Touch of a Rogue

Balancing sleuthing and romance with a touch of the mystical, Marlowe’s smart and amusing return to the Preston family (introduced in Touch of a Thief) features charming investigator Jacob Preston, who broadcasts his fondness for married women but keeps his clairvoyance a secret. Young countess Julianne Tyndale asks Jacob to prove her late husband’s death was not a suicide and help her find the sixth ancient Druid dagger in the set he was collecting. As the investigation proceeds, Jacob and Julianne play a delightful cat-and-mouse game of attraction, alternating between taking the lead and dodging commitment. Julianne, a budding feminist trained on the writings of Mary Wollstonecraft, pushes Jacob’s boundaries (and high society’s) with her demands to be fully involved in the search, and is full of sparklingly righteous outrage when she encounters obnoxious men. Fans of historical paranormals will delight in this fetching 19th-century romp. Agent: Natasha Kern, Natasha Kern Literary Agency. (Mar.)