Acclaimed author Vanessa Riley talks to Authorlink®’s Anna Roins about her latest release, the historical mystery novel MURDER IN DRURY LANE: A LADY WORTHING MYSTERY (Kensington Books, 24 October 2023). It is the awaited sequel of ‘Murder in Westminster: A Riveting Regency Historical Mystery (The Lady Worthing Mysteries Book 1)’, yet it easily stands alone.
Bringing a vibrant edge and welcoming diversity to the Regency genre, this exciting historical mystery series, Lady Worthing Mysteries, features an engaging heroine with an independent streak, a notorious past, and a decided talent for sleuthing…
Pressed into a union of convenience, Lady Abigail Worthing knew better than to expect love. Her marriage to an absent Lord does at least provide some comforts, including a box at the Drury Lane theatre, owned by the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Abigail has always found respite at the theatre, away from the ton’s judgmental stares and the risks of her secret work to help the cause of abolition—and her fears that someone from her past wants her permanently silenced. But on one June evening, everything collides, and the performance takes an unwelcome turn…
Vanessa Riley writes Regency Romances and Historical Fiction of dazzling multi-culture communities.
Vanessa chats with AUTHORLINK columnist Anna Roins about how she started in writing after obtaining a doctorate in mechanical engineering, how women are the heart of enslaved individuals becoming free by their design, and her challenges on the road to publishing.
“With impeccable attention to period details, a vividly evoked setting, a cast of richly nuanced characters, and a captivating plot that fully embraces the challenges and oft-overlooked diversity of the Regency era, Riley’s second stunning addition to her Lady Worthing series, following Murder in Westminster (2022), is a delight.”
–Booklist
About the Author: Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author of Island Queen, A Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and the forthcoming Queen of Exiles. Riley’s historical novels showcase the hidden histories of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods and dazzling multicultural communities. Her works encompass historical fiction, romance, and mystery and have been reviewed by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publisher Weekly, and the New York Times. Riley was named the 2023 Georgia Author of the Year Awards Literary Fiction Winner for Sister Mother Warrior.
