Captain Harry Cathcart and Lady Rose Summer have entered into an engagement of convenienceconvenient for Rose who wants to avoid being sent to India with all the other failed debutantes Despite her considerable good looks Roses sharp intellect and radical ideas have served to repel her would be suitors Roses parents unaware of the deception are hardly thrilled that their only child is marrying a man in trade but Harry comes from a good family and at the very least they hope he will keep their troublesome daughter out of mischief Unfortunately even a pretend engagement cannot save Rose from trouble Bored with endless parties teas and balls she befriends Dolly Tremaine a beautiful young girl newly arrived from the country and overwhelmed by the demands of the Season Rose is delighted to have a protegee but their friendship is cut tragically short when Dolly is found floating in a river Harry is summoned immediately to help solve the mystery of Dollys death and to keep Rose from being the murderers next victim Sick of Shadows was originally published under the name MC Beaton writing as Marion ChesneyReviewIf you missed the first novel in this series get it right away Snobbery with Violence introduced the Edwardian heroine Lady Rose Summer Her second appearance is if anything even wittier and more amusing than the debutThe Globe and Mail on Hasty Death Once again Chesney has concocted an amusing brew of mystery and romance that will keep her fans turning the pagesPublishers Weekly on Hasty Death If you are a fan of well written traditional mysteries Lord Peter and Albert Campion you might want to try this seriesReviewing the Evidence on Hasty Death Light amusing easy to read and thoroughly delightfulTampa Tribune on Snobbery with Violence Old hand Chesney the School for Manners series and as M C Beaton the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth mysteries maintains her charm and sassiness while indicting evergreen pomposity and classstatus stupidityKirkus on Snobbery with Violence Combines history romance and intrigue resulting in a delightful romantic mysteryMidwest Book Review on Snobbery with Violence From the Back CoverA DEADLY FIRST SEASON Lady Rose Summer couldnt be more delighted to assist Societys most beautiful new debutante Miss Dolly Tremaine in negotiating her very first Season Now engaged to Captain Harry Cathcart in order to avoid being shipped off to India Rose is desperate to do something more useful than attend endless balls and parties And the countrybred Dolly was totally at seaand needed all the help Rose could give But when Rose rushes to prevent Dolly from making a disastrous mistake she discovers her stabbed to death and floating in a boat on the Serpentine River And it isnt long before Rose barely survives an attempt on her own life Now Rose and Harrys race to uncover the secrets of Dollys life is stirring up a hornets nest of deceptions and devilish schemes from Londons most exclusive townhouses to the seeminglypeaceful Yorkshire coast And a cunning murderer is only a breath away from burying the truthand the persistent Lady Rosewith one devastating stroke A tidy and wellexecuted mysteryhistorical with strong overtones of romance Library Journal A lighthearted romantic romp through Edwardian snobbery with hints of the cataclysmic changes in store for high society Kirkus Reviews