The Princess and the P.I.

Nikki Payne

$39.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
21 October 2025

Romance

An amateur online sleuth must enlist the help of a jaded PI to clear her name while taking down a shady tech start-up in this exhilarating romantic suspense novel.

An amateur online sleuth must enlist the help of a jaded PI to clear her name while taking down a shady tech start-up in this exhilarating romantic suspense novel.

Fiona Addai is ready to set her plan in motion. To honor the anniversary of her brother's death, she's going to steal back his brilliant invention from the ruthless corporation that stole and claimed it as their own. As a famed Reddit detective known as @Princess_PI, Fiona has used her online connections and sleuthing skills to time every step down to the minute. But with one disastrous misstep, instead of getting justice, Fiona finds herself accused of murder.

Maurice Bennett is no stranger to insomnia. These days, he's not losing sleep over the cases he's solving-but running from the one he couldn't. Instead, he's been settling for small-time scandals that don't stir up the guilt he's buried. But when he spots Fiona Addai at the center of a murder investigation, something clicks. And for the first time in a long while, Maurice feels that old spark of intrigue.

However, Fiona is not the helpless damsel she appears to be. Sure, she needs Maurice's help to clear her name, but she's got conditions of her own- she wants a crash course in real-world detective work. Maurice isn't exactly thrilled. With every late-night stakeout and tension-filled interrogation, their partnership, rife with tension and unexpected chemistry, unravels a dangerous web of corporate crime and familial secrets. To bring the real killer to light, they'll need to trust each other and that might be the most dangerous gamble of all.

By: Nikki Payne
Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 131mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 359g
ISBN: 9780593817360
ISBN 10: 0593817362
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 21 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

By day, Nikki Payne is a curious tech anthropologist asking the right questions to deliver better digital services. By night, she dreams of ways to subvert canon literature. She's a member of Smut U, a premium feminist writing collective, and a cat lady with no cats.

Reviews for The Princess and the P.I.

""[A] sparkling tale of romantic suspense... Payne skillfully plants red herrings throughout the intriguing mystery while developing the believable romance between her complex Black leads. Readers will be hooked.""—Publishers Weekly ""Watch out Phillip Marlowe because Fiona and Maurice have arrived. Nikki Payne is in her mystery bag and I am a fan! The Princess and the PI.. is a twisty romance with a noir-ish flair that had me reading well into the night. Nikki Payne’s iconic humor, unforgettable characters and sharp cultural commentary truly shine in this ambitious slow-burn romance.""—Adriana Herrara, USA Today bestselling author of A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke