—especially w...

“A mesmerizing mystery. Not only does Ryan provide readers with a tightly wound, suspenseful novel peopled with multidimensional characters, she writes about an era whose problems mirror our own. This is a historical period she knows and brings to life so clearly that readers are totally immersed. Nell is an ideal heroine: smart, intrepid and human. Be on the lookout for her return.” —RT BookReviewsOn Sept. 24, 1869, the gold market crumbles, and fortunes are lost in a matter of mi...

"As always, the author excels at setting the scene, evoking the time and place by use of the day-to-day details as well as historical events. The resolution of the central mystery is almost secondary to the revelations about Nell's past and the way the author ties up all the loose ends of her present situation. Longtime readers will enjoy this aspect immensely; I know I did. This has been a gorgeously written series, populated with unique and unforgettable characters." —CA ReviewsS...

“It’s always a good day when a new Nell Sweeney book arrives.” —CA ReviewsJuly 1870: Nell Sweeney’s position as governess for the venerable Hewitts of Boston affords her a unique perspective in an era of sharp class distinctions. Neither servant nor gentlewoman, she can fit in among the denizens of a waterfront tenement or the bluebloods of Colonnade Row. But there are many of the latter who regard her as just another good-for-nothing Irisher.Nell is shocked to learn that h...

First Place Winner of the 2018 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Historical Mystery Award and fourth book in the USA Today bestselling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series.It’s the summer of 1880, and once again the lovely and inquisitive businesswoman, Annie Fuller, is helping San Francisco lawyer and fiancé, Nate Dawson, with a troublesome case. Nate’s client, a female typesetter accused of murdering her boss, refuses to help in her own defense. Complicat...

Third book in the USA Today bestselling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series.In Bloody Lessons, the third book in the bestselling Victorian San Francisco mystery series, it's the winter of 1880, and the public school teachers of San Francisco are under attack: their salaries slashed and their competency and morals questioned in a series of poison pen letters.Annie Fuller, the reluctant clairvoyant, has been called in to investigate by Na...

Captain Gabriel Lacey accompanies famous dandy Lucius Grenville to Egypt, a land Lacey has long anticipated visiting. Lacey travels there for more than a simple holiday, however—James Denis has tasked him with finding an "object" from ancient Alexandria and procuring it, whatever the cost.The task does not turn out to be so simple. Locating what Denis wants proves difficult, sending Lacey and Grenville exploring tombs along the Nile. Lacey must deal with treasure hunters, a shadow ...

1818: Captain Lacey is asked by Peter Thompson of the Thames River Police to help him investigate a cold case–the murder of a woman found near the docks Thompson patrols. The investigation was sidelined, considered unsolvable, but Thompson has long wished to find her killer.Captain Lacey joins him in the hunt, entering a part of society that is closed to outsiders. Meanwhile, he must deal with his daughter’s come-out and more developments in his new domestic life, including a black...

Notorious for failed relationships.Ellen Rosings knows that's true of cops. Detective Tony Aragon has even said it about himself, or something like it. Despite her misgivings, she is drawn to him, but can he reach past a cop's cynicism to trust her?As summer surrounds her Wisteria Tearoom in the beauty of a lush rose garden, death overshadows the tearoom a second time. Maria Garcia—a venerable member of the Santa Fe Rose Guild—breathes her last in the tearoom's fro...

This collection brings together two short mysteries in the Captain Lacey series: The Gentleman's Walking Stick and The Disappearance of Miss Sarah Oswald.In The Gentleman's Walking Stick, Captain Lacey is asked to retrieve a walking stick, which embroils him in an affair of theft, deception, and betrayal.In The Disappearance of Miss Sarah Oswald, Lacey hunts for a missing young woman, learning more about a family's sordid secrets than he ...