A Catalogue of Murder and Very Poor Taste
(2026)(A book in the Regency: Ghostly Grievances Society series)
A novel by Marisa Paxon
I’m the narrator of this book, yes, that long-suffering presence who just hauled everyone through an entire Regency fiasco without so much as a thank-you note. And now they’ve decided I should also sell it to you, as if my evening wasn''t already ruined.
Miss Tabitha Mallory is a junior cataloguer at Harrowsmith & Phipps, Mayfair’s most respectable salerooms, meaning she spends her nights correcting other people’s lies, polishing their provenance, and preventing civilisation from collapsing under the weight of one ‘unique’ too many. Then a Florentine chest in the strongroom drops a packing crate on the house’s chief cataloguer, Mr Erasmus Phipps, and everyone very sensibly decides it was an accident. Of course they do.
Only Phipps does not have the decency to stay dead. He returns as an exceedingly picky ghost, bound to Tabitha’s elbow like a spiteful footnote, and he wants two things: the truth about his death, and one humiliating correction put into print before London misfiles him as ‘unfortunate mishap.’ Tabitha, who cannot afford to lose her position (or her sanity), is forced into investigating wedges, ropes, ledgers, and the kind of wealthy gentlemen who think their furniture is above both criticism and gravity.
Unfortunately for everyone, Felix Harcourt of the Fire Insurance Office arrives with calm eyes, tidy cuffs, and a devotion to facts that makes him intolerable in the best possible way. Together, they pry at a death the house wants neatly wrapped, while Tabitha tries not to fall for the one man in London who treats the truth like it matters, and treats her like she does too.
Expect a clue-rich mystery with a satisfying, logical unpicking, non-gory danger, and a closed-door, slow-burn romance with an HEA. This is a complete standalone case in the Regency: Ghostly Grievances Society world, so you can start here and feel smug immediately.
Perfect for readers who like sharp historical cozies, workplace intrigue with silk cravats, a prickly ghost who critiques your diction, and romance that simmers instead of scorching. Now click Look Inside, buy the book, and let me get back to my natural state: unappreciated.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Miss Tabitha Mallory is a junior cataloguer at Harrowsmith & Phipps, Mayfair’s most respectable salerooms, meaning she spends her nights correcting other people’s lies, polishing their provenance, and preventing civilisation from collapsing under the weight of one ‘unique’ too many. Then a Florentine chest in the strongroom drops a packing crate on the house’s chief cataloguer, Mr Erasmus Phipps, and everyone very sensibly decides it was an accident. Of course they do.
Only Phipps does not have the decency to stay dead. He returns as an exceedingly picky ghost, bound to Tabitha’s elbow like a spiteful footnote, and he wants two things: the truth about his death, and one humiliating correction put into print before London misfiles him as ‘unfortunate mishap.’ Tabitha, who cannot afford to lose her position (or her sanity), is forced into investigating wedges, ropes, ledgers, and the kind of wealthy gentlemen who think their furniture is above both criticism and gravity.
Unfortunately for everyone, Felix Harcourt of the Fire Insurance Office arrives with calm eyes, tidy cuffs, and a devotion to facts that makes him intolerable in the best possible way. Together, they pry at a death the house wants neatly wrapped, while Tabitha tries not to fall for the one man in London who treats the truth like it matters, and treats her like she does too.
Expect a clue-rich mystery with a satisfying, logical unpicking, non-gory danger, and a closed-door, slow-burn romance with an HEA. This is a complete standalone case in the Regency: Ghostly Grievances Society world, so you can start here and feel smug immediately.
Perfect for readers who like sharp historical cozies, workplace intrigue with silk cravats, a prickly ghost who critiques your diction, and romance that simmers instead of scorching. Now click Look Inside, buy the book, and let me get back to my natural state: unappreciated.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Marisa Paxon's A Catalogue of Murder and Very Poor Taste