Murder, Magic, and What We Wore

Secret messages, disguises, code names, and knife fights flit in and out of ballrooms and dressmakers' shops in this Regency-era adventure. After Annis Whitworth's father dies unexpectedly, leaving her orphaned and homeless in fashionable London, her curiosity about his life as a spy draws her into a world of peril and bravery. Annis's eye for fashion and newly discovered magical talent for sewing "glamours" into cloth lead to her setting up a shop in the country. There, Annis, with her indomitable aunt Cassia and trusty maid Millie, must navigate the polite hazards of Flittingsworth society as well as more deadly threats from mysterious double agents. Between sewing gowns and experimenting with magic, Annis tries to find time to convince the War Office that it could use the services of a young lady, especially since the very imprisonment of Napoleon is at stake. While touches of magic make disguises more convincing and transformations more beautiful, the story itself is less fantasy than it is historical fiction. The details of Regency life keep Annis's adventure jauntily entertaining even when badly behaved gentlemen and sinister thieves thicken the plot. With only a sprinkling of romance and plenty of girl power, the heroine's interests prove that bravery and style can go comfortably hand-in-hand. sarah berman