Keys are arriving for rooms that don't exist… and someone will do anything to keep them that way.

When antique brass keys engraved with unknown suite numbers start turning up at the opulent Harrington Grand Hotel, the hotel's archivist is tasked with finding out why. Her only ally is a guarded locksmith who once built panic rooms for the ultra-wealthy. Together they map hidden corridors, sealed lifts, and a warren of forgotten suites—uncovering a leather-bound ledger that isn't a guestbook at all, but the beating heart of a blackmail ring.

As "accidents" mount and reputations hang in the balance, their cautious partnership deepens into a slow-burn attraction. To stop the extortionist, they stage a pretend rendezvous behind locked doors—knowing the final key points to someone dangerously close, and the next target could be one of their own.

The Gilded Lock is a twisty, high-tension mystery fused with a tender, deliberate romance—atmosphere, clever reveals, and a finale that rewards both the sleuth and the swoon.

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