Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery 5)

When her governess inherits an estate on a Scottish island, amateur detective Myrtle Hardcastle couldn't be more excited. Unfortunately, the ancestral castle is both run-down and haunted. Ghostly moans echo in the walls, and there are rumours of a cursed treasure lost on the island-an ancient silver brooch that may have cost the former lord his life. But who had the motive, means, and opportunity to kill him? And could this Scottish trip mean the end of Myrtle's plans to get her father and governess together?

Then Myrtle's investigation stirs a villain out of hiding. The estate's boat is stolen, so there's no escape from the island. Myrtle is forced to play a deadly game, hunting for the brooch with a thief breathing down her neck-someone who will stop at nothing to get the treasure, even if it means murder.

2024 Edgar Allen Poe Award Nominee
2024 Agatha Award Nominee
"Fans of classic mysteries by Agatha Christie. . .will adore this deep dive into mysterious happenings, suspicious will changes, and moldering, remote estates."--YA Books Central
"Great addition to the Myrtle series."--Confessions of a YA Reader
"I wish I could give this book 10 stars."--Luminous Libro
"This book was absolutely wonderful . . . I absolutely recommend the Myrtle Hardcastle series to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, with wonderful characters!"--Just Another Teen Reading
Praise for the Edgar(R) Award-Winning Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries:

"Another thrilling mystery from our young Victorian sleuth... Enthusiastically, chaotically delightful." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review (In Myrtle Peril)

"Comical footnotes pepper the text, adding wit to prose which is already dryly funny. Clues abound, giving astute readers the chance to solve the mystery along with Myrtle. Another excellent whodunit with a charming, snarky sleuth." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review (Cold-Blooded Myrtle)

"[How to Get Away with Myrtle] will delight young Sherlock Holmes aficionados. This deeply plotted sequel is an additional purchase for collections serving the most precocious readers who long for a fast-paced mystery where women shine." --School Library Journal (How to Get Away with Myrtle)

"A joyful thing to behold. Set in Victorian England, this mystery gleefully overturns sexist norms and celebrates independent women of intellect, with Myrtle Hardcastle leading the charge." --Booklist, starred review (Premeditated Myrtle)

Elizabeth C. Bunce is the Edgar Award-winning author of Premeditated Myrtle and the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series, a three-time finalist for the Agatha Awards, and a finalist for the Edgar and Anthony Awards. She s also penned several young adult historical fantasies, including Morris Award winner A Curse Dark as Gold. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and their cats. Read more about Elizabeth and her books at

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