Description:
A dazzling star. A deadly encore. A love tested by murder.
Lancashire, 1862. Beneath the flickering gaslights of the Hippodrome Music Hall, Maggie Chadwick captivates audiences with her voice-even as her abusive husband and manager controls every part of her life. Trapped between the stage and her shackles, Maggie's dreams are fading fast.
But when she draws the attention of Edouard Deschanel, a wealthy department store owner, a dangerous new possibility emerges. Enchanted by her spirit and beauty, Edouard becomes her most devoted patron, sparking a forbidden connection Maggie can't ignore.
When her husband publicly clashes with Edouard, the feud turns deadly. Fred Chadwick is found garroted backstage, and suspicion falls squarely on Maggie and her new admirer. Now Inspector Halliwell's investigation threatens not only their reputations, but also their fragile hope for freedom and love.
With scandal tightening around them, Maggie and Edouard must unmask the killer before the final curtain falls-or risk losing everything to a murderer's hand.
Brief description: As an amateur genealogist (aka an addict of family tree research) I became obsessed with tracing my English roots back to the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.This turned out to be a pipe dream since I am not descended from the nobility and records were not kept for "common folks" until much later. Even then, early parish records are often indecipherable.As a result, I began to write stories about a noble medieval family I conjured from my imagination. The Montbryces were born.Like many people, I had an inner compulsion to write one good book. What was originally intended as that one book about my fictional family eventually became the 12-book series, The Montbryce Legacy.In other words, writing superseded genealogy as my principal addiction, and I have since published more than 60 novels and novellas. Almost all are historical romances that feature Vikings, Highlanders, medieval knights, Elizabethan goldsmiths or Regency aristocrats. You can find more details on my website https: //annamarkland.com/.