Whispering Lane

Following the death of her beloved fiancé Roderick, Miss Danby finds herself pursued by the calculating Dr. Slanton, who is determined to claim both her hand and her fortune. When the doctor's body is discovered in the woods near her cottage one morning, Miss Danby becomes the prime suspect. Though she protests her innocence, she refuses to explain the circumstances that could spare her from the gallows. The only clue is a single word uttered by the dying man: "whispering." Aileen, Roderick's sister who shares Miss Danby's home, joins forces with her lover and with Inspector Trant, who carries knowledge of Aileen's long-dead father. Together they race to unravel the mystery of whispering lane before the noose tightens. What follows is a labyrinth of buried secrets, broken hearts, and the particular cruelty of a society that disposes of women with frightening ease. Fergus Hume, the master who defined Victorian sensation fiction, delivers a story where everyone has something to hide and justice demands excavating the lies we tell ourselves.