GENTLEMEN BEHAVING BADLY -- Michelle Marcos
A Pleasure Emporium Novel
St. Martin's Paperbacks
ISBN: 0-312-94850-6
July 2008
Historical Romance

England - During the Regency Period

Left alone without any means of support after her father is transported for a crime he didn't commit, Mina Halliday, in desperation, presents herself at the Pleasure Emporium to apply for work. Her skill is as a writer, and the Madame hires Mina to systematically write provocative letters to the wealthy men of London to lure them to the establishment. Mina has an ulterior motive -- she hopes to trap the nobleman who caused her father's arrest. Her latest letter is to the man she believes had her father, a jeweler, remove the valuable stones from a tiara and replace them with fakes. Soon afterwards, Mr. Halliday was accused of stealing the original gemstones, was tried quickly, and sent to a penal colony in Australia. Little does Mina know, though, that the man in question has been brutally murdered.

Chief Constable Salter Lambrick has a puzzling case to solve. A wealthy man has been killed in his home, although nothing was stolen. But a letter to the man, a very risqué letter, has arrived inviting him to the Pleasure Emporium, and Salter plans to discover if this has anything to do with the gentleman's murder. What he finds is the spunky, outspoken young woman who wrote the letter. And she seems to have a good reason for wanting the victim dead.

Mina and Salter don't exactly warm to each other. First of all, Salter pretends he is the murdered man in order to draw out Mina's real motive for sending the letter. When it's obvious that she knows nothing, Salter reveals who he is, and Mina is beyond angry. At the same time, she is slightly attracted to the handsome constable, even though she knows she's too plain for him to notice her. But this unlikely team begins to work together to find the answers to the crime and to prove Mina's father was used as a scapegoat for a larger crime.

GENTLEMEN BEHAVING BADLY is the second book in the Pleasure Emporium series, and it's a unique and delightful story. Mina is a pleasant young woman thrown into a messy situation. She is steadfast in her determination to clear her father, and no handsome constable is going to stand in her way. On the other side of the story, Salter is equally resolute in his search for the killer, although Mina is starting to get under his skin. Secondary characters, including the courtesans who inhabit the Emporium, try to help Mina in her quest, and provide some comic relief. The bad guys are not so evident, and surprises are in store.

For a really enjoyable summer's fare, readers won't want to miss GENTLEMEN BEHAVING BADLY.

Jani Brooks