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Ashley Gardner

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.gardnermysteries.com

Twitter

GardnerAuthor

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Historical Fiction, Romance

Member Since

April 2009

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Ashley Gardner is the pseudonym for NY Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Ashley and nationally bestselling and award-winning author Allyson James. Her award-winning Captain Lacey Regency mysteries have garnered top reviews and an enthusiastic following. These books are now available as digital editions. More about the series can be found at http://www.gardnermysteries.com ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Hi, Ashley! I'm a huge fan of your Captain Lacey mysteries. You write about very specific streets and parts of town in London. Have you spent a lot of time there, or do you mainly get your location ideas from historical research? Just curious. :)

Ashley Gardner Hi Laura: Thank you! I have visited London and walked its streets extensively. My feet get sore! But I find I learn the town very well by walking inst…moreHi Laura: Thank you! I have visited London and walked its streets extensively. My feet get sore! But I find I learn the town very well by walking instead of taking a taxi, tube, or tour bus. That said, Regency London has differences from modern London--roads have been put through in the last two hundred years that simply weren't there in Lacey's time. (However, you'd be amazed at what is there). I also have historic maps of London, which are painstakingly detailed, with every passage and house in a passage marked. More detailed than today's maps, even more than Google maps! I love maps, so walking the streets in my mind is as much fun as doing it in person (almost). I plan to return to London and do more walking in the next year or so.(less)

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Hello ! I'm a huge fan of your books and their hero. But not of Louisa, who asks Gabriel to forgive Brandon the horrible thing he did to him, and abandons him in book 3. Did you draw her character in accordance to the unconditional loyalty and strongly submissive behavior wives of these times were supposed to keep ? Is she described as a wonderful and strong person only because we see her through Gabriel's eyes ?

Ashley Gardner Louisa is a complex person. She fell happily in love when she was very young and married Brandon and then became disillusioned because of Brandon's st…moreLouisa is a complex person. She fell happily in love when she was very young and married Brandon and then became disillusioned because of Brandon's stubborn, blustering, and not always intelligent personality. Also never being able to bring a child to term really hurt her. She might have been happy with Brandon if they'd had children. She also sees how the enmity between Brandon and Lacey is hurting Lacey, whom she loves--but not necessarily in a physical way. I'd say she's a lady caught in a situation where she doesn't know what she wants or what to do. So she's determined to stick by Brandon, whom she does love, but she might not *like* him all the time. Also, it was the proper thing to to (divorce was very difficult), though her emotions get the better of her sometimes. Your assessment that she's wonderful and strong only through Gabriel's eyes is a good one. He saw her as the ideal woman, the ideal wife, and regretted he didn't meet her first! At least in the beginning of the series. As the series goes on, Gabriel still likes her and is her friend, but he becomes more clear-eyed about her. We all have friends we love but watch them make mistakes. I'll keep an eye on Louisa and Brandon in future.(less)

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Combine Editions
Ashley Gardner’s books

Average rating: 4.12 · 42,646 ratings · 3,074 reviews · 48 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Hanover Square Affair (Captain Lacey, #1) by Ashley Gardner (Goodreads Author), Jennifer Ashley (Goodreads Author) 3.78 avg rating — 7,685 ratings — published 2003 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Regimental Murder (Captain Lacey, #2) 4.02 avg rating — 2,548 ratings — published 2004 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Glass House (Captain Lacey, #3) 4.06 avg rating — 2,193 ratings — published 2004 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sudbury School Murders (Captain Lacey, #4) 4.07 avg rating — 1,929 ratings — published 2005 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Body in Berkeley Square (Captain Lacey, #5) 4.17 avg rating — 1,795 ratings — published 2005	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Covent Garden Mystery (Captain Lacey, #6) 4.21 avg rating — 1,738 ratings — published 2006	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Death in Norfolk (Captain Lacey, #7) 4.22 avg rating — 1,729 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Blood of a Gladiator (Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries, #1) 4.32 avg rating — 1,525 ratings — published 2020 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Mystery at Carlton House (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, #12) 4.35 avg rating — 1,467 ratings — published 2017	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Disappearance in Drury Lane (Captain Lacey, #8) 4.18 avg rating — 1,499 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Ashley Gardner…

