Secrets in the Stones

Tessa Harris

<div> A slain lawyer and a stolen diamond compose quite a puzzle for an eighteenth-century anatomist in this historical mystery for fans of Caleb Carr. Newly released from the notorious asylum known as Bedlam, Lady Lydia Farrell finds herself in an equally terrifying position—as a murder suspect—when she stumbles upon the mutilated body of Sir Montagu Malthus in his study at Boughton Hall. Meanwhile American Dr. Thomas Silkstone has been injured in a duel with a man who may or may not have committed the grisly deed of which Lydia is accused. Despite his injury, Thomas hopes to clear his beloved’s good name by conducting a postmortem on the victim. With a bit of detective work, he learns that Montagu’s throat was slit by no ordinary blade, but a ceremonial Sikh dagger from India—a clue that may be connected to the fabled lost mines of Golconda. From the mysterious disappearance of a cursed diamond buried with Lydia’s dead husband, to the undying legend of a hidden treasure map, Thomas must follow a trail of foreign dignitaries, royal agents—and even more victims—to unveil the sinister and shocking secrets in the stones . . . Praise for Secrets in the Stones “Satisfying . . . . Harris’s rich portrayal of Indian influences on Britain, along with fresh twists in the protagonists’ romance, adds appeal.” —Publishers Weekly </div>