Betsy Brand Mystery

The Betsy Brand mysteries follow a professional actress in Restoration London as the skills of the stage draw her into investigation and espionage. In After the Fire, a murder at Dorset Gardens Theatre leads Betsy back to secrets born in the Great Fire; The Judas Blade sends her to the Dutch Republic when political tension threatens another war.

The two novels use theatre as more than scenery. Betsy's ability to observe performance, adopt roles and judge an audience becomes the basis of her detective work, while her position as a working woman gives her access to worlds divided by class and reputation. Together the books move from the rebuilt playhouses of Charles II's London to the international intelligence networks surrounding Anglo-Dutch rivalry.