THE HARLOT OF ST. CECELIA'S by Darcy Graves Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

THE HARLOT OF ST. CECELIA'S

by Darcy Graves

September 21 - October 16, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

An Inspector Garrett Mystery

 

London, 1923. American expat librarian Eden Brior thinks things are bad when she is accidentally locked overnight in the St. Cecelia’s Library vault with the charming and unreliable Simon Cross. Then she emerges to find the body of his estranged wife — a celebrated French actress — draped over a chair upstairs.

Detective Inspector William Garrett is methodical, quietly perceptive, and already fairly certain he has his man. He tells Eden firmly to go home and leave the detecting to the professionals. But how can she?

Racing to clear their names before Garrett closes the case, Eden follows the truth from the bright footlights of the London stage through the sleek drawing rooms of Jazz Age society, and into secrets that someone will kill to keep buried.

Steeped in the style of the golden age of detective fiction, The Harlot of St. Cecelia’s captures a London still glittering on the surface and shadowed underneath — where every drawing room hides a secret and every secret has a price.

Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series.

Praise for The Harlot of St. Cecelia's:

"This novel consistently delights, from the spicy title to the last page."
~ Kirkus Reviews

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mystery
Published by: Independently Published
Publication Date: May 3, 2026
Number of Pages: 306
ISBN: 979-8195315580
Series: Inspector Garrett Mystery Series, Book 1
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | BookBub

Read an excerpt:

 

 

Author Bio:

Darcy Graves grew up in Boston and holds an MA in English history and a BS in copywriting. A marketing content writer for over thirty years, she brings to her work a deep love of the golden age of detective fiction — particularly Agatha Christie and P.D. James — and the whimsy of P.G. Wodehouse.

Darcy lives in the Berkshires with her daughter, two ragdoll cats, and a very naughty terrier named Merial. The Harlot of St. Cecelia's is her first novel.

Catch Up With Darcy Graves:

DarcyGravesAuthor.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @darcygravesauthor
Instagram - @darcygravesauthor

My Review:

This is a book set in a specific era. The Jazz age was full of singing, dancing, clubs and amateur detectives. Set in a library in London, there is definitely a feeling of hidden knowledge. Especially in a vault! At times I was more interested in what amazing books could be in the vault, then who the murderer was. The characters Eden and Simon were set up. Secrets come to light, and I start to dislike some of the characters. Cheating spouses, messed up characters, women leading the plot, suspects at every turn, and a detective that tells women to go home and drink tea, kept me reading. I wanted to slap him into the new century. The ending was not really satisfying. What happened to the characters that I wanted to be punished? Who ended up together? I definitely think that the next book in the series is going to have more background on the characters. I thought that I knew who the killer was, and I was almost right. I got the reason wrong. This is a great historical mystery. I will definitely keep my eye out for other books by this author. I really enjoyed the snippets at the beginning of each chapter as well. The author has an MA in English History and she weaves her knowledge throughout the book. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, nevertheless all opinions are my own.  

 

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