"Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, at least not according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in Swampshire, her small English township: She is terrible at needlework, she has absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother, prankster father, and two younger sisters--beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary. But Beatrice harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with the crime cases she reads about in the newspaper ... For her family’s sake, she’s vowed to put her obsession behind her--if for no better reason than that eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the approaching autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that Louisa will steal his heart. If not, Martin Grub, their disgusting cousin, will inherit the family’s estate and the Steeles will be ruined or, even worse, forced to move to France. So Beatrice must be on her best behavior, a difficult challenge when a disgraced yet alluring detective inexplicably shows up to the ball. Beatrice is just holding things together when Croaksworth drops dead in the middle of a minuet. As a storm rages outside, the evening descends into a frenzy of panic, fear, and betrayal as it becomes clear that the guests are trapped with a killer. Contending with competitive card games, tricky tonics, and Swampshire's infamous squelch holes, Beatrice must rise above decorum and decency to pursue justice and her own desires--before anyone else is murdered"--Dust jacket flap.
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