A Lonely Death by Charles Todd

I've been steadily working my way through the Inspector Ian Rutledge series, and I have to say that this might have been my favorite so far.  It's intriguing and fast paced, and several of the plot lines that have been running through almost the entire series reach critical turning points.  I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.  However, newbies to the series should certainly start with an earlier entry, otherwise they will miss the importance of these events.

Three men have been murdered in a Sussex village, and Scotland Yard has been called in. It’s a baffling case. All the victims are soldiers who have made it home alive from the Great War, which ended two years ago, only to be garroted, with small ID disks left in their mouths. And shortly after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives, there’s a fourth murder. The killer is vicious and clever, leaving behind few clues. As the stakes ratchet up, Rutledge is determined to find answers, even as he puts his job, his reputation, and even his life on the line.

Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

This book has been on my TBR pile for some time.  I've heard amazing things about Meredith Duran, and many of her books have won critical praise and awards and accolades.  I tried one of her later works and was not as enthused, but decided to give another of her novels (her very first) a try.  Boy, am I glad I did.  This was a fantastic story, and I highly recommend it for romance readers.

From exotic sandstone palaces...

Sick of tragedy, done with rebellion, Emmaline Martin vows to settle quietly into British Indian society. But when the pillars of privilege topple, her fiancé's betrayal leaves Emma no choice. She must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn.

To the marble halls of London...

In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. Cynical and impatient with both worlds, Julian has never imagined that the place he might belong is in the embrace of a woman with a reluctant laugh and haunted eyes. But in a time of terrible darkness, he and Emma will discover that love itself can be perilous -- and that a single decision can alter one's life forever.

Destiny follows wherever you run.

A lifetime of grief later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian must finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned...and some passions never die.

Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer

I love Georgette Heyer - and enjoy reading her mysteries as well as her Regency romances and historicals.  This, one of her mysteries, was a solid read.  The characters were thoroughly interesting, even if they weren't always likeable, and their biting wit hilarious.  I had figured out who the killer was by a quarter of the way through the book, but that did not take away from my enjoyment.  I received just as much pleasure from reading about the characters and their antics as uncovering the murderer.

A bobby on his night rounds discovers a corpse in evening dress locked in the stocks on the village green. Inspector Hannasyde is called in, but sorting out the suspects proves a challenge. Anyone in the eccentric, exceedingly uncooperative Vereker family had the motive and means to kill Andrew Vereker, who seemed to have been universally disliked. One cousin allies himself with the inspector, while the victim's half-brother and sister, each of whom suspects the other, markedly try to set him off the scent. To readers' delight, the killer is so cunning (not to mention the author), that the mystery remains until the very end…