A Victorian romance that pits author against author

Elizabeth Black may be the headmistress of the ladies’ school and a well-respected author of “silver-fork” novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, she writes very different types of stories-the Penny Dreadfuls that are all the rage among the working-class males. Beneath the pseudonym Mr. King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting supernatural risks and dangerous outlaws about THE GIRL and the Highwayman romancing helpless ladies. They contain all the adventure and secret that her true to life lacks.

Fletcher Walker began existence as a road urchin, but is currently probably the most successful writer in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Mr. King started taking most of his readers-and his profits. No one knows who King can be, including Fletcher’s fellow users of the Dread Cent Culture, a fraternity of writers focused on secretly fighting for the privileges of the less fortunate.

Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher strategies Miss Black. As a fellow author, she actually is well-known among the high-class authors; perhaps she could possibly be persuaded to create some inquiries concerning Mr. King’s whereabouts? Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, only if to ensure her secret identity is never found out.

For the first time, Elizabeth encounters the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure similar to one of her own books as she tries to throw Fletcher off her aroma. But the more time they spend jointly, the more she manages to lose her center. It’s upper-class against working-class, author against writer where readers, reputations, and romance are all at risk.