Murder at the Patent Umbrella Demonstration Society
(2026)(A book in the Regency: Ghostly Grievances Society series)
A novel by Marisa Paxon
I am the narrator of this book, the long-suffering entity who carried every parasol, every secret, and every entirely avoidable social catastrophe on my back, and now they have decided I must sell it too. Splendid, I do adore a final indignity.
It begins at the Patent Umbrella Demonstration Society in Hanover Square, where London’s finest gather to admire rainwear and judge one another’s hems, and where Miss Cordelia Hartwell, paid companion to the formidable (and loudly opinionated) Mrs Agnes Peverill, is simply trying to survive the evening without being mistaken for furniture. Then Peregrine Wycliffe collapses into a damp streak of lemonade, his glass shatters, Bow Street arrives in the shape of Mr Alistair Redgrave, and my evening becomes a murder inquiry conducted in rooms full of umbrellas, grief, and people who cannot lie without improving their posture first.
Unfortunately for Cordelia, the dead man does not have the decency to remain quietly dead. He lingers, translucent and appalled, attached to her like a moral obligation, issuing brisk instructions about propriety, furniture placement, and his niece’s threatened future. Nothing says ‘romance’ quite like being haunted by your primary witness. Cordelia must pick through polite lies and sharper motives, because if she fails she does not just lose the truth, she risks losing her position, Mrs Peverill’s precious standing, and an innocent young woman’s security, all while the real killer enjoys the protection of good breeding and better excuses.
Expect a clue-rich Regency whodunit with a satisfyingly logical reveal, a fussy ghost who will not stop commenting, and a closed-door slow-burn romance that lands in a hopeful, committed HFN. The danger stays cozy-adjacent and non-gory; the nastiest thing on the page is usually someone’s smile.
Perfect for readers who like witty historical sleuthing, a ghostly nuisance with standards, Bow Street banter, sharp social comedy, and romance that simmers rather than scorches.
This is a complete, standalone case in the Regency: Ghostly Grievances Society world, so you may begin your suffering here quite safely. Go on then, click and step inside, I’ll hold the umbrella, and the secrets.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
It begins at the Patent Umbrella Demonstration Society in Hanover Square, where London’s finest gather to admire rainwear and judge one another’s hems, and where Miss Cordelia Hartwell, paid companion to the formidable (and loudly opinionated) Mrs Agnes Peverill, is simply trying to survive the evening without being mistaken for furniture. Then Peregrine Wycliffe collapses into a damp streak of lemonade, his glass shatters, Bow Street arrives in the shape of Mr Alistair Redgrave, and my evening becomes a murder inquiry conducted in rooms full of umbrellas, grief, and people who cannot lie without improving their posture first.
Unfortunately for Cordelia, the dead man does not have the decency to remain quietly dead. He lingers, translucent and appalled, attached to her like a moral obligation, issuing brisk instructions about propriety, furniture placement, and his niece’s threatened future. Nothing says ‘romance’ quite like being haunted by your primary witness. Cordelia must pick through polite lies and sharper motives, because if she fails she does not just lose the truth, she risks losing her position, Mrs Peverill’s precious standing, and an innocent young woman’s security, all while the real killer enjoys the protection of good breeding and better excuses.
Expect a clue-rich Regency whodunit with a satisfyingly logical reveal, a fussy ghost who will not stop commenting, and a closed-door slow-burn romance that lands in a hopeful, committed HFN. The danger stays cozy-adjacent and non-gory; the nastiest thing on the page is usually someone’s smile.
Perfect for readers who like witty historical sleuthing, a ghostly nuisance with standards, Bow Street banter, sharp social comedy, and romance that simmers rather than scorches.
This is a complete, standalone case in the Regency: Ghostly Grievances Society world, so you may begin your suffering here quite safely. Go on then, click and step inside, I’ll hold the umbrella, and the secrets.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Marisa Paxon's Murder at the Patent Umbrella Demonstration Society