A Flaw in the Blood

January 21, 2008
After a slow start, all the narrative strands, among them the voice of Queen Victoria, begin to work together in this engaging historical from Barron (Jane and the Stillroom Maid
and eight other Jane Austen mysteries). Against a backdrop of national mourning for Prince Albert in 1861, an evil (complete with eye patch) German count, Wolfgang von Stühlen, tracks Irish barrister Patrick Fitzgerald, who 20 years earlier defended a would-be assassin of the queen, and Fitzgerald’s beautiful ward, Georgiana “Georgie” Armistead, who, unusually for a woman of the period, is trained as a doctor. Georgie’s specialized medical knowledge comes into play as the late prince consort’s concerns and his widow’s fears drive the fleeing pair to France, to visit Victoria’s youngest son, the sickly Prince Leopold, and on to Bavaria, the original home of the interrelated family of Victoria and Albert. (An opening genealogical chart shows that the queen and her consort were cousins.) The history of the royal line is diverting, and the royal gossip is even more so.

March 15, 2008
In her first stand-alone penned under the Barron name, the author of the acclaimed Jane Austen mystery series (she also writes as Francine Matthews) delivers a remarkable gem of historical suspense based on her careful research of 19th-century British royalty. This rich thriller revolves around the recent death of Prince Albert, the beloved husband and consort of Queen Victoria, an event that raises many questions about the behavior of her courtiers and other royal family members. On the night the prince lies dying, Irish barrister Patrick Fitzgerald, who had helped investigate an attempted assassination of the queen 20 years earlier, is again summoned by Victoria, but the royal carriage conveying him and his assistant, Dr. Georgiana Armistead, to Windsor Castle is attacked. In an effort to protect Georgiana, also niece of the queen's personal physician, and to discover who tried to kill them, Fitzgerald leaves with Georgiana for France to visit Prince Leopold, Victoria's youngest and quite sickly son. Yet even there the couple find themselves pursued. Through Barron's careful, accurate period details, readers get a true sense of what it was like to live in Victorian England. Strongly recommended for historical mystery or suspense fiction collections. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 11/1/07.]Carolann Curry, Mercer Univ. Medical Lib., Macon, GA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2008
Barron takes a break from her Jane Austen mysteries to bring us a snapshot of Queen Victoria in a sticky wicket when Prince Albert dies at the young age of 42. It is the authors contention that the monarch who ruled the British Empire for more than60 years had much to hide, and as the mystery unfolds, hypotheses emerge to explain Victorias tight-lipped mourning and iron-fisted reign. Narrated in part by the queen herself, the tale offers a intriguing glimpse of the royal personage as she grapples with the death of her beloved Albert and interacts with a host of supporting players: the lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, who saved her would-be assassin; his ward, Dr. Georgiana Armistead, who insists on pursuing a cure for Prince Leos bleeding ailment; and an old family friend, Count von Stuhlen, whose play for power includes murder. With all the earmarks of a gothic romanceunrequited love, a murderous stormy night, guilty secrets, hopes dashed, revenge plottedthis fast-paced mystery is a winner for fans of Victoria Holt andPhyllis Whitney, as well as the more contemporary Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Shadow of the Wind, 2004).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)