The Secret of the Lost Pearls

Useful Woman Mystery Series, Book 1

De: Darcie Wilde

Narrado por: Kitty Kelly

In Darcie Wilde's captivating mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, no one is better equipped to help ladies who find themselves wronged than "useful woman" Rosalind Thorne . . .

Rosalind Thorne may not have a grand fortune of her own, but she possesses virtues almost as prized by the haut ton: discretion, and a web of connections that enable her to discover just about anything about anyone. Known as a "most useful woman," Rosalind helps society ladies in need--for a modest fee, of course--and her client roster is steadily increasing.

Mrs. Gerald Douglas, nee Bethany Hodgeson, presents Rosalind with a particularly delicate predicament. A valuable pearl necklace has gone missing, and Bethany's husband believes the thief is Nora, Bethany's disgraced sister. Nora made a scandalous elopement at age sixteen and returned three years later, telling the family that her husband was dead.

But as Rosalind begins her investigations, under cover of helping the daughters of the house prepare for their first London season, she realizes that the family harbors even more secrets than scandals. The intrigue swirling around the Douglases includes fraud, forgery, blackmail, and soon, murder. And it will fall to Rosalind, aided by charming Bow Street officer Adam Harkness, to untangle the shocking truth and discover who is a thief-and who is a killer.

©2023 Sarah Zettel (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Good complex story, but deficient narrator

This narrator is not as good as the readers of the previous Rosalind Thorne books. Her voice is too shrill and affected making it difficult to listen to comfortably.

Not my Favorite

I had a very hard time making it past the first chapter. The narrator sounded like a British Valley Girl and would switch to the breathless anonymous phone caller. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Rosalind Thorne Mysteries, but this one seemed to move much slower. I'm sure some of that has to do with the annoying character voices. Overall, I was glad this one was over, but having listened to the other books in the series, I had to finish it.

Love this series, do not love new narrator

This book is another strong entry in Wilde’s “useful woman” series, with the rich period detail and plot twists I’ve come to expect. The new narrator, Kitty Kelly, reads as if she’s going to win a prize for finishing as quickly as possible. If I had sampled before purchasing, I almost certainly would have chosen to get the print version instead.

5 stars

The Secret of the Lost Pearls is a well-written and complex mystery with engaging characters and an entertaining plot. I look forward to the next book.

good mental workout

So many threads, made for a great mental workout. The narrator was not my favorite in this series but once I got used to her style, I was able to continue.