The Harlot of St. Cecelia's
(2026)(The first book in the Inspector Garrett Mystery series)
A novel by Darcy Graves
"This novel consistently delights, from the spicy title to the last page." – Kirkus Reviews
London, 1923. Sharp-eyed American expat librarian Eden Brior thinks things are bad when she is accidentally locked overnight in the St. Cecelia’s Library vault with the charming and unreliable Simon Cross. Then she emerges to find the body of his estranged wife, a celebrated French actress, draped over a chair upstairs.
Detective Inspector William Garrett is methodical, quietly perceptive, and already fairly certain he has his man. He tells Eden firmly to go home, read a book, and leave the detecting to the professionals. But how can she?
Determined to uncover the truth before suspicion hardens into certainty, Eden follows a case that leads from the bright footlights of the London stage through the sleek drawing rooms of Jazz Age society, and into secrets someone will kill to keep buried.
Steeped in the style of Golden Age detective fiction, The Harlot of St. Cecelia’s captures a London still glittering on the surface and shadowed underneath '' where every drawing room hides a secret and every secret has a price.
Perfect for fans of Maisie Dobbs, Phryne Fisher, and classic mysteries with wit, atmosphere, and a touch of scandal.
"An excellent 1920s-set whodunit with not a (cropped) hair out of place." – Kirkus Reviews
Genre: Historical Mystery
London, 1923. Sharp-eyed American expat librarian Eden Brior thinks things are bad when she is accidentally locked overnight in the St. Cecelia’s Library vault with the charming and unreliable Simon Cross. Then she emerges to find the body of his estranged wife, a celebrated French actress, draped over a chair upstairs.
Detective Inspector William Garrett is methodical, quietly perceptive, and already fairly certain he has his man. He tells Eden firmly to go home, read a book, and leave the detecting to the professionals. But how can she?
Determined to uncover the truth before suspicion hardens into certainty, Eden follows a case that leads from the bright footlights of the London stage through the sleek drawing rooms of Jazz Age society, and into secrets someone will kill to keep buried.
Steeped in the style of Golden Age detective fiction, The Harlot of St. Cecelia’s captures a London still glittering on the surface and shadowed underneath '' where every drawing room hides a secret and every secret has a price.
Perfect for fans of Maisie Dobbs, Phryne Fisher, and classic mysteries with wit, atmosphere, and a touch of scandal.
"An excellent 1920s-set whodunit with not a (cropped) hair out of place." – Kirkus Reviews
Genre: Historical Mystery
Used availability for Darcy Graves's The Harlot of St. Cecelia's