In 1815, an inquiry agent, Mr. Knighton Gaunt, is asked by Lord Crowley to attend a seance with the express purpose of revealing the spiritualist as a fraud. When the seance ends abruptly, Lord Crowley is poisoned during the turmoil by an unseen killer. Gaunt is now left to investigate not only fraud, but murder. Suspicion turns first to the spiritualist, Miss Prudence Barnard, but as Gaunt digs deeper into the twisted history of the guests at Rosecrest, he discovers more deadly secrets. Inevitably, long-time friends turn against one another as the tension mounts, and Gaunt is challenged time and time again to separate fact from fiction before another death at Rosecrest. The Vital Principle is the first mystery in the Second Sons Inquiry Agency series and features coolly intellectual Mr. Knighton Gaunt, the agency’s founder. This witty, historical whodunit in the tradition of Bruce Alexander’s Blind Justice, will keep you guessing until the unexpected end.”
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 2/5
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Language - /5
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Drugs and Alcohol - /5
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Summary
The Vital Principle by Amy Corwin A Second Sons Inquiry Agency Series Book 1 Prudence Barnard has nowhere to call home. When her father was alive they were invited to homes so he could investigate hauntings. Now that he's gone, she gets invited to try and speak to the dead. Instead of her scientific studies, she is considered entertainment for the bon ton. As a guest at Rosecrest, her entertainment suddenly puts her in the position of a prime suspect for murder. Knighton Gaunt is a second son who didn't feel called to the church, but he does like the truth. His older brother, a baron, is displeased to have his brother as an inquiry agent, stirring up the truth among the realm. Too bad, it's what Knighton wants to do with his life. When called to find out if Miss Barnard is a fraud, he finds himself deep into a murder mystery. His client died in the same room as him. Not good on all fronts. There is a touch of romance in this book and it is a great murder mystery. It seems every guest has a secret and a reason they might want to do away with Lord Crowley. It kept me guessing all the way through the book. Book two in this series is called A Rose Before Dying. http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/2013/02/amy-corwin-book-list.html