A Lesson in Propriety

An enterprising young socialite copes with the loss of her family’s fortune in the spirited kickoff to the Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies series from Turano (Meeting Her Match). Fresh off being publicly dumped by her fiancé, Drusilla Merriweather decides to open a finishing school in the Chicago castle she and her sister inherited from a wealthy aunt. The sisters almost immediately discover the castle comes riddled with problems—not only is it haunted by walking suits of armor, but shady developers from Chicago’s underworld who want to acquire the property. To put a stop to the threats, the gun-toting Merriweather women team up with handsome architect Rhennick Whittenbecker and Drusilla’s childhood friend Seraphina. Then Drusilla’s mother, Irma, reveals a shocking secret about the thief who stole the family’s money, which throws the Merriweather clan into danger and the sisters’ plans into disarray. To save the day, the sisters must rely on their wits and their faith. The spunky Merriweather women form the book’s irresistible heart as they defy 19th-century society’s expectations for unmarried women, all while keeping readers entertained with plenty of laugh-out-loud antics (some involving their army of pet ferrets). It’s a blast. (May)