Publication: 22nd May 2025 – One More Chapter
1812 The Lake District
Despite their attempts to keep their forbidden romance away from the disapproving eyes of society, Dr Jacob Sandys and his lover, the actress Dora Fitz-Pennington, find themselves drawn into the scandals of the British elite once more when William Wordsworth’s prized notebook of unpublished poems goes missing.
When news arrives of a disturbing murder in London – a body pulled from the Thames with a shepherd’s crook wedged in the victim’s mouth – Dora and Jacob are compelled to investigate.
What links a poet’s stolen treasure to a high-society murder? And will Dora and Jacob’s love weather the storm, or will dark secrets doom their happiness?
Historical mystery novels, especially the ones set in the Regency and Victorian era, are my favourite at the moment and I always enjoy discovering new series. The latest one is The Regency Secrets series by Julia Golding, which I easily read starting from the third book, The Wordsworth Key (I got my hands on the first two books, but I haven’t had the chance to read them, yet).
Set in 1812, the protagonists are Dora Fitz-Pennington, an illegitimate actress and forger, and Dr Jacob Sandy, the third son of a viscount and a physician, both turned into professional sleuths. Throughout the novel, not only they will have to investigate a theft and a murder, but also face their class differences and their feelings for each other.
The novel starts with Dora and Jacob taking a break from their London life and their investigations in the Lake District. However, first Jacob is called away to his family home while Dora helps a neighbour to find a manuscript that has been stolen and then, unexpected visitors keep turning up at their cottage. And when the theft is followed up by a murder, Dora and Jacob will have to say goodbye to their holiday and get deep into the investigation.
The Wordsworth Key is such a fun, delightful, and intriguing read. I liked the characters of Dora and Jacob and how their relationship develops and I love that the story features real historical figures of the times (like William Wordsworth). The mystery is well-developed and kept me guessing and there is also some family and romantic drama to keep the reader entertained. Highly recommended!
A huge thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
My journey to becoming an author has been a roundabout one, taking in many other careers. I grew up on the edge of Epping Forest and was that dreamy kind of child who was always writing stories. After reading English at Cambridge, I decided to find out as much as I could about the wider world so joined the Foreign Office and served in Poland. My work as a diplomat took me from the high point of town twinning in the Tatra Mountains to the low of inspecting the bottom of a Silesian coal mine.
On leaving Poland, I exchanged diplomacy for academia and took a doctorate in the literature of the English Romantic Period at Oxford. I then joined Oxfam as a lobbyist on conflict issues, campaigning at the UN and with governments to lessen the impact of conflict on civilians living in war zones – a cause about which I still feel very passionate.
Married with three children, I now live in Oxford between two rivers, surrounded by gargoyles, beautiful sandstone buildings and ancient trees.
My first novel, ‘The Diamond of Drury Lane’, won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2006 and the Nestle Children’s Book Prize 2006 (formerly known as the Smarties Prize). I was also chosen by Waterstone’s in 2007 as one of their ‘Twenty-five authors for the future’. In the US, ‘Secret of the Sirens’ won the honor book medal of the Green Earth Book Award.
My latest book is The Curious Crime – a murder-mystery set in an amazing science museum. There may be dodos and cake too!
Book After Book 