Medium Dead — Paula Paul

Sure to delight readers of Jacqueline Winspear, Emma Jameson, and Laura Childs, this short novel features Queen Victoria herself -- and she's rumored to have slain a local psychic in Newton-upon-Sea. Now the task of clearing her name and catching the real killer falls to Dr. Alexandra Gladstone.

Under Victoria's reign, women are barred from calling themselves physicians, but that hasn't stopped Alexandra Gladstone. As the first female doctor in Newton-upon-Sea, she spends her days tending sick villagers in the practice she inherited from her father, with her loyal and sometimes overprotective dog, Zack, by her side. 
 
After the corpse of village spiritualist Alvina Elwold is discovered aboveground at a church boneyard, wild rumors circulate through the charming seaside village, including one implicating a certain regal guest lodging nearby. Tales of the dead Alvina hobnobbing with spirits and hexing her enemies are even more outlandish -- but as a woman of science and reason, Alexandra has no doubt that a murderer made of flesh and blood is on the loose.
 
Finding out the truth means sorting through a deluge of ghostly visitors, royal sightings, and shifty suspects. At least her attentive and handsome friend Nicholas Forsyth, Lord Dunsford, has come to her aid. Alexandra will need all the help she can get, because she's stumbled upon dangerous secrets -- while provoking a deadly adversary who wants to keep them buried.

Praise for Medium Dead
 
“An entertaining cozy mystery written with vivid historical detail . . . If you like reading historical mysteries with just a hint of romance, then Medium Dead should be right up your street.” -- Fictionophile
 
“There are more than a few scenes where Alexandra's dog, Zack, steals the show.” -- Reading Reality
 
“I would recommend this to fans of the Maisie Dobbs series. There's a strong female character in a historical setting. She's determined, logical, intelligent and faces an unusual situation.” -- The Reader's Hollow

Praise for Paula Paul's Alexandra Gladstone mysteries
 
“The Dr. Alexandra Gladstone series by Paula Paul presents an intriguing mixture of mystery, romance, and history. I especially love the way real personalities from the past keep popping up to intermingle with Paul's fictional characters.” -- Lois Duncan, award-winning and bestselling author of Killing Mr. Griffin and I Know What You Did Last Summer
 
“A lively mixture of ruling class murder, Victorian morals, and love.” -- Bestselling author Tony Hillerman