THE ROSE IN THE WHEEL **SIGNED COPY**

Rizzolo, S. K.

ISBN 10: 189020885X / ISBN 13: 9781890208851

Published by Poisoned Pen Press, Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.A., 2002

About this Item

1st edition with complete number line beginning with 1. SIGNED COPY, signature only, by the author on the title page. Front hinge opened roughly at title page where author signed but binding remains intact, else fine in fine dust jacket. . Historical mystery set in 1811 London. "Set in Regency London, this thoughtful and thought-provoking debut offers a large cast of characters and a wealth of historical detail in a tale of murder, intrigue and the 19th-century English justice system. When a young lady well known for her work among the destitute women of Soho is found dead, presumably run over by a hansom cab, John Chase of the Bow Street Runners investigates. Chase discovers strangulation marks on Miss Tyrone, and at first, evidence points to Jeremy Wolfe, an artist whose drawings of Miss Tyrone in the guise of St. Catherine cause a sensation in the courtroom. Wolfe's wife, Penelope, joins forces with Chase and the attorneys Thorogood and Buckler to clear Wolfe and uncover the real culprit. But readers likely won't simply ask whodunit; they'll also seek answers to a number of questions the book leaves unanswered. Why, for example, does Penelope want to pursue Miss Tyrone's charitable work when such work exposes her to disease and she has a child of her own to support? What is the nature of Buckler's strange malaise? Solid research particularly into the forensic technology of the day centers the book, but the faintly sketched background characters and the dream sequences that herald the denouement fail to advance the plot and seem ill-considered in comparison. At a time when the fear of infectious disease has reentered the collective conscious with a new intensity, Rizzolo provides oddly relevant mystery fare in this talented but uneven first novel." -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Seller Inventory # 015354

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE ROSE IN THE WHEEL **SIGNED COPY**
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 189020885X
• ISBN 13: 9781890208851
• Binding: Hard Cover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author
• Book Type: Book
• Seller catalogs:
  • First Book
  • SIGNED
  • XBX 45
  • England
  • Historical
  • Mystery and Detective

About this title

Synopsis

This well imagined, carefully detailed, and cleverly plotted debut draws on actual historical events of 1811 London.

Regency London knows Constance Tyrone as the conspicuously celibate founder of the St. Catherine Society, dedicated to helping poor women. One wet November evening a carriage mows down Constance outside her office. Curiously, while her corpse’s one foot is bare, the other is shod in a clean satin slipper despite the muddy road. Why was a gentlewoman abroad in the night? And if she died under the wheel, whose hands bruised her neck and stole her monogrammed crucifix?

Dismissing the idea of an accident, Bow Street Runner John Chase forms an unlikely alliance with Penelope Wolfe, wife of the chief suspect. A young mother paying the price for an imprudent marriage, Penelope is eager to clear her husband Jeremy, a feckless portrait painter whose salacious drawings of the victim suggest an erotic interest. Chase's first task is to learn the identity of the mysterious benefactor who goes bail for Wolfe while Penelope traces the victim's last movements. Barrister Edward Buckler, intrigued, shakes off his habitual lethargy and joins their investigation. As horrifying murders on the Ratcliffe Highway claim all London’s attention, the trio discovers that it won't be easy to unravel the enigma of Constance Tyrone, a woman who revives the legend of martyred St. Catherine.

About the Author

S.K. Rizzolo earned an MA in literature before becoming a high school English teacher and writer. Her Regency mystery series features a trio of crime-solving friends: a Bow Street Runner, an unconventional lady, and a melancholic barrister. Rizzolo lives in Los Angeles.