When one of her readers asks for advice following a suspected murder, Victorian countess and agony aunt Amelia has no choice but to investigate in this first book in a thrilling new historical mystery series. Amelia Amesbury--widow, mother, and countess--is bored, crushingly so. In an attempt to fill the days, Amelia becomes an "agony aunt" for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners. But when a lady's maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her mistress has been murdered--and then ends up a victim herself--Amelia is determined to solve the case. With the help of her best friend and a handsome marquis, Amelia begins to piece together the puzzle, but as each new thread of inquiry ends with a different suspect, the investigation grows ever more daunting. From London's docks and ballrooms to grand country houses, Amelia tracks a killer, putting her reputation--and her life--on the line.