A quiet lodger, a secret vice, and a fortune-seeker who will stop at nothing.



When a neighbor’s lodger is found dead, Vita Carew, a sharp-witted science student, is the first on the scene. The police pronounce it an accident, a fatal fall, but Vita remains unconvinced. Her access to the post–mortem reveals the truth: Albert Flett was murdered.



As Vita investigates, she uncovers a trail of evidence that suggests Albert’s quiet, unassuming ways were hiding a complex and dangerous secret life. When a prominent, eccentric old lady is also found dead under suspicious circumstances, Vita finds herself entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a ruthless killer. Can she convince the police to see the connection before the killer strikes again?



The Painted Penny Stamp is the fourth book in Fran Smith's captivating series of historical mysteries featuring clever female sleuth, Vita Carew.