A Murder of Rogues

Author: Joe Heap

Reading age: from c 14 years (Young Adult)

Published on 14 August 2025 by Scholastic in the United Kingdom.

A compulsively entertaining historical YA novel that

playfully blends dark academia with scandal, murder mystery and queer

romance - like If We Were Villains meets Lex Croucher.

In Regency England, Cascabel Gray dreams of freedom - and disguises

herself as a boy to secure a place at Oxford University. After

all, she's as comfortable in breeches as she is in ballgowns.

Her plans are upended, however, when she receives a blackmail

letter from Charles Lafleur, a member of infamous secret society

the Rogues Club, threatening to expose her.

But when Lafleur is found dead, the plot thickens... and Cascabel

becomes a prime suspect in his murder. She joins the Rogues Club

to conduct an investigation of her own, and her life soon begins

to spiral out of control.

To survive, she must switch between her male and female personas,

attracting both fellow student William Grenville and a chambermaid

known as Mouse - and even attending a ball with an Austrian

prince. Can she find a way to balance her double life and clear

her name, before she loses everything?

This book combines the genius ingredients of cosy crime, queer

romance and dark academia, all wrapped up in a fast-paced, entertaining

plot - perfect for fans of Agency for Scandal, Laura

Steven and Lex Croucher.

A fierce, determined and irresistible protagonist who slips fluidly

between two identities and genders as Cascabel and Pom.

All the period-drama appeal of a historical Regency setting,

with a vibrant, modern sensibility and a sensitive handling of prejudice.

Joe's first novel, The Rules of Seeing, won the Romantic

Novelist Association's Debut Novel Award.

'Utterly absorbing... compellingly blending historicalmystery and queer romance.' - The Guardian