The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder

Endorsements

Fresh and beguiling, the Bachelor Girls are an engaging new addition to the mystery scene. They tackle criminals with a combination of unique moxie and an irrepressible sense of adventure. I want to be friends with the Bachelor Girls!

Deanna Raybourn,

New York Times
bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey Mysteries

With the witty wordplay and inventive plot twists of a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery, McMillan spins a detective tale sure to delight and fascinate those who love entertaining novels full of clues and sleuths and lively characters that live long after the story ends.

Virginia Smith,

author of the Tales from the Goose Creek B&B

In her fabulous debut, Rachel McMillan brings 1910 Toronto to rich and wonderful life. The intrepid Jem and Merinda make a winning detective team. Full of romance and derring-do,
The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder
will keep you turning pages.

Nancy Herriman,

author of
No Comfort for the Lost

Smart, sassy, and chic.
The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder
is all that and more. A fabulous historical. Encore, Rachel McMillan!

Laura Frantz,

author of
The Mistress of Tall Acre

A wonderful romp! McMillan's delightful debut introduces us to a beguiling and intrepid crime-solving duo. The two lovely ladies defy expectations and social norms as they lead us across early twentieth-century Toronto and into the heart of a compelling mystery…with a dash of romance on the side. Can't wait for more of these two and the adventure they'll lead us on next!

Katherine Reay,

author of
The Bronte Plot

A savvy and street-smart read. Rachel McMillan's
The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder
is a wickedly clever debut, with the wit and intelligence of a classic Agatha Christie whodunit. It's a vintage-inspired ride with a dash of mystery, romance, and just enough suspense to keep the reader guessing. I was drawn in and held captive with the turn of each page!

Kristy Cambron,

author of
The Ringmaster's Wife
and the Hidden Masterpiece series

One does not merely read
The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder
. Rather, one enters the story, allows the author to take her on a wild ride through early twentieth century Toronto, and remains unable to do anything but turn the pages until the final scene has ended. McMillan has created characters whose exploits will live on well beyond this story. Well done! Now hurry and write the next one!

Kathleen Y'Barbo,

bestselling author of
Firefly Summer
and
Sadie's Secret

In her stunning debut, Rachel McMillan achieves a perfect balance of wit and warmth and invites readers into an entirely new world. More than intrepid detectives, Bachelor Girls Jem and Merinda are fully fleshed women, grappling with mysteries of the heart as well as those of the gritty streets of historic Toronto. A cast of supporting characters brings life and dimension, as well as the promise of more stories to come. McMillan's homage to the spirit of Sherlock and Watson stands solid on its own, whether in pick heels or brogans.

Allison Pittman,

author of
On Shifting Sand

Come for the gorgeous cover and promise of mystery; stay for the lilting romance and tingling wit. Rachel McMillan's debut is the perfect mix of engaging characters and a fresh, enticing voice. Simply put, I'm hooked!

Melissa Tagg,

author of
From the Start
and
Like Never Before

There's nothing more delicious than discovering an author whose novel is as fabulous as the cover art suggests. Debut author Rachel McMillan is a refreshing new talent in the inspirational market, penning an enchanting tale of murder, mayhem, and Sherlockesque shenanigans. Jem and Merinda will captivate readers' hearts as their adventurous spirits cause them to buck social norms for ladies of their day, resulting in humorous and dangerous consequences in equal measure. Toss in a charming Italian journalist with a penchant for verse and a dedicated member of the Canadian constabulary with a weakness for a certain woman, and sparks…and bullets…are bound to fly. Unique, witty, and invigorating, McMillan's prose is smooth, her historical detail excellent, and her bachelor girls appealing in every way. Sherlock Holmes and Phryne Fisher may need to step aside as Herringford & Watts, Lady Detectives, are on the case!

Rel Mollet,

Relz Reviewz

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Cover by Harvest House Publishers

Cover illustrations © Snusmumr, sibiranna / Shutterstock

Published in association with William K. Jensen Literary Agency, 119 Bampton Court, Eugene, Oregon 97404.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE BACHELOR GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER

Copyright © 2016 Rachel McMillan

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McMillan, Rachel, 1981-

The bachelor girl's guide to murder / Rachel McMillan.

pages cm — (Herringford and Watts mysteries; book 1)

ISBN 978-0-7369-6640-5 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-6641-2 (eBook)

1. Women detectives—Canada—Fiction. 2. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. I. Title.

PR9199.4.M4555B33 2016

813'.6—dc23

2015028830

All rights reserved.
No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author's and publisher's rights is strictly prohibited.

Dedication

FOR MAISIE

CONTENTS

Endorsements

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Epilogue

Author's Note

About the Author

Other Books by Rachel McMillan

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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