Nell Hallam is a determined 19-year-old pianist in Victorian England who has been working as a music-hall piano player, disguised as a man, to earn money for further study at the Royal Academy. She lives comfortably with her brother, Matthew, a Scotland Yard inspector, but the tuition far exceeds their means. At the Octavian Theater, her disguise is quickly seen through by two young men, both of whom tell her conflicting versions of the same stories. After a female performer is left for dead in an alley, Nell begins to realize that the Octavian is a front for an infamous crime ring. She is horrified, but situations develop that make her hesitant to share her suspicions with her brother. The headstrong and engaging Nell evokes Victoria Thompson's Sarah Brandt and Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Ashton.

Set in London in 1875, this well-researched novel from Odden (A Lady in the Smoke) offers plenty of period detail, a sweet love story, and a plucky heroine. Nineteen-year-old Nell Halloran, a gifted musician, has one clear goal: to be accepted to study piano at the prestigious (and expensive) Royal Academy. To afford tuition, she has taken a job as an accompanist at the Octavian Music Hall. This requires her to disguise herself as a man and to sneak out of the home she shares with her older brother, Matthew, a Scotland Yard detective, for her nightly escapades. Meanwhile, the family doctor, James Everett, is concerned that Nell may be too passionately involved in her music and fears for her mental health. Nell-s bravery and resourcefulness are tested when she becomes aware of a criminal organization involved in robbery and murder. If that weren-t enough to keep her on her toes, she-s also falling in love with one of her music hall companions. Fans of mystery-tinged historical romances will be satisfied. Agent: Josh Getzler, HSG Agency. (Nov.)