About this ebook
A young Italian woman travels to eighteenth-century England to wage war on polite society in this sweeping historical saga of mystery, scandal, and romance.
Sophia Devigne is a child of Venice, as much a part of the wonderful island city as the canals themselves. If it were up to her, she would never leave, but her family has other ideas. For the sake of her British father’s honor, she’s being sent to London to make her societal debut. Her father hopes she’ll attract a wealthy husband and retire to a life of polite boredom in the English countryside, but beneath Sophia’s genteel exterior lurks the wild spirit of Venice, which will thrust her headlong into the scandal of the century.
When Sophia wins the hand of the dashing Lord Weyburn, she believes her troubles are over. But his elegant Cotswold estate, Starrbelow, is just another gilded cage. Desperate to be free, she escapes to town—and embarks on a wild debauch that shocks all London. Never again will she call herself Sophia. Now she’s Sapphire, and she’ll bow to no man. But when her wild indulgences embroil her in a suspicious death, Sapphire is accused of murder, and faces the merciless judgment of the court of public opinion. On trial by society, she will live or die as she always has: unbroken and standing tall.
This stirring recreation of eighteenth-century English society combines adventure, murder, and timeless romance. Christianna Brand was one of the masters of classic British mystery fiction, and Starrbelow is one of her greatest works.
Sophia Devigne is a child of Venice, as much a part of the wonderful island city as the canals themselves. If it were up to her, she would never leave, but her family has other ideas. For the sake of her British father’s honor, she’s being sent to London to make her societal debut. Her father hopes she’ll attract a wealthy husband and retire to a life of polite boredom in the English countryside, but beneath Sophia’s genteel exterior lurks the wild spirit of Venice, which will thrust her headlong into the scandal of the century.
When Sophia wins the hand of the dashing Lord Weyburn, she believes her troubles are over. But his elegant Cotswold estate, Starrbelow, is just another gilded cage. Desperate to be free, she escapes to town—and embarks on a wild debauch that shocks all London. Never again will she call herself Sophia. Now she’s Sapphire, and she’ll bow to no man. But when her wild indulgences embroil her in a suspicious death, Sapphire is accused of murder, and faces the merciless judgment of the court of public opinion. On trial by society, she will live or die as she always has: unbroken and standing tall.
This stirring recreation of eighteenth-century English society combines adventure, murder, and timeless romance. Christianna Brand was one of the masters of classic British mystery fiction, and Starrbelow is one of her greatest works.
About the author
Christianna Brand (1907–1988) was one of the most popular authors of the Golden Age of British mystery writing. Born in Malaya and raised in India, Brand used her experience as a salesgirl as inspiration for her first novel, Death in High Heels (1941), which she based on a fantasy of murdering an irritating coworker. The same year, she debuted her most famous character, Inspector Cockrill, whose adventures she followed until 1957. The film version of the second Cockrill mystery, Green for Danger, is considered one of the best-ever screen adaptations of a classic English mystery.
Brand also found success writing children’s fiction. Her Nurse Matilda series, about a grotesque nanny who tames ill-behaved children, was adapted for the screen in 2005 as Nanny McPhee. Brand received Edgar Award nominations for the short stories “Twist for Twist” and “Poison in the Cup,” as well as a nomination for her nonfiction work Heaven Knows Who.
Brand also found success writing children’s fiction. Her Nurse Matilda series, about a grotesque nanny who tames ill-behaved children, was adapted for the screen in 2005 as Nanny McPhee. Brand received Edgar Award nominations for the short stories “Twist for Twist” and “Poison in the Cup,” as well as a nomination for her nonfiction work Heaven Knows Who.
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