Murder at Queen's Landing

August 24, 2020
The murder of Henry Peabody, a clerk with Britain’s East India Company, whose throat is slashed in London’s dockyards, kicks off Penrose’s strong fourth Regency mystery featuring the Earl of Wrexford and Lady Charlotte Sloane (after 2019’s Murder at Kensington Palace). Several days later, Lady Cordelia Mansfield and her brother, Jameson Mansfield, the Earl of Woodbridge, vanish from London, about the same time Woodbridge’s bloody knife is found near the crime scene, and after he took out huge bank loans for unspecified purposes. Cordelia, a brilliant mathematician, is secretly involved in the development of a groundbreaking and therefore valuable mechanical calculator. Wrexford and Sloane use their undercover skills and diverse contacts to pursue the siblings and untangle a conspiracy that touches the heart of Britain’s commercial power. The author captures the Regency era’s complexities in vivid settings, contrasting milieus, and a wealth of fascinating details, though she overdoes the archaic diction and tries to develop too many plotlines. This thoughtful blend of derring-do and intellectual discussion should win Penrose new fans. Agent: Gail Fortune, Fortune Talbot Agency.

Narrator James Cameron Stewart puts great effort and energy into his performance of this Regency-era murder mystery. It is the fourth in a series featuring Wrexford, an earl/chemist who solves crimes alongside his friend (and soul mate), Lady Charlotte, a successful caricaturist. While this novel is well researched and richly descriptive, it has a superfluity of characters, and its dialogue is sometimes repetitious and timeworn. Stewart presents many memorable portrayals, including those of the street urchins adopted by Lady Charlotte, who have Cockney accents and spirited, bright voices. His Scottish characters are also flawlessly rendered. Some of the female parts, including Charlotte's, prove problematic. This story is tedious in places, but it does immerse one in a vibrant period of history. D.L.G. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine