June Books 18) Twilight Whispers, by Barbara Delinsky
This is a throbbing sensual romance about the serving girl who falls in love with the prince, set among America's East Coast aristocracy, involving also a murder mystery which is resolved by a caring and sensitive police detective who violates all credible investigative routine to do so. There is much flashbacking to the mid-20th century (the book was written and set in 1988). I got hold of it for the totally spurious reason that one of the characters, described as "somber yet dashing", rejoices in the name of Nicholas Whyte, but he turns out to have little to do with the plot. Will appeal to steamy romance readers but doesn't really pull off the police procedural leg of the plot.