Georgette Heyer

Item #: UE6992
Price: $14.99
For more than fifty years, Georgette Heyer's sparkling Regency novels and deftly plotted whodunits topped British bestseller lists. Yet for all her success, Heyer was a fiercely private person. She consistently refused to grant interviews or attend her own publicity events, and she only ever answered one fan letter. (When you read it, you'll understand why she did.) Originally published a decade after Heyer's death, this illuminating biography offers a rare glimpse into the literary phenomenon's personal life, drawing on her abundant correspondence with her publishers and agents. It reveals a complex woman who, though happily married, was far from the dreamy romantic her fans imagined her to be. In reality she was a meticulous researcher who worked at a killing pace and was her own worst critic. Charming yet shy in society, she could be formidable and demanding when the integrity of her work was threatened. This is fascinating stuff! (Look for Heyer's novels scattered throughout the Bas Bleu catalog.)

Item #: UC8202
Price: $13.94
This new edition of False Colours will delight Jane Austen fans who love escaping into the charms of Regency England. Kit Fancot arrives home from diplomatic service to find his mother beside herself over the disappearance of his twin brother, Evelyn, days before Evelyn is to meet his fiancée's family. The Fancot family fortunes--and, it turns out, more than one heart--hang in the balance. Georgette Heyer's characters make their way from seemingly insoluble predicament to romantic felicity with plenty of wit and style. (BB)

Item #: UE9802
Price: $13.99
Amanda, the beautiful, imaginative, and wildly indomitable speaker of the quotation above, need not worry--she is to find adventure, romance, and all sorts of excitement in Georgette Heyer's absolute joy of a novel, Sprig Muslin. The very charming Sir Gareth Ludlow encounters young Amanda on his way to propose to his kind, calm, plain, and sensible acquaintance Lady Hester. Intending to perform the honorable service of returning Amanda to her family, Sir Gareth brings the headstrong girl along with him to Lady Hester's family's home, causing all sorts of humorously rowdy ruckuses and delightfully awkward situations. I fell in love with all three of the main characters and was blissfully entertained by this clever Regency-era romance, from unruly beginning to satisfying end.

Item #: UE9092
Price: $13.99
Ernest Fletcher was an affable, well-liked bachelor, so who would have a motive for bludgeoning him to death in his own study? Fortunately, the unflappable Superintendent Hannasyde from Scotland Yard is on the case. As sordid secrets from Fletcher's private life begin to emerge, the suspect list grows. But a witness whose story keeps changing, a local cop who can't contain his religious fervor, and the deceased's foppish nephew, who can't seem to take anything seriously, complicate the investigation. When a prime suspect in the case turns up dead--murdered in the same manner as Fletcher--Hannasyde must redouble his efforts to find the killer, before another body is found. Fans of Georgette Heyer will devour this fast-paced, amusing whodunit from one of the masters of the genre.

Item #: UE8422
Price: $13.99
Captain John Staple, having spent years in the British army fighting Napoleon, is a dashing, courageous man of action who finds civilian life as a gentleman somewhat slow. But his interest is piqued on the road when he comes upon a young boy whose father, the toll-keeper, has disappeared. Staple investigates the mystery while serving as the replacement toll-keeper. After a short time he meets a menagerie of ruffians, as well as the saucy Lady Nell Stornaway, who is as sharp-witted and unconventional as Staple. The lady is contending with her own problems, including a wayward guest whose unwelcome hands are as quick as his temper! With her own signature wit and talent for capturing the perfect dialogue, Georgette Heyer has expertly wrapped intrigue, suspense, romance, and humor into a deft novel you won't want to put down.

Item #: UE9722
Price: $13.99
Gervase Frant, seventh Earl of St. Erth, may have distinguished himself in battle at Waterloo, but one would hardly know it from the frosty homecoming he receives upon his return to England. His stepmother and his younger half-brother, Martin, are more than a little peeved that Gervase survived the war intact and has returned to take control of his inheritance. To add insult to injury, the earl takes an interest in the pretty heiress down the lane--the very girl Martin has set his sights on. Gervase assumes the family conflict will abate once everyone settles in to the new order of things. But when a series of "accidents" befall the young earl, it becomes clear that someone is out to remove Gervase permanently. Charming and light, with just a touch of intrigue, The Quiet Gentleman reinforces Georgette Heyer's reputation as the queen of Regency romance.

Item #: UE6062
Price: $13.99
Despite the best attempts of jovial Uncle Joseph, the Harriard family's Christmas reunion at Lexham Manner is far from jolly. Nathaniel Herriard, owner of the estate, would prefer not to have the gathering in the first place, and his querulous relatives (and their insufferable guests) all seem to have their own selfish agendas. When Nathaniel is found murdered in his study, it seems many of the houseguests have motives for murder, and all of them seem to be hiding something. But how could anyone have entered the locked room to commit the crime? Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard must sift through the scant evidence--and the outspoken opinions and conflicting testimonies of the colorful assortment of holiday revelers--to discover the truth. Comical, confounding, and compelling, Georgette Heyer's delightful Envious Casca is a perfect holiday read for mystery lovers--just add a cozy fire and a glass of eggnog!

Item #: UD9392
Price: $13.99
When the adult Fortescue siblings inherit an old priory building in the English countryside, Peter, Margaret, and Celia (along with their aunt and Celia's husband, Charles) decide to take a holiday at the run-down estate. Several eccentric locals warn the family about a ghost said to be lurking in their vacation home, but they dismiss the supernatural rumors…until they find a body within the priory walls! Peter and Charles set out to get to the bottom of the mystery--before a Fortescue becomes the next victim. The great Georgette Heyer's signature style is in full effect in Footsteps in the Dark: The characters are memorable and charming, the dialogue is witty and hilarious, the plot is gripping and suspenseful, and there's even a dash of romance!

Item #: UE3182
Price: $13.99
A holiday weekend at the English countryside house takes a macabre turn when the surly host, Sir Arthur Billington-Smith, is found murdered in his study. Inspector Harding, called in from Scotland Yard to investigate the case, finds a plethora of suspects amidst the cantankerous houseful of guests. There's Sir Arthur's son, recently disinherited by his father due to his uncouth fiancée; Stephen Guest, would-be lover to the much-abused wife of the deceased; Camilla Halliday, who had shamelessly flirted with Sir Arthur all weekend; Camilla's jealous husband; a down-on-his-luck cousin…the list goes on. Fortunately, the lovely and spirited Dinah, sister of the lady of the house, is there to help Harding sift through the lies and alibis--as long as her charms don't distract him from the case. Another delightful whodunit from the great Georgette Heyer, The Unfinished Clue will have you simultaneously gripped in suspense and gleefully amused by the characters' witty banter. And, if you're like me, you'll be guessing at the murderer until the final pages.

Item #: UD2832
Price: $13.94
When Lady Elizabeth Ombersley agrees to act as temporary guardian for her niece Sophy, she has no idea the pandemonium the "good little thing" will unleash across London. Raised in Europe by an indulgent widower father, Sophy Stanton-Lacy is as mischievous and willful as she is intelligent and capable, characteristics not at all en vogue with the well-bred young ladies of Regency England. Sophy quickly turns the Ombersley family on its ear, scandalizing her aunt, infuriating her handsome cousin Charles, and utterly enthralling London's bachelors with her outrageous--if well-intentioned--meddling into the lives of family and friends. As literary heroines go, the effervescent Sophy is thoroughly memorable and utterly lovable, so adept at getting into scrapes that she will keep readers laughing until the very last page. (KG)