When private investigator Matilda Wren is hired to investigate a household theft, she expects a routine inquiry, until the murder of a retired police inspector draws her into a far more personal mystery. The victim was found clutching a slip of paper bearing the name of Tilda’s late father. As Tilda begins to unravel the connection, she finds herself confronting the very crime that first set her on the path to investigation: her father’s murder.

A gentle giant during peace, a bear on the battlefield…

Blake Sinclair is fresh from the battlefield having fought alongside his father, Magnus, and his uncles and cousins. Sent to accompany Sir Andrew of Moray back to Stirling, Blake intends to avail himself of the various entertainments the town offers. But he finds the royal court, absent its exiled king, is far less hospitable to Highlanders than it ever was. Forced to navigate the uncharted waters of royal politics, Blake soon finds himself in over his head.

Sebastian Armitage is personally acquainted with the damage caused by secrets and lies. Wanting nothing to do with the pain of his past, the rakehell had broken all ties with England. But when his elderly godmother falls ill, her companion, Amanda Westford, summons him home. Sebastian soon discovers that the prunes and prisms widow that he expected is not only young and beautiful, but clearly harboring some secrets of her own. Is it his godmother’s fortune that is allowing Mrs. Westford to live far beyond her means?