George sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can learn more about what makes him tick. Let’s see what he has to say.

What is your full name?
George Albert Hazelton

How old are you?
Thirty-Three

What is your profession?
My profession, hmm, that is rather complicated. I am a gentleman and therefore have no official profession. Unofficially, I’ve worked as an investigator of sorts for England’s Home Office, which is similar to your Homeland Security in the United States. I’ve done a little spying on behalf of the Crown, and lately my lovely bride and I have been doing a bit of private investigation.

Do you have a significant other?
I most certainly do.

What is their name and profession?
Frances Helena Hazelton. You may have guessed she is the lovely bride I spoke of earlier and my investigative partner.

Do you have any children?
I have a nine-year-old stepdaughter, Rose. I was a bit worried about my ability to be a good parent, but then she asked if she could call me Georgie, and I realized that I loved her as if she’d been my daughter from birth—and always would.

Do you have any siblings?
Indeed, I have two elder brothers, Brandon, who inherited our father’s earldom, and Edward, who is in the military. I also have a younger sister, Fiona.

Are your parents nearby?
Sadly, my parents are both deceased.

Who is your best friend?
Since my career often had me taking on the guise of someone else, and that had me keeping at distance people who might recognize me, friends have come and gone. My best friend might be a toss up between my brother, Brandon, whom I don’t see as often as I’d like, and my sister’s husband, Sir Robert Nash. Robert’s a good egg who would absolutely come through in a pinch.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
We have none at the moment. I do keep a pair of carriage horses, but they are not pets.

What town do you live in?
I live in London.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
We live in a townhouse in the Belgravia neighborhood of London. Almost no one owns property there except for the Grosvenor family, who had the foresight to buy up all the real estate in the area years ago. My brother, the earl, owns the lease on the townhouse, Frances and I lease it from him until his son is old enough to live there. Fortunately, the boy is only ten right now.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
That would be my office/library. I spend rather a lot of time there, reading, thinking, and now working with Frances. I’m surrounded by some of my favorite things—books, cricket bat, golf clubs. Last spring we obtained an enormous partners’ desk, so now I share that space with my favorite person as well.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Our chef makes a lobster with mornay sauce that might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten. We often eat simply at home and when attending a dinner there can be so many courses, it is easy to forget what one has eaten. By the time dessert comes, I’m happy with a bit of cheese and fruit.

Do you have any hobbies?
I suppose one could say investigations are my hobby, but I would include all manner of sport and reading.

What music do you listen to?
I enjoy all music, from the waltzes of Mozart to the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.

What is your favorite color?
I’m rather partial to blue, but not all blues. This particular shade is the blue of the Mediterranean, almost silvery, calm and peaceful, and when she laughs, it sparkles. I may have gone off topic a bit just there.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Travel is enjoyable, but as the saying goes, when one is tired of London, one is tired of life. However, a recent trip to Deauville, France has given me a fondness for the Normandy Coast. We plan to visit frequently in the future.

Are you a morning or night person?
I believe I am at my best in the morning after a strong cup of coffee.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Anything where I can match wits with someone. Anything from an investigation to a game of chess or even a good argument.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
A Lucky Man.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I have been both, but I prefer amateur over professional investigations, in which case, I am able to work with my lovely bride.

What is a typical day in your life like?
My days used to be rather predictable—hunting down criminals, weeding out spies, and safeguarding the reputations of some rather prominent officials. I decided which cases to take. In fact, I made all the decisions in my life. Since Frances and I have married, things have grown rather less predictable even when we’re not trying flush out a killer. Our household includes our 9-year-old daughter, my 15-year-old ward and cousin, and her 20-year-old half sister. I am surrounded by females—two of them are French and highly skilled in the art of protest. Every household decision is now subject to negotiation, and chaos reigns in one form or another at all times. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

George and Frances Roll the Dice: A Countess of Harleigh Mystery Novella
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: April 2025
Format: Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

In this Victorian-era mystery novella, the Countess of Harleigh, Frances Hazelton, and her husband, George, discover that a French seaside resort is a fetching backdrop for business, pleasure…and murder.

Frances and George arrive in Deauville by the sea to enjoy a long-awaited honeymoon. It’s also an opportunity for George to inspect a villa inherited by his ward and arrange for its sale. To the Hazeltons’ surprise, they find it inhabited by wealthy revelers playing an illegal game of Hazard—forbidden fun, hosted by Albert Roth, a charismatic professional gambler who has a lease and no desire to vacate.

The discovery doesn’t sit well with Frances and George. Especially since Albert also fixes horse races and polo matches and is said to pay off authorities who turn a blind eye to his criminal endeavors. But not anymore. The Hazeltons plan to break up the party. Yet the game abruptly changes when a popular British polo player who claims to have lost a fortune to Albert is found murdered in the villa’s salon.

Now Frances and George have to do more than prove ownership of the valuable Normandy coast property. They have to find a killer. They’re sure all roads lead to Albert. But in a world of bribery, loansharking, corruption, and high society risks, nothing is what it seems. And for the Hazeltons, the stakes are getting higher…

About the author
Dianne Freeman is the USA Today bestselling author of the Agatha and Lefty award-winning Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. She has been a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and the Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award. After thirty years of corporate accounting, she now lives her dream of writing full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband split their time between Michigan and Arizona. Visit her at difreeman.com.