Set after World War I, Jess Armstrong's award-winning, USA Today bestseller series is a gothic murder mystery at its finest, and Ruby Vaughn returns in The Devil in Oxford.If American heiress Ruby Vaughn had been asked how the paranormal had come to such an extent in her life, she would have immediately pointed to her roommate and employer, Mr. Owen, who is over eighty years old. Together the two run a rare bookstore in Exeter. Mr. Owen's penchant for obscure, unusual, and sometimes illegal books has been known to get Ruby into trouble. After last year, Ruby is looking forward to a quiet holiday in the picturesque city of Oxford, while Mr. Owen takes the reinsmatters.
Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. Secretly, Ruby is also looking for a holiday to escape her conflicted feelings for Rowan Kevil, the intriguing folk healer Pilar met in Cornwall.
When Mr. Owen obtains two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of antiques collected by fired scholar Julius Harker, Ruby reluctantly agrees to attend. But the evening turns out to be more eventful than either of them expected.Harker's body is found among the collectibles, his business partner is hastily arrested, and Rowan arrives... wanting to talk to Ruby. It appears that both magic and Pilarha have followed Ruby to Oxford.
The murder case is suspicious at best, but the last thing Ruby wants is another investigation. Until an old friend comes asking for Ruby's help. It soon becomes clear that there is more to Oxford than meets the eye.Ruby and Rowan will have to uncover the dark secrets of a competitive archaeologist while trying to understand the strange force that keeps drawing them together.
