Search Results: Deanna Raybourn from I Cannot Live Without Books

A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell Series, Book #1) by Deanna Raybourn
London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry -- and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.
But fate has other plans, and Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered -- leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

A Dangerous Collaboration (Veronica Speedwell Series, Book #4) by Deanna Raybourn
Lured by the promise of a rare and elusive butterfly, Veronica Speedwell is persuaded by Lord Templeton-Vane, her colleague Stoker's brother, to pose as his fiancee at a house party on a remote Cornish isle owned by his oldest friend, Malcolm Romily.
But one question hangs over the party: What happened to Rosamund? Three years ago, Malcolm's bride vanished on their wedding day. Now those who were closest to her have gathered, each a possible suspect in her disappearance.
From the poison garden kept by Malcolm's sister to the high towers of the family castle, the island's atmosphere is full of shadows, and danger lurks around every corner.
Determined to discover Rosamund's fate, Veronica and Stoker match wits with a murderer who has already struck once and will not hesitate to kill again.

The Impossible Imposter (Veronica Speedwell Series, Book #7) by Deanna Raybourn
London 1889. Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian beau, Stoker, are summoned by Sir Hugo Montgomerie, head of Special Branch. He has a personal request on behalf of his goddaughter, Euphemia Hathaway. After years of traveling the world, Euphemia's eldest brother, Jonathan, the heir to Hathaway Hall, was believed to have been killed in the catastrophic eruption of Krakatoa a few years before. But now a man matching Jonathan's description and carrying his belongings has arrived at Hathaway Hall without memory of his identity or where he has been.
Could this man indeed be Jonathan, back from the dead? Or is he a devious impostor, determined to gain ownership over the family's most valuable possession -- a legendary parure of priceless Rajasthani jewels.? Veronica and Stoke agree to go to Hathaway Hall to investigate the mysterious amnesiac covertly. Veronica is soon shocked to find herself face-to-face with a ghost… Read More

A Murderous Relation (Veronica Speedwell Series, Book #5) by Deanna Raybourn
Autumn 1888. Veronica Speedwell and her colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellintonia Beauclerk to stop a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, and the proprietress, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie asks Veronica and Stoker to retrieve it from the club before the scandal breaks.
Worse yet, London is being terrorized by what will become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history. Jack the Ripper -- and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.
Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Aurore's high-class brothel, where a body soon turns up. Secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family -- and it is up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth before it is too late for all of them.

A Perilous Undertaking (Veronica Speedwell Series, Book #2) by Deanna Raybourn
London, 1887. At the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women, Victorian adventures Veronica Speedwell meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task -- saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. Ramsforth, accused of the brutal murder of his mistress, Artemisia, will face the hangman's noose in a week's time if the real killer is not found.
But Lady Sundridge is not all that she seems, and unmasking her true identity is only the first of many secrets Veronica must uncover. Together with her natural-historian colleague, Stoker, Veronica races against time to find the true murderer. From a Bohemian artists' colony to a royal palace to a subterranean grotto with a decadent history, the investigation proves to be a very perilous undertaking indeed.

An Unexpected Peril (Veronica Speedwell Series, Book #6) by Deanna Raybourn
January 1889. As the newest member of the Curiosity Club -- an elite society of brilliant, intrepid women -- Veronica Speedwell is excited to put her many skills to good use. As she assembles a memorial exhibition for pioneering mountain climber Alice Baker-Greene, Veronica discovers evidence that the recent death was not a tragic climbing accident but murder. Veronica and her natural historian beau, Stoker, tell the patron of the exhibit, Princess Gisela of the Alpenwald, of their findings. With Europe on the verge of war, Gisela's chancellor Count von Rechstein, does not want to make waves -- and before Veronica and Stoker can figure out their next move, the princess disappears.
Having noted Veronica's resemblance to the princess, von Rechstein begs her to pose as Gisela for the sake of the peace treaty that brought the princess to England. Veronica reluctantly agrees to the scheme. She and Stoker must work together to keep… Read More