The body in the garden

Set in Regency-era London in 1815, The Body in the Garden opens with newly widowed Lily Adler starting a new life in the city, determined to build something of her own despite society's disapproval of independent women. On her first evening out, a man is shot dead in the garden during a society ball — and Lily, who overheard him moments before attempting to blackmail someone influential, realizes she may be the only person willing to find out who killed him.

When a nobleman bribes the investigating magistrate to bury the case, Lily begins asking her own questions, aided by a roguish navy captain and a sharp-witted heiress from the West Indies. Together they work to uncover the truth while keeping their investigation hidden behind the etiquette and gossip of London's social season.

Katharine Schellman's debut novel, it launched the Lily Adler Mystery series and was named one of Suspense Magazine's Best Books of 2020 — praised for its period detail and its unhurried, cozy take on the amateur-sleuth mystery.