The Black Moth

When Lord Jack Carstares is falsely accused of cheating at cards, the young nobleman accepts the blame to protect his brother. Alone and friendless in his European exile, Jack is obliged to develop his skills as a swordsman -- an accomplishment he puts to use upon his return to England, where he embarks upon a new career as a highwayman. Chivalrous Jack, like Robin Hood, steals only from the rich and shares his loot with the needy. And when he foils the attempted kidnapping of raven-haired beauty Diana Beauleigh, his rescue sets the stage for a thrilling romance and a chance at redemption.

Georgette Heyer's debut novel, written as a diversion for her ailing brother, abounds in the qualities that make her books perennial favorites with lovers of historical romance: colorful characters, sparkling dialogue, and lively plotting punctuated by swashbuckling action. Set in the 1750s, The Black Moth is rich in Georgian-era atmosphere, offering a compulsive page-turner that novelist and critic Margaret Drabble praised as "stylish, romantic, sharp, and witty."