Death Among the Ruins — Pamela Christie

In the second in Pamela Christie's witty, deliciously unconventional Regency mystery series, Arabella Beaumont--courtesan and sleuth--discovers that the pursuit of art can be a dangerous thing. . .

London's aristocrats pay handsomely for the company of courtesan Arabella Beaumont. Arabella, in turn, wisely invests her earnings in an art collection that will endure long after her legendary charms have faded. It's a decided blow, then, when her antiquities dealer is murdered before he can procure an item for which she paid dearly--a rare and provocative statue of Pan. Undaunted, Arabella decides to travel to Italy and locate the treasure herself.

What begins as a delightful caprice soon takes on a sinister aspect. Arabella's quest appears to have made her a donna fatale, causing death and mayhem wherever she goes. A thing of beauty may be a joy forever, but Arabella's own life could be cut scandalously short unless she can locate the statue, and uncover the heart of an ever-deepening mystery. . .