The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl

The Locus Award–winning historical fantasy series “ends on a high note” as a team of female sleuths foil a plot to unseat the Queen (Kirkus Reviews). Life’s always an adventure for the Athena Club . . . especially when one of their own has been kidnapped! After their thrilling European escapades, Mary Jekyll and her friends return home to discover that their friend and kitchen maid Alice has vanished—and so has their friend and employer Sherlock Holmes!As they race to find Alice and bring her home safely, they discover that Alice and Sherlock’s abduction is only one small part of a plot that threatens Queen Victoria, and the very future of the British Empire. Can Mary, Diana, Beatrice, Catherine, and Justine save their friends—and the Empire?In the final volume of the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a tour de force of reclaiming the narrative, executed with impressive wit and insight” in a starred review, the women of the Athena Club will embrace their monstrous pasts to create their own destinies.Praise for book 1 of the trilogy, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter:“[The characters] are just as much fun as their fictional fathers, and like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, their talents play off against one other.” —The Wall Street Journal“A swiftly paced, immaculately plotted mystery full of winning characters you always thought you knew, as well as ones you would never have imagined.” —NPR “A delightful romp through Victorian gothic literature, with a decidedly feminist slant.” —Library Journal“A crackling conspiracy adventure and a colorful portrait of Victorian London.” —The Chicago Tribune