A rumor proves as hard to pin down as grabbing a handful of smoke.
The Milestone Agency faces a new challenge when they are hired to pin down the source of rumors which are destroying a young playwright’s reputation. Alexander Wilcox insists he did not shoot his wealthy uncle, and has no idea why anyone should say he did. When the rumors escalate into violence, Theo and Rose know they must find a killer in order to prove their client’s innocence, as the phrase ‘no smoke without fire’ takes on a new and sinister meaning.
‘Oxford Smoke’ is the eighth novel in the Milestone Agency Victorian Mystery series.
Excerpt
They were nearly to Willows before Wilcox asked the question Theo had been expecting.
"I am truly grateful to you, Mr. Stone, but how did you happen to be nearby when the fire broke out?"
"I was on my way to see you," Theo said. "I will explain more fully when we are at the house."
Wilcox looked down at his clothing in dismay. "I must reek of smoke and I've nothing else with me, of course. What will Mrs. Stone think of me?"
"She will be pleased to learn you are safe. We will deal with other problems as they arise."
The cab stopped outside the house and Theo paid the driver. He led Wilcox to the front door, where Pickett almost succeeded in hiding an expression of disapproval.
“Mr. Wilcox has had an unpleasant experience and will be stopping with us for a while,” Theo told him. “Mrs. Stone is already aware of this, and I believe Cora has a room ready for him.”
Pickett cast his eyes over Wilcox, noting that despite his somewhat disheveled appearance, his clothes were the product of a good tailor. That improved his standing in Pickett’s opinion. The new guest might be a quivering wreck, smelling of smoke and unaccountably clutching a handful of papers, but he was a gentleman. He nodded just slightly.
When Juliet, a young English woman, disappears from a Festival in Nerja, Spain, disgraced veteran detective Leon Prado of the Spanish National Police suspects an elusive serial abductor. A curious videographer, Amanda Salisbury, inadvertently films J
