The Rose in the Wheel

Praise for The Rose in the Wheel "Vivid characterization, compelling narrative, and surprising plot twists-immensely satisfying." -Stephanie Barron, author of the Jane Austen mysteries Constance Tyrone, the conspicuously celibate founder of the St. Catherine Society, dedicated to helping poor women, is run over by a carriage one wet November evening in 1811 London. Curiously, while one of her feet is bare, the other is shod in a clean satin slipper, despite the muddy road. Why was a gentlewoman abroad in the night? And if she died under the wheel, who bruised her neck and stole her monogrammed crucifix? Dismissing the idea of an accident, Bow Street Runner John Chase forms an unlikely alliance with Penelope Wolfe, wife of the chief suspect. Penelope is eager to clear her husband Jeremy, a portrait painter whose drawings of the victim suggest an erotic interest. Chase's first task is to learn the identity of the mysterious benefactor who posts bail for Jeremy, while Penelope traces the victim's last movements. Barrister Edward Buckler shakes off his habitual lethargy and joins their investigation. As horrifying murders on the Ratcliffe Highway claim all London's attention, the trio discovers that it won't be easy to unravel the enigma of Constance Tyrone, a woman who revives the legend of martyred St. Catherine. S.K. Rizzolo was born in Aspen, Colorado, but raised in Saudi Arabia and Libya where her father was employed in the oil industry. Returning to the United States, Rizollo earned an M.A. in English. Currently a high school teacher, she lives in California with her husband and daughter. www.skrizollo.com