Can Adele Gossling prove a son didn’t kill his mother?
Teddy Roosevelt is running for president and even Arrojo can’t deny progressive reforms are here to stay. Rebecca Gold, one of the era’s New Women, chooses just this moment in time to set up her law practice in Arrojo and lands the affluent Thea Marsh as her first client.
When Thea dies unexpectedly, the police begin their investigation by turning to her own family. The beloved and favored eldest son, Theo, is accused of the crime. Could this man really be guilty of matricide?
Rebeca doesn’t think so. She turns to her new friend in town, businesswoman and fellow suffragist Adele Gossling, to help prove it. Adele has already helped the local police solve a few crimes, much to the shock of the town’s conservative citizens. Despite promises never to involve herself in crime detection again, how can she refuse a friend in need?
Will Adele make a case against Theo’s guilt out of a stained teacup, a fountain pen nib, ashes that should have been in the fireplace, and daisies that should have been fresh? Or will Theo go to the gallows and the real murderer escape justice?