Ring of Darkness — Kate Ostrander

Sherman House Rooms to Let

The lodgings looked inviting enough -- the marble steps were scrubbed bright, the gaslight lamps flickered cozily -- and Shelley Norris thought she might find some comfort here away from a world that had treated her so harshly. Now she had a place to call home, a meager salary from her teaching job…and the promise of romance. A young inventor named Ralph Hastings, who fancied himself a Beau Brummel but who really did have the most engaging smile, had greeted her with much interest. Yes, Shelley hoped that things might begin to looked up now.

But Sherman House was no ordinary boarding house. Not with the strange coterie of circus folk who roomed there. Not with a Bearded Lady, a Human Skeleton, and a midget as dinner companions. And there were other complications…chief among them murder, with Shelley as the intended victim!