This delightful mystery introduces us to the sharp and spirited Constance Silver and the enigmatic Solomon Grey as they dive into their very first official investigation. What begins as a seemingly whimsical ghost hunt in the garden of the elegant but troubled Angela Lambert quickly spirals into something far darker—and far more dangerous.

Disguised as a maid, Constance navigates a household steeped in secrets, where whispers of criminal underworld dealings and tragic building collapses suggest that the ghost may not be the most sinister presence after all. When a body turns up in the cellar, the stakes are raised, and Constance finds herself in deeper than she ever expected.

The chemistry between Constance and Solomon crackles on the page—intellectual equals, emotionally complex, and undeniably compelling. Their relationship dances between camaraderie and tension, with moments of unexpected tenderness that hint at something more… even if Constance isn’t quite ready to admit it.

The real strength of this story lies in its atmosphere: part Gothic mystery, part Victorian crime drama, with just the right amount of romantic intrigue to keep your heart fluttering as your mind races to solve the case.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Ghosts, Secrets, and Murder
Angela hires Silver and Grey to investigate a ghost in her garden—but Solomon and Constance suspect something far less supernatural. As they dig into the shadows of the Lambert household, secrets multiply, and soon, murder makes an unwelcome appearance. Who is the ghost, and who is the killer?
Silver and Grey are determined to uncover the truth, no matter the danger. But justice comes at a price—and so does unspoken longing. Constance may be Solomon’s investigative partner, but she doesn’t believe she’s worthy of more. As the owner of a brothel, she’s used to being judged—but Solomon seems to see her differently. Could he convince her she’s more than she believes?
This historical mystery, laced with slow-burn romance and clever twists, was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I’d recommend it to readers who like their mysteries set in the past—with secrets, suspense, and a hint of forbidden romance.

Constance Silver and Solomon Grey are partners in their investigation business, known as Silver and Grey. Their first case as partners is to catch a ghost. Constance goes undercover as a maid for their client, Angela Lambert, to uncover the ghost. Angela's husband, Caleb Lambert and his partner Huxley Gregg are slum lords. Lambert stays in the shadows, while his partner is blamed for the collapse of a slum building killing and maiming tenants. While Constance and Solomon look for a ghost, they find the missing Gregg. The case takes a not so unexpected turn. Silver and Grey are a unique couple, who may seem mismatched, but have a lot in common when it comes to solving cases. A strong attraction and heated kisses.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This one just didn't get me hooked for some reason. It could have been the writing style or something else, but I just couldn't get through it.

This is another great book in the series. It was full of plot twists and turns. And the romance is so good!

Another good read in this series. There are many twists and turns of the mystery some where rather obvious but some where a surprise. The story line has some important developments which seem to show more to come. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This third book in The Silver and Grey series was another intriguing and captivating historical mystery romance. I'm enjoying getting to know them better with each story and how their relationship, both professional and personal, is developing more romantically with each story. I really liked how we got to know Constances mother. The ending was interesting and made me smile. I look forward to the next story. I highly recommend reading!

Really good again! I loved the mystery, I thought it was
Interesting had red herrings that kept you guessing and plot twist that were unexpected. I love the romantic aspect of this series as well. I’m glad we got movement, honestly more than I was expecting but I’m really happy with it. I love our main characters. Constance runs a brothel as ethically as one can. Helping those around her when possible. Solomon is a man of character that is intrigued by Constance, he appreciates her mind and intelligence. Which I love, he could easily judge her but prefers to be by her side even just as friends. I love that this is dual POV. I would categorize this as mystery first but that is why I started reading this series. I think I would like the next mystery to do with some of his past cause I feel like we don’t know a lot about him yet and I need more.

Book three of this wonderful series takes us on many twists and turns of the mystery. Some were obvious while a number of them were not. Silver and Grey take on their first case, finding the ghost in a ladies garden. The story line has some important developments and most likely will lead into the next book. The characters, Silver and Grey are always a delight to follow. Because of their differences in culture and background it's always fun to see how they meld on each case. Overall wonderful

5 stars

Great continuation to the series. Silver and Grey have set up an Agency and this is their first case. A woman wants to find out wether a ghost walking near her house is corporal and what's it stopped.

Constance moves into the household as a maid. She dislikes Angela's husband, Caleb who tries it on wth her and this hints at some bad things in Constances own past. Meanwhile Grey looks into the destruction of slum dwelling and who was at fault. I must admit I twigged who with Caleb was responsible for the mistakes that caused the tradegy. At the same time Silver and Grey's relationship moves on a bit more.

Heartily recommend.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This is from a Victorian mystery series that is easier to follow if you read them in order, but each book has its own murder / mystery to solve. In this one, like the previous, guessing the guilty party is next to impossible. That is what makes each book so much fun. The growing relationship between the hero and heroine will also keep you smiling. You can't help falling in love with them. I hope we stl have many more mysteries to solve.
I loved it.

This book was so well written and the story gripped me until the end. When I thought that I had solved the mystery, something else was revealed that made me reconsider and think back to other clues that were dropped earlier in the story. The main characters, Ms. Silver and Mr. Gray were fleshed out and made me care about their friendship. The only thing that I was left wanting were the characters' motivations; the protagonists motivations were not very clear, nor were the antagonists motivations, and this latter issue left a small plot hole that confused me, since I expected that to be cleared up by the end.

this book was really good i loved the mystery about who the ghost was it was such a page turner. I love the cover of this book and the characters. Thank you for this book Mary Lancaster is one of my favorite authors.

