A Questionable Virtue: 2023

Assigned by the Evening Standard’s editor to write a short community bulletin on a missing man, Leonard Hardy unwittingly stumbles upon a criminal enterprise of global proportions. The trail leads him into the dubious world of horse racing and gambling, where he painfully discovers the extreme lengths criminals will go to protect their illicit schemes. His own orderly and well-structured life falls apart after meeting a young enigmatic and immoral woman with deadly intentions. Further seeking to undermine Leonard’s reputation and honour, the Evening Standard’s newest employee Neil Flanagan interferes, taking more than a casual interest in Leonard’s beautiful fiancé, Mary Worthington. Can Leonard preserve his respectability and save his relationship with her? What he holds most dear to him is suddenly lost, leaving him clutching only fragments of his fragile sanity. Is there any way out; will the Chinese Tong come to his aid? Set in 1886, Wellington, New Zealand, this Victorian-era mystery will take you to the edge of your seat and keep you awake long into the night as Leonard scrambles to restore his name, his dignity and untangle a baffling criminal plot. A Questionable Virtue, is the second book in the Leonard Hardy series, and like the first, you will find yourself on Wellington’s streets, captivated by unexpected twists and turns.