On a Desert Shore: A Regency Mystery    by S. K. Rizzolo Order:  USA  Can Poisoned Pen, 2016 (2016) Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Marina Garrod is the daughter of an extremely wealthy London merchant, Hugo Garrod. Her mother is a slave on Garrod's Jamaican plantation! Marina has had all the advantages afforded young ladies to become welcomed into upper crust society. Her birth, however, is much talked about in London tea rooms. While hosting a tea party in honor of his beautiful daughter, Hugo is hoping Marina will catch the eye of a prominent man who will overlook her birth. At the party, a number of guests become quite ill. While it is beginning to look as though someone may have altered the ingredients in the tea, police are called. Hugo lies dying and already there is speculation as to who will be the heir to his vast estate. At that time in the world, women were not thought to have the brain power to oversee such a large holding. Or any holding at all. Enter Mrs. Penelope Wolfe who earns her living by her pen which is frowned upon. How dare a woman place herself in a man's world? Hugo had wanted her to more or less advertise the availability of his daughter to marry. John Chase, a Bow Street Runner had been employed to protect Marina. He now finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation. Who is responsible for the doctored tea? Who has the most to gain? Will Marina have to go back to Jamaica? Is she truly as hysterical as those who care for her claim? Is she getting proper care? A story with many questions. Discovering the answers takes the reader's time. But in between the questions are many lovely descriptions of a luxurious estate. The home seems too beautiful to house someone who will do anything to accomplish sinister ends. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews