Dido Kent's sister-in-law Margaret is attempting to marry her off
to the ghastly clergyman Doctor Prowdlee, with his abominable
side-whiskers. Dido, however, is determined to refuse him. As
punishment she is sent on a journey as companion to her rich,
hypochondriac Aunt Manners Â- whom the family wants to keep on the
right side of.
When they arrive at Charcombe Manor, Aunt Manners' childhood home,
they find a mystery lying in wait for them. The rich heiress Letitia
Verney has disappeared while visiting the house, and Mr Tom Lomax is
suspected of abducting her. Dido, upon hearing his story, is
inclined to believe in his innocence Â- but how is she to explain
the impossibility of Miss Verney vanishing into thin air?
And there is also the abandoned wing of Charcombe Manor to be
considered. Why do lights appear there at night? The house is full
of enigmas, with its memories of old family quarrels and its crying
ghost that keeps visitors awake. As the mystery intensifies, Miss
Dido Kent embarks on her most intriguing investigation yet . . .
'Think of a delicious mixture of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and a
good example of a typical historical mystery and you have a description
of this book ... If you are looking for a quality historical crime
series to get stuck into, then you have just found it.' HISTORICAL
NOVELS REVIEW 'Beautifully written. Characters one cares about
immediately and a mystery which becomes more urgent with every page'
ANNE PERRY
