Murder at Kensington Palace

August 26, 2019
The fatal stabbing of artist Charlotte Sloane’s cousin Cedric, Lord Chittenden, propels Penrose’s uneven third Regency mystery featuring Charlotte and the Earl of Wrexford (after 2018’s Murder at Half Moon Gate). A bloody knife found in the victim’s residence causes the Bow Street Runners to arrest Chittenden’s twin brother, the Hon. Nicholas Locke. Though Locke is bitter that a difference of a few minutes at birth prevented him from inheriting the Chittenden title, Charlotte believes he’s been framed. Wrexford, an amateur chemist, learns that Chittenden had been experimenting with electricity, which some of the era’s less reputable thinkers claim can reanimate the dead. Meanwhile, Charlotte explores Chittenden’s romantic rivalry over the hand of a beautiful bluestocking. A melodramatic final act disappoints, and the bad-tempered Wrexford’s predilection for violent attacks on those reluctant to answer his questions lessens his appeal. In contrast, Penrose does a good job linking the mystery to the period’s scientific and social changes. Those seeking an unusually rich look at Regency life will be satisfied. Agent: Gail Fortune, Fortune Talbot Agency.