Patricia Wynn

 A KILLING FROST  

Cover of A Killing Frost by Patricia Wynn

Blue Satan and Mrs. Kean search for a ruthless killer
when a frozen corpse is discovered at the
Frost Fair on the Thames.

O roving Muse, recal that wond'rous Year,
When Winter reigned in bleak Britannia's Air

. . . John Gay



The Fourth Volume in the Award-winning Series

It's the winter of 1715–1716, and the snow is so deep in Europe that wolves have descended from the Alps to devour villagers. The Jacobite rebels in Scotland have nearly been defeated, vanquished in part by the snow.

The River Thames freezes over, and a Frost Fair is erected on the ice. The ghastly discovery of a frozen corpse sends a wave of shock through the revelers at the fair. When the victim turns out to be Sir Walter Tatham, who has recently frequented Hawkhurst House, Hester Kean’s employer, Harrowby, Lord Hawkhurst, starts behaving suspiciously. He asks Hester to see what she can discover about the baronet’s affairs, but gives no reason for his request. The only thing Hester knows is that the mere mention of Sir Walter can drive Harrowby into a panic.

To solve the mystery, she needs the help of her friend the outlawed Viscount St. Mars, alias Blue Satan, who has been entrusted with a mission of his own. With a price on his head, St. Mars must employ all his wiles to avoid being captured while trying to to help a Jacobite rebel in Newgate prison.

Embroiled in matters of life and death, with the greatest frost of a century making the very streets of London treacherous, Hester and Blue Satan must corner a clever killer, even when a tempting marriage proposal threatens their blossoming love.

In A Killing Frost, Patricia Wynn illuminates a period of English history when the weather decided a dynastic struggle, and civil war seemed as remote as a foreign country. She paints a vivid picture of London city life, at the same time bringing the friendship between Blue Satan and Mrs. Kean to a crisis.

Reviews for A Killing Frost

"Through close attention to authentic period detail, Wynn brings early
18th-century England to life."
Publishers Weekly

"Patricia Wynn twists the unusually icy London winter of 1715-16 into a perfect setting for this Blue Satan adventure. . . And the liveliness—coupled with her ability to weave a taut and thrilling tale—transforms this mystery into a must-read."
Orange Coast Magazine

"Historical mystery fans will wear mittens and a woolen hat while reading this terrific early Georgian era whodunit . . . Since the Birth of Blue Satan, this series has been a winner with each entry."
Midwest Book Review

To buy an autographed copy Click here

To find out more about the Jacobite Rebellion known as The Fifteen, you can visit the Northumbrian Jacobites Home Page, sponsored and maintained by The Fifteen (the Northumbrian Jacobite Society).

-- READ AN EXCERPT --


Copyright 2008 Pemberley Press. All rights reserved.
Last updated: 22 March 2011
Comments and suggestions
URL: http://www.pemberleypress.com/frost.htm