A Murder at Rosamund's Gate (Lucy Campion Mysteries)
A serving girl in a London magistrate’s home during the Restoration is in a perfect position to guide readers through this ­luxury-loving and plague-ridden world. Such a servant could move from withdrawing room to servants’ quarters to the Covent Garden market, witnessing and overhearing a great deal. Calkins takes full advantage of this access in her debut novel, which focuses on the period just before (and including) the Great Fire of London. Heroine Lucy Campion is resourceful and quick-witted. The household she works in, top to bottom, is filled with the news that the bodies of two serving girls have been discovered in fields outside London. Then, Lucy’s chambermaid roommate, Bessie, is found murdered in the same vicious way as the other girls. Lucy’s brother, often seen with Bessie, is the main suspect. Calkins makes Lucy’s efforts to find the real killer entirely plausible, leading to a nail-biter climax with London in flames. This history-mystery delivers a strong heroine making her way through the social labyrinth of Restoration London. --Connie Fletcher