Introduction

Downton Abbey meets Agatha Christie in this highly engaging historical mystery.

What’s the best way to purge an unfaithful husband?

Become a spy for British Intelligence, of course.

Desperate to get out of London and determined to help the war effort, Fiona Figg volunteers to go undercover.

It keeps her from thinking about Andrew, her philandering husband.

At Ravenswick Abbey a charming South African war correspondent has tongues wagging.

His friends say he’s a crack huntsman. The War Office is convinced he’s a traitor. Fiona thinks he’s a pompous prig.

What sort of name is Fredrick Fredricks anyway? Too bad Fiona doesn’t own a Wolseley pith helmet. At Ravenswick a murderer is on the prowl, and it’s not just the big-game hunter who's ready to pounce.

Food and drink pairings Tea of course. Or, champagne for the beginning of the book, brandy for the middle, and scotch whiskey for the end. Since WWI tinned beef or toad-in-the-hole don’t make for very nice party foods, try tea biscuits (English cookies) or treacle pudding: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/treacle_pudding_80920

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Excerpt

Chapter One
The Beginning of the End

I should have poisoned him. If only I’d had the chance. By the time he confessed to loving another woman and asked for a divorce, it was too late. When he left me, he took my desires with him, even my desire for death. If it weren’t for an article in the Daily Times about a certain South African war correspondent living near Wickham Bishops, I might still be languishing in my bed, wishing I’d never been born. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. If you were making a movie of this book, who would you cast?
2. Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did it stand out?
3. Which character in the book would you most like to meet?
4. Which place in the book would you most like to visit?
5. What did you already know about WWI before you read the book? What new things did you learn?
6. Did the book do a good job of evoking 1917 London?
7. What themes stood out in this book?
8. How does Fiona evolve or change throughout the story? What are some the triggering events for her?
9. Did Fiona remind you of yourself or anyone you know?
10. What do you think of women’s place in war?
11. Did you like the mystery within the mystery? At what point did you solve the mystery?
12. Who was your favorite character and why? Who was your least favorite character?
13. How has women’s place in society changed since 1917?
14. Did you enjoy the mixture of humor and melancholy in the book? Did it make you laugh and cry?
15. What was your favorite scene in the book?
16. Should Fiona choose Archie Somersby or Clifford Douglas?

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