Gilded Cage
Lilywhite Boys, Book 2
Once upon a time a boy from a noble family fell in love with a girl from the gutter. It went as badly as you’d expect.
Seventeen years later, Susan Lazarus is a renowned detective, and Templeton Lane is a jewel thief. She’s tried to arrest him, and she’s tried to shoot him. They’ve never tried to talk.
Then Templeton is accused of a vicious double murder. Now there’s a manhunt out for him, the ports are watched, and even his best friends have turned their backs. If he can’t clear his name, he’ll hang.
There’s only one person in England who might help Templeton now…assuming she doesn’t want to kill him herself.
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Cover art by Lennan Adams at Lexiconic Design
Art by Vic Grey
Narrated by Cornell Collins & Victoria Aston
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References to a character’s miscarriage (off page). Discussion of bereavement. Violence. References to off-page violence against women. Off-page murder.
“Sharp humor and snappy dialogue permeate this book … It is a delight to see Susan and James take flight together, and their romance is very satisfying.”
“This book is magnificent. It handles its themes of acceptance, forgiveness, trauma and trust with the honesty and care it deserves. The strength of their connection, the rawness of their past pain and misunderstanding, the sheer stubborn trust they have in each other, was enough to make me sob in public. That yearning , my god.”
“Chock full of brilliant cameos, sly references to earlier novels, and characters you can’t help but love – and root for. The mystery is clever and satisfying, and the romance… well, it’s lovely.”
“Susan Lazarus, Victorian street urchin turned lady detective, who takes no prisoners, suffers no fools, and gives no fucks, is as uncompromisingly and furiously magnificent as previous books set her up to be. Templeton Lane a.k.a. James Vane, aristocrat turned jewel thief, who treads lightly, snarks cheerfully, allows himself to be vulnerable, and treats consent and equality as the matter of course they ought to be, is her perfect foil. Their second-chance romance, deliciously intertwined with a bittersweet past and a long laundry list of betrayals and deceit, delivers all the feels. And naturally, there’s murders and schemes and shenanigans, just in case you get bored. (You won’t get bored.)”
