Death of a Scoundrel by Wendy Soliman

Roderick Woodrow is a ladies’ man. In the upper echelons of Victorian society he is much sought after as a “spare man” for events, parties, soirees and receptions. He is suave, sophisticated, charming and devilishly handsome – until he’s found bludgeoned and strangled to death one morning in his tastefully decorated rooms.
To Inspector Riley Rochester, he represents an occasional acquaintance from his own class. Sergeant Jack Salter looks upon him as an idle womaniser with few morals and even fewer scruples. It doesn’t take long for Riley and Salter to discover the depths Rod Woodrow has plumbed to finance his lavish lifestyle. While the female half of society weeps at his demise, it seems that almost every man in London had a reason to want Rod dead. Jealousy, reputation, money, blackmail, double standards, hypocrisy and ruthless ambition are involved in a case that forces Riley to make a stark choice between duty and family loyalties.