Murder at the Silver Arrow Archery Week
(2026)(A book in the Regency: Ghostly Grievances Society series)
A novel by Marisa Paxon
I am the narrator of this book, yes; I carried the whole wretched affair on my back, kept the arrows, the alibis, and the emotional incompetence in order, and now they have decided I must sell it too. Very well: here is a Regency archery-week murder with a gloriously inconvenient ghost.
Letitia Woodley is the impoverished rector’s niece who keeps the score sheets at Blackthorn House because she has neat handwriting, a sharp memory, and the sort of competence society cheerfully underpays. Then the county’s brightest beauty, Miss Helena Seagrave, slips away from the final round to answer a secret note and ends up dead beside the last target, stabbed not by a noble flight of archery, but by a damaged arrow used at close quarters, which is exactly the sort of vulgarity these people deserve and never expect. Worse, Helena does not leave properly. She stays. She talks. She criticises neckcloths, mourns selectively, and haunts Letitia through the investigation with all the tact of a chandelier falling into supper.
So I must drag Letitia through a lawn full of flirtations, borrowed caps, missing letters, family grievances, and men who think humiliation is a greater tragedy than decency. I also, against my better judgment, must admit there is Mr. Rhys Carew: quiet, capable, arrow-maker, and far too good at noticing when Letitia is one inch from collapse. If she fails, she risks her place, her good name, and any hope of a future not spent being useful to richer people while tidying their disasters.
Perfect for readers who like historical cozy mysteries, sharp deadpan wit, clue-led sleuthing, inconvenient ghosts, and a practical slow-burn between competent people who would rather solve a murder than discuss their feelings.
This is a clue-rich, non-gory Regency mystery with a satisfying logical reveal, plus a closed-door, very low-heat romance with a full HEA. It is also a complete stand-alone, so you may begin here and ruin your schedule in perfect confidence. Go on, then: click inside, meet the corpse, and let me show you how badly one archery week can behave.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Letitia Woodley is the impoverished rector’s niece who keeps the score sheets at Blackthorn House because she has neat handwriting, a sharp memory, and the sort of competence society cheerfully underpays. Then the county’s brightest beauty, Miss Helena Seagrave, slips away from the final round to answer a secret note and ends up dead beside the last target, stabbed not by a noble flight of archery, but by a damaged arrow used at close quarters, which is exactly the sort of vulgarity these people deserve and never expect. Worse, Helena does not leave properly. She stays. She talks. She criticises neckcloths, mourns selectively, and haunts Letitia through the investigation with all the tact of a chandelier falling into supper.
So I must drag Letitia through a lawn full of flirtations, borrowed caps, missing letters, family grievances, and men who think humiliation is a greater tragedy than decency. I also, against my better judgment, must admit there is Mr. Rhys Carew: quiet, capable, arrow-maker, and far too good at noticing when Letitia is one inch from collapse. If she fails, she risks her place, her good name, and any hope of a future not spent being useful to richer people while tidying their disasters.
Perfect for readers who like historical cozy mysteries, sharp deadpan wit, clue-led sleuthing, inconvenient ghosts, and a practical slow-burn between competent people who would rather solve a murder than discuss their feelings.
This is a clue-rich, non-gory Regency mystery with a satisfying logical reveal, plus a closed-door, very low-heat romance with a full HEA. It is also a complete stand-alone, so you may begin here and ruin your schedule in perfect confidence. Go on, then: click inside, meet the corpse, and let me show you how badly one archery week can behave.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Marisa Paxon's Murder at the Silver Arrow Archery Week