The Mysteries of the Court of London

# THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT OF LONDON

This serialized novel, set in January 1795, opens at the George and Blue Boar tavern in Holborn where commercial travellers gather. Mr. Page, a bagman newly returned from the Midlands, announces sensational news: Sir Richard Stamford of Aylesbury—a seemingly respectable baronet, banker, and philanthropist—stands accused of an extraordinary catalogue of crimes including fraud, forgery, murder, and arson. Specifically, Stamford has allegedly defrauded local tradesmen, committed multiple forgeries against the banking firm of which he is a partner, murdered his beautiful wife, and burned his own country estate. The scandal emerged when Mr. Ramsey, the other banking partner, discovered the forgeries and attempted to confront Stamford at Stamford Manor, only to find the baronet absent and communicating instead with Lady Stamford. The narrative promises to unfold these crimes and their ramifications through subsequent chapters featuring investigations by Bow Street officers, court intrigue involving the Prince of Wales, and London's criminal and aristocratic underworld.