Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie is the first of ten historical mystery novels featuring Susanna, Lady Appleton, gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth. She's an expert on poisonous herbs, just what's needed to solve the crime when the steward on her husband's estate in Lancashire is found face down in a dish of marrow-bone pie. Lady Appleton is aided in her sleuthing by her faithful servants, Jennet and Mark, and hampered by the political ambitions of her duplicitous husband, Sir Robert. The story is set in England at the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth Tudor. This edition has been newly edited by the author.

"A nice rural flavor, complete with authentic rustics, living conditions, and social customs, blends with family secrets and a slightly twisted plot to make this an enticing first historical." Library Journal