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

Disappointing Narration

The narrator was very difficult to listen to & I had to force myself to just get through the book which greatly diminished my enjoyment. As per usual with this author, I found it somewhat difficult to follow the many characters & wish there was a bit more time spent both introducing & developing some of the more peripheral characters. I was glad to see some movement in the relationship with Rosalind & Adam and look forward to seeing where their careers take both of them in future books.

What in the TOWIE!

What is with the narrator? Perhaps she isn’t aware the main characters are from 19th century upper class London and not extras from “The only way is Essex” reality show!!!

Narrator was okay

I was not thrilled with the narrator, but after getting through the first few chapters, it was tolerable. I really enjoyed the previous narrator, Pearl Hewitt. The story was a good addition to the series.

so very well written excellent plots and character development

the woman narrating this book sounds Australian and she has some kind of inflection that she uses almost at the end of each sentence when she's narrating it and for the main protagonist which is off-putting for me

Latest Rosalind Thorne novel

Love Rosalind Thorne & all of her adventures but did not like this narrator. Her accent was wrong for Rosalind, Alice and the other women in higher society.