The Vital Principle

Published: 2011

An inquiry agent is asked to expose a spiritualist as a fraud only to uncover a murder.   

Well-known inquiry agent, Mr. Knighton Gaunt, is hired by Lord Crowley to attend a séance and reveal the spiritualist as a fraud. The task seems simple enough until he arrives at Rosecrest. The séance has barely begun when the sole source of light, a thin taper, goes out, and the séance dissolves into fear and turmoil. Before Gaunt can bring order to the room, Lord Crowley suddenly dies. The lingering scent of bitter almonds indicates Crowley's brandy may have been poisoned, and Gaunt can only conclude that one of the attendees must also be a murderer.

 Confronting the attractive—and suspiciously calm—spiritualist, Gaunt strives to discover if she is simply a charlatan or a murderess.

 Miss Prudence Barnard, the spiritualist, has the most obvious motive. Lord Crowley had hired Gaunt to discredit her, an action that would destroy her livelihood. All the other guests are long-time friends of Lord Crowley and seem appalled by the tragedy. But as Gaunt digs deeper into the past, he discovers Crowley’s friends may have had even stronger motives. As the investigation continues, the guests turn against one another, and their relationships crumble under the mounting tension. Not everyone at Rosecrest held Crowley in high regard. Some, in fact, hated him. 

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.

“Murder, mystery, and a dash of romance combined with witty dialogue and unforgettable characters make The Vital Principle a book that will definitely go on my keeper shelf!” —Lilly Gayle, author of Into the Darkness and Slightly Tarnished. 

Buy Links