Murder at Kensington Palace (A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery): 3

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He became the prime suspect after detectives reviewed the evidence and his name came up among several others put forward after appeals to the public. George, a loner who was said to have stalked and photographed hundreds of women, always maintained his innocence. I liked several of the new characters, especially Cordelia and Charlotte’s aunt Lady Peake. I hope we see more of them in future books. A thoroughly satisfying read on in so many ways, MURDER AT KENSINGTON PALACE by Andrea Penrose is a well-plotted mystery that takes place during the Regency period. It is filled with unconventional Regency characters crafted so well it is easy to picture them as you read and compels you to care about their success. These characters are complex, with a deep commitment to seeing justice done and caring for those people who become part of their world.

The case hinged on the killer being the same man other witnesses had described as being of Mediterranean appearance. There were plenty of distractions for Charlotte, Wrex and their friends to unearth. I hoped to see the MCs take their friendship to the next level. About two-thirds of the way through I surmised who the killer was and waited for everyone to catch up. The plot offered an immense amount of tension; I couldn’t put the book down.

I stumbled on this series a couple of years ago and instantly fell in love. I loved how sassy and sardonic Wrexford is and even if Mrs Sloane is overly pig headed at times, she’s independent and sassy and I can’t get enough of them together! Charlotte needs to find out more because the public has an “insatiable appetite for scandal and depravity,” and who better “to trumpet all the juicy details” than A. J. Quill. Lilly, one of Charlotte’s army of spies on the street, told the boys she heard the news directly from a gardener who discovered the corpse. Wrexford has a good working relationship with Mr. Griffin, a Bow Street runner with an excellent reputation. Over tea, Wrexford passes on the details Griffin imparted, like where the body was found and how he was killed, down to what was sliced from his body. The earl, no stranger to false accusations of murder, is relieved that he “can’t be accused of having any connection to the fellow,” since he hadn’t met him.

Charlotte’s alter-ego, the artist A.J.Quill, reappeared but not much as I would have liked to have seen. Another character, similar in scope to Charlotte, was introduced. I would guess this person becomes one of the earlier-mentioned player’s sounding board and possible romantic interest in future stories.The mystery was clever, with a school of red herrings strewn about to befuddle the reader. The science element, which was essential to the plot, was the hot-topic of the era: electricity! The reader gets a nice refresher course on the early efforts to generate, in a laboratory setting, this force of nature. Its complex story line and authentic historical details bring the early days of the Industrial Revolution vividly to life. Bound to fascinate readers of C.S. Harris and even fans of Victorian mysteries.”