161 posts
Ashley Gardner's Blog

New Historical Novel: Eloise and the Queen

Eloise and the Queen (a novel of Elizabeth I) is on pre-order to release soon! (Nov 17 if you purchase directly from my site; Nov 24 from the vendors). Find it at: My Web store: https://geni.us/Xu9K (ebook, paperback, and hardback) Amazon: https://geni.us/FVme (ebook; paperback available on release date) BN: https://geni.us/xWF839 (ebook and paperback) Kobo: https://geni.us/G2Wmdr […] Read more of this blog post »

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Published on November 12, 2025 11:22

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Series by Ashley Gardner

Captain Lacey (17 books)
by

Ashley Gardner (Goodreads Author)

4.10 avg rating — 36,796 ratings

Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries (3 books)
by

Ashley Gardner (Goodreads Author),

Jennifer Ashley (Goodreads Author)

4.20 avg rating — 4,725 ratings

Robert Archer Paranormal Mysteries (1 book)
by

Ashley Gardner (Goodreads Author),

Jennifer Ashley (Goodreads Author)

4.15 avg rating — 261 ratings

Emilie D'Armand (1 book)
by

Ashley Gardner (Goodreads Author),

Jennifer Ashley (Goodreads Author)

3.84 avg rating — 76 ratings

Ashley is Currently Reading

Ashley Gardner is currently reading

The Hanover Square Affair (Captain Lacey, #1)

by Ashley Gardner (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: captain-lacey-regency-mysteries, currently-reading

read in February 2011

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Ashley Gardner said: " Book One of the Captain Lacey mysteries, Kindle edition. "

Mar 19, 2011 02:18AM · see review

Ashley Gardner is currently reading

Bodyguard (Shifters Unbound, #2.5)

by Jennifer Ashley (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: ashley-gardner-writing-as, paranormal-urban-fantasy, currently-reading

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Apr 29, 2023 12:51PM

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Ashley’s Recent Updates

Ashley Gardner wrote a new blog post New Historical Novel: Eloise and the Queen Eloise and the Queen (a novel of Elizabeth I) is on pre-order to release soon! (Nov 17 if you purchase directly from my site; Nov 24 from the vendors) Read more of this blog post »
Nov 14, 2025 12:02AM · like
Ashley Gardner answered Amy's question: The synopsis of the new Captain Lacey book, due out in May, is written in first person, present tense. Is the whole book written that way? And if so, why the change? The book A Darkness in Seven Dials is not written in present tense (it's past). The blurb is only because it's conversational. The book is in first person--all the books in this series are. There is an excerpt here: https://gardnermysteries.com/books See Full Answer
Mar 24, 2024 08:09AM · 2 likes · like

More of Ashley's books…

Quotes by Ashley Gardner (?)

“But perhaps peace was not in a place but within one's self.”
― Ashley Gardner, Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Volume Two

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“Sometimes there is no comfort, only the knowledge that the worst has happened.”
― Ashley Gardner, The Hanover Square Affair

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“A good book is like a good friend, do you know, Lacey? One you can turn to when the night is cold and you are lonely. And there is old Herodotus, standing ready to regale me with tales of his travels.”
― Ashley Gardner, Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Volume Two

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Polls

Vote for our May 2016 group read...

The Soldier's Curse by Meg Keneally

8 votes, 22.2%

The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza

8 votes, 22.2%

The Girls He Adored by Jonathan Nasaw

7 votes, 19.4%

The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner

4 votes, 11.1%

The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter

4 votes, 11.1%

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen

3 votes, 8.3%

Kickback by Garry Disher

2 votes, 5.6%

The Sculptor by Gregory Funaro

0 votes, 0.0%

36 total votes

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