Sara Sheridan’s ex-Secret Service backroom girl Mirabelle Bevan is on her sixth investigation in 1950s Brighton and goes undercover when her lover Superintendent Alan McGregor is taken off a gruesome murder case because the key suspect is an old school friend. Mirabelle steps in to find the killer of a young woman whose husband has been arrested for the slaying. With the help of her pregnant assistant Vesta, Mirabelle frequently risks her life in a heartbeat and uses her excellent surveillance skills, even posing as a call girl to get to the truth.

There is much to admire about Mirabelle and Vesta and the rest of the recurring cast in these books. The stories are pacy and the development of the key characters and their relationships enhance the action, which is set in a compelling era.

Read our full review of Russian Roulette.