The Clockwork City: A historical cozy fantasy mystery: In which two amateur women sleuths befriend chickens and kraken while pursuing a murderer in steampunk Venice
About this ebook
A painting holiday in steampunk Venice. A villa on the canal. A body in the water?
Lady Georgia Brunel, widowed a year, has been looking forward to a pleasant holiday in the Duchy of Venice with her companion, Millicent Brunel. The clockwork city’s annual art exhibition is in full swing, and old friends and new acquaintances make for an exciting social whirl. The married Sir Francis Thorne would pursue her if he dared. Several members of the nobility, including those with connections to Lord and Lady Dunsmuir, make entertaining companions. And Georgia will never admit that Dustin Seacombe, the disheveled and irritating Texican Ranger who steps on one’s gown and will not confide his business in Venice, is the most interesting of all.
But before breakfast the next morning, the body of Sir Francis washes up on the water stairs at the Brunel villa. An empty gondola floats nearby. Many assume it is an accident. The Duchy police assume a lover’s quarrel, with Georgia as their suspect. For there are powerful factions in the city who want this case solved and submerged as soon as possible. Georgia and Millie must act quickly to clear her name and discover the real murderer, before Georgia finds herself dancing with death instead.
The Clockwork City is the first novel in the Lady Georgia Brunel Mysteries series set in the Magnificent Devices steampunk world. Though these cozy fantasy novels can be read as standalones, there are threads of love and family, tea and chickens, running through them all. No strong language, just a very proper kiss or two and a satisfying solution. If you like books by Gail Carriger, Blythe Baker, or Heather Fawcett, you’re in the right place. Enjoy!
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About the author
Shelley Adina is the author of some 60 novels published by Harlequin, Warner, Hachette, and Moonshell Books, Inc., her own independent press. She writes steampunk adventure and cozy fantasy mystery as Shelley Adina; as Charlotte Henry, writes classic Regency romance; and as Adina Senft, is the USA Today bestselling author of Amish women’s fiction. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University in the UK; her dissertation was a historical women’s fiction novel. She appeared in the 2016 documentary film Love Between the Covers, is a popular speaker and convention panelist, and has been a guest on many podcasts, including Worldshapers and Realm of Books. When she’s not writing, Shelley is usually quilting, sewing historical costumes, or enjoying the garden with her flock of rescued chickens.
