Wilde’s (“Rosalind Thorne Mysteries”) first installment in the “Useful Woman” series takes listeners to fashionable Edwardian London. Rosalind Thorne is a fixer of sorts, offering her services to London society families in need of discreet, practical assistance. Longtime acquaintance Bethany asks Rosalind to solve the mystery surrounding the theft of a string of valuable pearls. To give her access to Bethany’s family and home, Rosalind is to shepherd Bethany’s sister-in-law Penelope through her first London season. Bethany’s husband thinks his disgraced sister-in-law Nora is the thief. In fact, everyone in the family has a motive for stealing the pearls, but the evidence does not single out anyone. As Rosalind begins to introduce Penelope to society, scraps of information begin to add to the puzzle, revealing unhappy family dynamics and even a murder. Wilde’s complex and twisty mystery is narrated by Kitty Kelly, who adorns the story with a wide variety of English accents.
VERDICT Fans of period mysteries will be clamoring for the next installment in this promising series. Share with listeners who enjoy Jane Austen, Liz Carlyle, and Dianne Freeman.
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