This is book three, but could be read as a standalone. If your familiar with the authors work then you will enjoy some more of her characters, which is a nice touch. I enjoyed this historical, kinda romantic, mystery and look forward to the next one.

Ghost in the garden
By Mary Lancaster

A wildly, worldly wonderful tale written by a gifted author. It’s about two detectives from different backgrounds and cultures. This is only the second book in the series but it’s already gathered a following. There are some unexpected twists but at the end of the day and the end of the book our detectives find the culprit/culprits and one culminating scene that will change our characters lives forever. Great second in series, great love story and great mystery. I loved it. I think you will to. Fun read.

Really good again! I loved the mystery, I thought it was
Interesting had red herrings that kept you guessing and plot twist that were unexpected. I love the romantic aspect of this series as well. I’m glad we got movement, honestly more than I was expecting but I’m really happy with it. I love our main characters. Constance runs a brothel as ethically as one can. Helping those around her when possible. Solomon is a man of character that is intrigued by Constance, he appreciates her mind and intelligence. Which I love, he could easily judge her but prefers to be by her side even just as friends. I love that this is dual POV. I would categorize this as mystery first but that is why I started reading this series. I think I would like the next mystery to do with some of his past cause I feel like we don’t know a lot about him yet and I need more.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.


Ghost in the Garden, book three in Mary Lancaster’s Victorian Mystery series, Silver and Grey, is now available! I am hooked on this series.

Constance Silver, a notorious brothel owner and Solomon Grey, a wealthy, upright businessman from Jamaica have both learned enough about aristocrats to circulate along the fringes of the ton, but they both have complicated pasts that would prevent them from ever belonging in that crowd. Thrown together in the past while pursuing their own interests, Constance and Solomon have teamed up to solve murders before. Discovering themselves skilled at this, and adept as partners, they decide to open an inquiry agency as a sideline to their regular work.

It isn’t only an interest in solving mysteries that inspired the agency. They also wanted a way to keep and grow the connection between them. Although a romance is impossible—Constance doesn’t want to leave the brothel, 1) because she has created it as a lifeline for women who have no other place to go, and 2) neither Constance nor Solomon want that kind of relationship. Constance doesn’t sell her own body. And she doesn’t force the down-and-out women who come to her to enter the prostitution business unless they want to. The others, she works to place in respectable jobs.

But, impossible though it may be, there’s a spark between the two that grows hotter with each book.

The first official case the agency takes on is to investigate a ghost-like figure that has been seen in the foggy garden of a wealthy slum lord. The person hiring them is the man’s formidable wife. In order to get into the house, to investigate the ghost, Constance takes a pretend position as the wife’s lady’s maid. The pervasive sense of danger is justified when they find a dead body in the wine cellar. Now, it’s another murder investigation, not just a ghost hunt.

Constance and Solomon hunt for clues while the reader follows along. The identity of the murderer may not come as a surprise to the reader, but the maze of clues and urgency of solving the case makes a compelling story. And the deepening of the relationship between the two protagonists adds to the suspense.

I can’t wait for book four!

Each book in this series just gets better. The attraction between Constance Silver and Solomon Grey continues to escalate, however, neither of them has the courage to express themselves freely, and it is only as the suspense ramps up that they have to acknowledge their feelings and learn to compromise. The romance in this novel is low-key, but the tension keeps escalating to an unexpected conclusion. Although their latest client appears to be a well-off woman, Constance nevertheless recognizes Angela's humble beginnings. She also knows that Caleb Lambert is an unsavoury character, but has to acknowledge that there is something more to the man when she sees him in a vulnerable situation. Finding the ghost in the garden proves complicated, opening up a can of worms. They find an unexpected source of information through Constance's mother, and to some degree, this brings a new level of understanding between the two women. This mystery romance is part of a series, however, each book is a standalone and comes to a satisfying conclusion. I received a copy of this novel as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

A new installment in the romantic cozy mystery series. As the first case of Silver & Grey develops, several “side” issues are described that provide the social and historical background for the main story. Living conditions for the workers and poor in 19th century London being in the forefront. We also get to know a bit more about Constance, but the details about her past and her business still remain uncovered. On the other hand, Sol’s story is not being discussed in this book. But we get to see a bit of the Tizsas (fresh from their ghostly trip to Scotland) and a glimpse at several other characters from the Crime&Passion series. Which I liked very much (fun to see the characters from another point of view). Although, inspector Harris is rightfully seething amongst that many amateurs dabbling in his job at the same time. Maybe “Silver&Gray” will become “Crime&Passion” in the further installments, so they all can officially work together ;)
The twists and turns of the mystery were not always obvious and the relationship story line did lead to an important development (that might have an impact on the agency name). A bit too much of the almost teenage angst throughout the book, although the reasoning behind it is matching the two previous installments.
An enjoyable read- look forward to the last chapter!
I received an ARC from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

Silver and Grey now have an investigative agency and have been hired by Mrs. Angela Lambert to investigate what appears to be a ghost in her garden. Constance goes undercover as Angela’s lady’s maid. They learn quickly that Angela’s husband and his partner are slum lords, and are connected to a building collapse that caused injury and death. What seemed to be a simple case soon turns dangerous. The action, danger, and suspense in this exciting story keeps you guessing until the end. There are several suspects in two murders. Constance and Solomon must weed through an unfriendly household, an untrustworthy client, evidence, clues, secrets, and deceit to pinpoint the murderer(s). There are some familiar characters from previous stories, and some new ones. Constance’s mother is a delight. She encourages the feelings between our intrepid couple that have been simmering below the surface. Entertaining story, great characters, and a wonderful ending. I look forward to what happens next.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.