Murder in Drury Lane

Vanessa Riley

Nov 2023 · Lady Worthing Mysteries Book 2 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Chanté McCormick

About this audiobook

Pressed into a union of convenience, Lady Abigail Worthing knew better than to expect love. Her marriage to an absent lord does at least provide some comforts, including a box at the Drury Lane theater. Abigail has always found respite at the theater, away from the ton's judgmental stares and the risks of her own secret work to help the cause of abolition-and her fears that someone from her past wants her permanently silenced. But one evening everything collides, and the performance takes an unwelcome turn . . . Onstage, a woman emits a scream of genuine terror. A man has been found dead in the prop room, stabbed through the heart. Abigail's neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, is also in attendance, and the two rush backstage. The magistrate, keen to avoid bringing more attention to the case, asks Abigail not to investigate. But she cannot resist, especially when Henderson offers his assistance. Abigail discovers a tangled drama that rivals anything brought to the stage, involving gambling debts, a beautiful actress with a parade of suitors, and the very future of the Drury Lane theater. For Abigail the case is complicated further, for one suspect is a leading advocate for the cause dearest to her heart-the abolition of slavery. Uncovering the truth always comes at a price. But this time, it may be far higher than she wishes to pay.

About the author

Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author of historical romance, mystery, and fiction novels featuring realistic multicultural communities and powerful persons of color. A frequent speaker at literary, women's, and STEM events, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her military husband and teenage kid.

Chante McCormick is a Los Angeles-based actress and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in speech from Northwestern University's famed theater department. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association.