The Gresham Scandal

Rannoch Fraser Mysteries #21

by Tracy Grant

In Regency London, an elopement is always fodder for gossip. But this time it may be cover for murder…

Harriet Roth, a bookish spinster, lives a quiet, unassuming life; Tristram Gresham, a noted composer and even more noted roué, flaunts his disreputable reputation. When the two of them disappear, the scandalous implications are obvious to London’s beau monde. But former spies Mélanie and Malcolm Rannoch, who are friends of both Harriet and Gresham, are sure something more complicated than an elopement is afoot. Especially because Harriet and Gresham left behind the dead body of an infamous international assassin in Gresham’s fashionable bachelor rooms. How the missing couple were connected to the assassin is as puzzling as who killed him — and what brought him to London in the first place.

But neither the quiet Harriet nor the rakish Gresham is what they seemed. Both are harboring secrets that people will kill to uncover. Trying to help their missing friends, the Rannochs enter a deadly game that runs from London’s glamorous diplomatic community to the corridors of power in Westminster and Whitehall. Even Almack’s exclusive assembly rooms hold deadly dangers—and avoiding scandal suddenly seems less important than simply staying alive...

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery

372 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2025

About the author

Tracy Grant studied British history at Stanford University and received the Firestone Award for Excellence in Research for her honors thesis on shifting conceptions of honor in late fifteenth century England. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her young daughter and three cats. In addition to writing, Tracy works for the Merola Opera Program, a professional training program for opera singers, pianists, and stage directors. Her real life heroine is her daughter Mélanie, who is very cooperative about Mummy’s writing. Tracy is currently at work on her next book chronicling the adventures of Malcolm and Mélanie Suzanne Rannoch.

Reviews

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This latest in the Rannoch Mystery series starts off with a bang and never lets up. Bow Street runner, Jeremy Roth's sister is missing, and he asks the Rannochs and company to investigate when he suspects she may be involved with Tristram Gresham, musician and well known rake. Upon arriving at Gresham's rooms, they find Julien and Kitty Carfax already there, sent by their former spymaster, Hubert Mallinson, at the request of the British government. The body of a known assassin is discovered, but no one else. The investigations intertwine seeking the missing people and also who is behind an effort to take down the current government.

Tracy Grant supplies a number of suspects and twists fraught with danger as the investigation proceeds. Although various characters from previous books appear, Grant does a good job of bringing the reader up to speed.

[Daniella Bernett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deception, spies and murder in a landscape of mistrust and shifting political alliances. Tracy Grant spins a tantalizing tale.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harriet Roth, Jeremy’s sister, and the composer (and rake), Tristram Gresham, have disappeared. To add to the mystery, a dead body is discovered in Tristram’s quarters; the French assassin, André LeFou. Why was he in Tristram’s room? As the Rannochs, Carfaxes and Davenport investigate, they discover conflicting clues and more plots. A new couple from India comes on the scene, Hara and Lizzie Delaney, and a new couple is revealed at the end of the book.

Another solid entry in the Malcolm and Mélanie Rannoch series.