A Dangerous Duet

Listed in the Music category on Art In Fiction, A Dangerous Duet  (2018) by Karen Odden is Book 1 in her Victorian Mystery series of novels. Nineteen-year-old Nell Hallam lives in a modest corner of Mayfair with her brother Matthew, an inspector at Scotland Yard. An exceptionally talented pianist, she aspires to attend the Royal Academy; but with tuition beyond their means, Nell sets out to earn the money herself—by playing piano in a popular Soho music hall. And the fact that she will have to disguise herself as a man and slip out at night to do it doesn’t deter her. Spending evenings at the Octavian is like entering an alternate world, one of lively energy, fascinating performers, raucous patrons—and dark secrets. And when Nell stumbles upon the operations of an infamous crime ring working in the shadows of the music hall, she is drawn into a conspiracy that stretches the length of London. To further complicate matters, she has begun to fall for the hall owner's charismatic son Jack who has secrets of his own. The more Nell becomes a part of the Octavian’s world, the more she risks the relationships with the people she loves. And when another performer is left for dead in an alley as a warning, she realizes her future could be in jeopardy in more ways than one. “Odden blends a knowledge of music and the Victoria era in creating a mystery/romance novel that transports readers to the great city of London... [a] great addition to the Victorian mystery genre.” -- Iron Mountain Daily News Karen Odden received her PhD in English literature from New York University and has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. She currently serves as an assistant editor for the academic journal Victorian Literature and Culture . Her debut novel, A Lady in the Smoke , was a USA TODAY bestseller. Buy Now from Amazon Buy Now from Bookshop