The indefatigable Lady Frances Ffolkes is up to shenanigans again, much to the disapproval of her older brother, the Marquess of Seaforth. Two of Lady Frances's suffragist friends have been receiving threats about their "unnatural" relationship, and Lady Frances is determined to get to the bottom of it. She accompanies Tommie and Gwen to Kestrel's Eyrie, Gwen's ancestral home, and finds Gwen's father, an important English diplomat, stabbed to death with a ruby dagger.
Kestrel's Eyrie is housing French, Turkish and American guests, all of whom are clearly hiding things. But are they merely trying to keep sensitive diplomatic secrets under wraps, or do they know more about Sir Calleford's death than they're admitting? Determined to protect Gwen and Tommie, and to prove that women can sleuth as well as men can, Lady Frances and her redoubtable maid, Mallow, will do anything to solve the crime, even if it means getting on the wrong side of the provincial police inspector. Luckily Lady Frances's handsome beau, Hal Wheaton, is an excellent solicitor, and is quite willing to support her unusual quest.
A charming Edwardian mystery with a delightfully unconventional heroine and her plucky maid as sidekick, Death Among Rubies is an enjoyable follow-up to R.J. Koreto's first novel, Death on the Sapphire. Fans of Rhys Bowen, Charles Todd and Jacqueline Winspear are sure to enjoy the historical details in this series, and readers who love a strong heroine will appreciate Lady Frances. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm