The Versatiles

The tail end of the Eighteenth Century is no time for adventure, especially for young ladies who should hold their peace and know their place. Then again, Rosie Versatile is not your average young lady and this is not your average adventure. Along with Henry, her elderly grandfather, they are under the payroll of the King himself. Their job is to investigate the mysterious goings-on in the sleepy town of Hope. At first they are stumped. The whole of Hope is thriving, and busier than they could have anticipated, but they can't fathom why all the town's folk appear to be so jolly when it's clear to see the cracks in their smiles and fear in their eyes. With a little digging it doesn't take them long to discover that some of the folk have been found dead in their beds. And that's not all; by the looks of it the victims appear to have died of fright.Their accomplice, the hapless Samuel Steadfast, is of little help in unraveling the conundrum. He can't seem to take two paces out of the front door without tripping into the jaws of trouble.The plot thickens yet more when at Hope's Grand Theatre a charismatic and masked gentleman, calling himself Apollo, unveils his plans for a new England where everyone can be free from crime and poverty. He shows off his ingenious 'Oracle' machine, which he claims can read people's minds and help pave the way towards a brighter future. Lauded and praised as the beacon of a new epoch, Apollo and his plans draw Rosie, Henry and Sam deeper into a fantastical mystery that threatens to shake the foundations of the Empire, and change their lives forever.With secret societies, slavery, sword fights, shoot-outs, masked balls, petty theft, narrow escapes, highwaymen, graveyards, cross-dressing, black magic, fisticuffs and very bad acting, THE VERSATILES is a period romp that travels beyond the boundaries of imagination.......and then goes one step further