What is the title of your latest release?
MURDER OF A MERRY GENTLEMAN (Lady Petra Inquires, book 4)
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
It’s Christmastime in London, 1815, and Lady Petra is helping the Lady Patronesses of Almack’s Assembly Rooms with a charity bachelor auction. But when Petra and a group of science-minded young ladies discover the dead body of one of the bachelors, Petra will need to act like a lady – a Lady Patroness, that is – think like an enterprising scientist and use every investigative tactic she’s learned to uncover the truth before it’s too late.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I knew I wanted so set Lady Petra’s next adventure at Christmastime and at Almack’s Assembly Rooms, so having the setting be in London was a no-brainer, and so much fun to write!
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely! Lady Petra and all her friends would be a delight to be around – and maybe I’d even solve a mystery with her.
What are three words that describe your heroine?
Clever. Headstrong. Loyal.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That there were so many women during the Regency era (1811-1820) who were studied and made great strides in the sciences. Unsurprisingly, it’s generally only the men who are remembered for it, but that’s beginning to change.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I do both. I lightly edit as I write but then edit on a more significant level once my first draft is completed.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
It varies with the day, but right now it’s gelato.
Describe your writing space/office!
My office is small, painted a deep green, and has bookshelves lining two walls that are packed with books. I have a sit-stand desk and a small treadmill I walk on while writing, and a lovely view outside my window!
Who is an author you admire?
A few authors of historical mysteries and fiction whose books I admire include Jacqueline Winspear, Susan Elia MacNeal, Rhys Bowen, Martha Waters, Julia Kelly, Kate Quinn, Jess Armstrong, and Anna Lee Huber.
Is there a book that changed your life?
It’s not a mystery, but ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL by James Herriot is a book that changed my life, and I read it for the first time when I was about ten years old. Each chapter is a story in and of itself and it brings you into 1930s rural Yorkshire, England, and leaves you delightfully spellbound throughout the entire book. It’s still one of the best-written, most entertaining, charming, and moving books I’ve ever read – and I’ve read it multiple times now.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
It was 2017, I was at work, and I got a call from Minotaur Books, telling me my unpublished cozy mystery, MURDER ONCE REMOVED (Ancestry Detective mysteries, book 1) had won the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery contest, and I was going to be published! My coworker was on the phone a few feet away, so I couldn’t shout with joy, but I wanted to! It was a dream come true nonetheless, and I’ve continued to feel so lucky to be doing what I love in writing and publishing books.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mystery or romance. I love a good mystery that also has a good romance in it!
What’s your favorite movie?
It all depends on the genre, but I can always watch While You Were Sleeping.
What is your favorite season?
Spring!
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I love to be traveling on my birthday. Either with friends or on my own, its wonderful.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The Diplomat, Slow Horses, and Off Campus are TV shows I’ve been loving, the latter two are also excellent book series.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Sushi, or pretty much all Asian cuisine
What do you do when you have free time?
I love to travel, read, go to dinners with friends, and be outside as often as possible.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on my next historical mystery, the details of which I hope to announce soon!
MURDER OF A MERRY GENTLEMAN by Celeste Connally
Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in this dazzling fourth installment to the captivating Regency-era Lady Petra Inquires mystery series.
London, December, 1815. It’s Christmastime, and Lady Petra Forsyth is concentrating on behaving herself. Thus, she’s volunteered to assist the Lady Patronesses of Almack’s Assembly Rooms with a series of bachelor-auction dances in the fortnight leading up to Christmas Eve. Over five nights, the families of unmarried ladies will each bid for their daughter to be the evening’s hostess and dance with the five eligible bachelors—called the Merry Gentlemen in a nod to the season.
However, after only the first evening, Petra discovers the dead body of one of the bachelors, splayed below the ballroom’s balcony. The death is declared an accident, but when another bachelor’s life is nearly ended a few days later, Petra fears something more sinister may be afoot. As tensions rise, the Patronesses ask Petra to investigate from within…by pretending to be one of the ladies vying for the bachelors’ attentions. Indeed, it’s enough to make an obstinate, headstrong girl scream.
As she begins to unravel the truth, all while pretending to flirt with the bachelors to keep her cover, Petra will need to act like a lady—a Lady Patroness, that is—think like an enterprising scientist, and use every lock pick and defensive move she has learned to ensure that her reputation—and her life—don’t become the next target.
Mystery Historical | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [ St. Martin’s Press, On Sale: November 10, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250387424 / eISBN: 9781250387431 ]
Buy MURDER OF A MERRY GENTLEMAN: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Celeste Connally
CELESTE CONNALLY is the USA Today bestselling author of the Lady Petra Inquires series, an Agatha Award nominee, and a former freelance writer and editor. Her mysteries are set in Regency-era England and feature a headstrong heroine, a feminist spin, and as many equestrian scenes as her plots and editor will allow. She delights in giving her mysteries a good dose of romance, too, and a few research facts she hopes you’ll find as interesting as she does. Passionate about history and slightly obsessed with period dramas, what Celeste loves most is reading and writing about women who don’t always do as they are told.
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