{"product_id":"9780702339691","title":"A Murder of Rogues","description":"\u003ch3\u003eAuthor: Joe Heap\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch4\u003eInterest age: from c 14 years\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch5\u003ePublished on 14 August 2025 by Scholastic in the United Kingdom.\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003ch4\u003ePaperback | 448 pages\u003cbr\u003e128 x 197 x 30mm | 300g\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA compulsively entertaining historical YA novel that\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eplayfully blends dark academia with scandal, murder mystery and queer\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eromance - like If We Were Villains meets Lex Croucher.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Regency England, Cascabel Gray dreams of freedom - and disguises\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eherself as a boy to secure a place at Oxford University. After\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eall, she's as comfortable in breeches as she is in ballgowns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer plans are upended, however, when she receives a blackmail\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eletter from Charles Lafleur, a member of infamous secret society\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe Rogues Club, threatening to expose her.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut when Lafleur is found dead, the plot thickens... and Cascabel\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebecomes a prime suspect in his murder. She joins the Rogues Club\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eto conduct an investigation of her own, and her life soon begins\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eto spiral out of control.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e To survive, she must switch between her male and female personas,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eattracting both fellow student William Grenville and a chambermaid\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eknown as Mouse - and even attending a ball with an Austrian\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eprince. Can she find a way to balance her double life and clear\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eher name, before she loses everything?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book combines the genius ingredients of cosy crime, queer\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eromance and dark academia, all wrapped up in a fast-paced, entertaining\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eplot - perfect for fans of Agency for Scandal, Laura\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSteven and Lex Croucher.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA fierce, determined and irresistible protagonist who slips fluidly\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebetween two identities and genders as Cascabel and Pom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll the period-drama appeal of a historical Regency setting,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewith a vibrant, modern sensibility and a sensitive handling of prejudice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJoe's first novel, The Rules of Seeing, won the Romantic\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNovelist Association's Debut Novel Award.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Utterly absorbing... compellingly blending historicalmystery and queer romance.' - The Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joe Heap","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56495254110533,"sku":"9780702339691","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0994\/3721\/6069\/files\/9780702339691.jpg?v=1764260696","url":"https:\/\/stripyduckbookshopcafe.co.uk\/products\/9780702339691","provider":"The Stripy Duck Bookshop Café","version":"1.0","type":"link"}