The Black-Banded Envelope
G.S. Boarman
Type: ARC
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery, literary
Word count: 152,500
From autumn 1870 to autumn 1871, M. Warner received nearly a dozen black-banded envelopes — containing death announcements of the same men: Secret Service agents Argent and Merritt, men she barely knew. She could never be certain which black-banded envelope held the truth. True Secret Service investigations intertwine with historical disasters in this latest installment of the M. Warner Annals. Please note: this book is over 120,000 words, so you will have three weeks to complete it. This book is also part of a series, and a series synopsis will be provided.
What’s this?
Before there were birth announcements there were death announcements, delivered on special mourning stationery — paper and envelopes, edged in black. From autumn 1870 to autumn 1871, M. Warner received nearly a dozen such notices, recounting the deaths of the same men: Secret Service agents Argent and Merritt, men who were little more than strangers to her.
Though seemingly written by different people, Warner suspects otherwise, and launches an oblique investigation to discover the true culprit. Her investigation, however, draws in the very men reported dead — from drowning to burning to murder, on trains and steamboats, in flood and fire. The agents’ own separate investigation — into a shadowy criminal mastermind — may hold the answer to Warner’s search. The death announcements always corresponded to the men’s travels and work, but she could never be certain which black-banded envelope held the truth. True Secret Service investigations intertwine with historical disasters in this latest installment of the M. Warner Annals.
Louisville, Kentucky native G. S. Boarman grew up enjoying stories about her mother’s family and farm life in nearby counties — stories of rural life in the mid-20th century that seemed more akin to life in the late 19th century. Some of these stories provide source material for the M. Warner Annals series. A daughter’s chance question about the Secret Service launched extensive research that inspired the series. Boarman enjoys a quiet life tending her gardens and conducting research for the next book.
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