Books in the Lady Hardcastle Mystery series

"May 1912. After the previous year's deadly heatwave, it's been an uneventful spring in Littleton Cotterell. Though for Lady Hardcastle and her fiercely loyal lady's maid Flo, at least there are the provincial delights of the village's inaugural art exhibition--and bicycle race--to look forward to. But at the exhibition opening, there's a panicked shout of 'Fire!' In the confusion, the main attraction--an extremely expensive book--is stolen from under everyone's nose, as is a valuable painting let by Sir Hector Farley-Stroud. Then the race, which starts as a charming day out, ends in a shocking death. And to top it all off, the Farley-Strouds reveal they're in debt and might lose their house. The sleuthing duo soon find themselves torn between a murder investigation, an art theft mystery, and trying to help their pals."--]cProvided by publisher.

November 1911. Lady Emily Hardcastle is celebrating her birthday by seeing a play at the Duke's Theatre in Bristol with her maid and confidante, the inimitable Flo. Act One is a triumph. Then Act Two opens with a body on stage--a real one. One of the cast has been brutally murdered during the interval.When other matters get in the way of Inspector Sunderland overseeing the case himself, he asks the ever-resourceful Lady H to keep a watchful eye on the suspects--and his police colleagues. Rustling up some cunning disguises of their own, she and Flo are soon in deep cover among the cast and crew, pulling back the curtain on some shocking secrets and rivalries...The problem is, everyone seems to have a motive, and everyone seems to have an alibi...In this locked-room mystery in which nothing is as it seems, the amateur sleuths need to put on the performances of their lives if they're to stand a chance of shining a spotlight on the truth...