THE BODY IN THE GARDEN

A widow in the Napoleonic era takes an unlikely path out of her grief by turning detective.

London, 1815. After the sad passing of her young husband, Freddy, Lady Lily Adler embarks upon a reimagined life, beginning with a new house in Half Moon Street. Her friend Lady Serena Walter offers support in Lily’s shaky resolve to reenter the world by throwing a gala party attended by the crème of London society. The courtly Capt. Jack Hartley, who grew up with Freddy, appoints himself Lily’s protector. She witnesses much bad behavior that evening, including a quarrel between a young man and woman that ends in a slap, and endures an improper advance by wealthy boor Reggie Harper. After Lily hears a shot, she discovers the body of the young man who was slapped, one Augustus Finch. The next day, Lily and Jack try to testify before the Magistrate but are turned away. Boldly, she undertakes her own discreet investigation, cleverly unearthing the identity of the lady who did the slapping. Miss Ofelia Oswald is an heiress from the West Indies with deep albeit unspecified feelings toward Finch. She and Jack both insist on accompanying Lily to Finch’s rooms, where they find a few sketchy clues. As the measured probe proceeds, Lily realizes that the murderer is probably someone she knows and that her life may be in danger, a suspicion borne out when the killer takes a shot at her.

Schellman’s well-researched fiction debut uses nuanced, elegant prose to depict a fully realized world.