Synopsis

In the gaslit streets of 1890s Melbourne, Lady Edith “Edie” Black has reinvented herself. Once a notorious London thief, she now poses as a widowed aristocrat while secretly establishing herself as a private investigator.

When Parliament’s ceremonial mace disappears during a night of debauchery involving high-ranking officials, Edie is hired to recover it discreetly. But her investigation takes a darker turn when a young woman is brutally beaten and left for dead after the same event.

Meanwhile, Edie’s dearest friend Britina, a novice nun assigned to the infamous Kew Asylum, witnesses disturbing disappearances among the patients. When Britina is framed for murder, Edie must infiltrate the asylum’s forbidding walls to save her.

With time running out and powerful enemies closing in, Edie must use all her criminal and aristocratic skills to expose the truth before becoming the next victim.

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Excerpt

Chief Superintendent Cartwright had demanded a meeting at eleven sharp, and Raymond wasn’t prepared. He was fairly certain Cartwright was the one stoking the hostility directed at him and his position. Cartwright had tried to install his own candidate as Chief Inspector, but McElroy came with strong backing from London and far more experience than Cartwright’s pick. On top of that, Cartwright owed favors to the very people who had championed McElroy. Still, that hadn’t stopped him from waging a quiet campaign to undermine him.

Superintendent Cartwright appeared at McElroy’s office exactly at eleven. Cartwright hadn’t summoned McElroy to his office, which would have been the usual protocol. That alone made McElroy suspect Cartwright wanted an audience—he wanted the men in the pen to see him scold McElroy, maybe even shout him down.

“There may or may not have been a murder,” Cartwright began, his voice already raised, “but human limbs are turning up without bodies. Something is going on. We look like fools. The papers are having a field day—top of the fold, two days in a row. They love painting us as a pack of baboons.” He slapped a photograph down on the desk in front of McElroy. It showed
two severed arms.

“You know who found these? A young woman. She fainted on the spot and had to be taken to the hospital. The arms were just lying there in an abandoned lot.”

Cartwright dropped a second photo on top of the first and jabbed his finger at it. This one showed a leg partially wrapped in a torn scrap of cloth.

“Ugly! Where was that found?” McElroy asked, recoiling slightly. The limb was already decomposing, turning white and green.

A throbbing vein stood out on Cartwright’s forehead as he leaned over the desk. “Several kilometers from Hawthorn, in Fawkner Park. A dog dragged it there. As my lead investigator, this is something you should already know.”

“Do we know if they’re from the same person?”

Cartwright’s voice rose even louder. “McElroy, we know nothing because you haven’t done your job. We don’t need any additional claims of incompetence thrown at us! This’ll be front page in the papers tomorrow and we need to get to the bottom of it—quickly. I expect some answers.”

Cartwright stood tall, back straight, every movement sharp, his glare unwavering. McElroy had learned to read his temperament by how many veins were showing and just how red his face got. He wasn’t happy now. He wasn’t looking for a reply, only action. Without another word, he turned and headed for the door.

“Superintendent,” McElroy said, holding back a smirk, “you should know—I had a delivery earlier. Two young men found a severed leg in the Yarra while they were mud fishing.”

McElroy felt a flicker of satisfaction—one piece of information Cartwright didn’t have. He’d already received the report on the earlier limbs and had signed the order, sending them to the morgue.

But pointing that out wouldn’t do any good now.

Cartwright turned his head, shot McElroy a glare, said nothing, and slammed the door behind him.

McElroy figured the police commissioner was breathing down Cartwright’s neck. The man needed someone to blame—and that someone was him.

He stood there for a moment, then walked to the door and threw it open. “Kernot!” he called out. “My office. Constable Roland Kernot!”

Kernot glanced over and rubbed the back of his neck, muttering under his breath. He stood slowly and made his way to McElroy’s office. He’d been Cartwright’s pick for the chief inspector job and didn’t hide the fact that he had no time for McElroy.

“Constable Kernot, you’re a fine investigator. Can you shift any of your case load to the other investigators? I want you full-time on a critical investigation.”

Kernot stood up straighter, a questioning look on his face.

“It’s possible,” he said, knowing he had little choice. “What’s the case?”

“Probably murder.” McElroy handed over the set of photographs and described the morning’s discovery. “Limbs have turned up in three different locations. Since the latest was found in the river—and a dog dragged one—I assume all of them were in the river at some point.”

Kernot grimaced. “This has been front-page news for two days. No one’s on it yet?”

“We’re waiting on the morgue report. You know how heavy our workload is. I was hoping to free you up for it. I want you heading the investigation.”

About the Author

Michael G. Colburn has studied and written about the creative process for several decades. He started several businesses and one manufacturing company based on creation and invention. He has authored over twenty patents. His books include the bestselling Invent, Innovate & Prosper, and How Julia Found Happiness and Financial Success. He now devotes his time to writing The Lady Black Crime fiction series. He lives with his wife in Vermont. When he is not writing, they like to travel and take long-distance walking trips, exploring paths and cultures worldwide.

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