The Framed Women of Ardemore House

January 15, 2024
An autistic book editor stumbles into a murder mystery while attempting to claim her inheritance in this wonderful series launch from historian Schillace (Mr. Humble & Dr. Butcher). After her mother dies, Josephine “Jo” Jones heads from New York City to England to take possession of her family’s long-abandoned country estate. Following a divorce and a devastating job loss, Jo plans to restore the property and start a new life. When she arrives, however, she finds caretaker Sid Randles dead in his cottage on the property. A short time later, she discovers a strange portrait of a woman who resembles one of her ancestors hidden in the main house’s attic that subsequently goes missing. She reports both incidents to the local authorities, but they’re skeptical of Jo’s outsider status and insensitive to her autism. Teaming up with new friends, including an antiques dealer and an innkeeper’s wife whom she meets in town, Jo sets out to clear her name, and find the killer and the thief before they strike again. Schillace, who’s autistic herself, draws a marvelously believable heroine in Jo, and sets her up with an expertly constructed mystery. Readers will be hungry for a sequel. Agent: Jessica Papin, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

January 1, 2024
Within a year Jo Jones lost her job, her marriage, and her mother. Inheriting the family estate in North Yorkshire, she is ready to leave New York behind to start over. Ardemore House, a dilapidated manor with a cottage and overgrown garden, has been in the family for generations but has been neglected for over a century. On a visit to the house, Jo sees a portrait of a woman, but it disappears when the caretaker, Sid, distracts her. The next day, Jo finds Sid's body at the cottage. The bumbling local detective investigates, paying attention to Sid's three ex-wives but not listening to Jo's concerns about the painting. Sensing that the portrait is key, Jo uses her research skills to trace a photograph of the woman in the painting to a Welsh antiquarian who, like Jo, is neurodiverse and joins the search. As she digs deeper and meets more of the community, Jo learns more about her family but also gets too close to learning the secret Sid--and his killer--were hiding. The intricate plot and memorable local characters here are a delight.

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