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A Terribly Nasty Business

Published
Jun 2025
Main Genre
Cozy Mystery Cozy Mystery
Rating
Pages
320
Series

About This Book

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • London provides fabulously deadly opportunities for a fledgling inspector in the twisty follow-up to Julia Seales's bestselling debut, A Most Agreeable Murder, hailed by People as a "delightful cocktail . . . of wit, hilarity, and suspense!"

After achieving her lifelong dream of solving a murder, bringing a killer to justice, and proving she is not, in fact, a morbid creep, Beatrice Steele feels like everything is finally falling into place. She's traded her etiquette-obsessed community of Swampshire for the big city of London, accompanied by her ever-trusty chaperone, Miss Bolton. They've settled in a lovely neighborhood, Sweetbriar, known for its proximity to the Sweet Majestic theater, picturesque pleasure gardens, and an unfortunate infestation of flying squirrels. But Beatrice's favorite part is that Sweetbriar is also home to DS Investigations, the new office she opened with the prickly, annoyingly logical Inspector Drake to solve the city's brutally thrilling crimes.

However, nothing is turning out how Beatrice imagined it would. Sir Huxley, famed gentleman inspector and Beatrice's former crush, is still considered the real investigator in London, so the only cases left for Beatrice and Drake are lost pets and spectacles. Not that Beatrice has much time for crime-solving anyway, as her mother still expects her to find an eligible (rich) husband to protect their family from destitution. Beatrice is struggling to balance all the demands on her and begins to wonder if she can become a true detective in a city that feels full of false promises.

That is until a string of murders thrusts Beatrice and Drake into the center of a scandal that pits the neighborhood's wealthiest against the arts community, spreading fear and chaos throughout the city. As they follow the trail through bewildering ballrooms, secretive shops, and odd operas, Beatrice must survive threats to her partnership, her business, and her place in society to break the case—before it's too late.

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Paperback

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Paperback
Jul 2026 Random House ISBN 0593450035
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Hardcover

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Hardcover
First Edition Jun 2025 Random House ISBN 0593450019
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eBook

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eBook
Jun 2025 Random House ISBN 0593450027
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eBook
Jun 2025 -- Not Selected ISBN B0DHV1MVQN
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eBook
Jul 2025 Orion (UK) ISBN 1398720437
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Audio

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Jun 2025 -- Not Selected ISBN B0DJH9BZ8S
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Large Print

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Trade Paperback
Mar 2026 Thorndike Press Large Print ISBN 1420532375
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