Author: Andrea Penrose
Series: Wrexford & Sloane (Book 8)
Publication: Kensington Books (September 24, 2004)
Description: For fans of Miss Scarlet and the Duke and Bridgerton—a masterfully plotted mystery that combines engaging protagonists with rich historical detail and “an unusually rich look at Regency life,” (Publishers Weekly), plus a touch of romance that readers of Amanda Quick and Deanna Raybourn will savor.
Celebration is in the air at Wrexford and Charlotte’s country estate as they host the nuptials of their friends, Christopher Sheffield and Lady Cordelia Mansfield. But on the afternoon of the wedding, the festivities are interrupted when the local authorities arrive with news that a murdered man has been discovered at the bridge over King’s Crossing, his only identification an invitation to the wedding. Lady Cordelia is horrified when the victim is identified as Jasper Milton, her childhood friend and a brilliant engineer who is rumored to have discovered a revolutionary technological innovation in bridge design. That he had the invitation meant for her cousin Oliver, who never showed up for the wedding, stirs a number of unsettling questions.
Both men were involved in the Revolutions-Per-Minute Society, a scientific group dedicated to making radical improvements in the speed and cost of transportation throughout Britain. Is someone plotting to steal Milton’s designs? And why has her cousin disappeared?
Wrexford and Charlotte were looking forward to spending a peaceful interlude in the country, but when Lady Cordelia resolves to solve the mystery, they offer their help, along with that of the Weasels and their unconventional inner circle of friends. The investigation turns tangled and soon all of them are caught up in a treacherous web of greed, ambition, and dangerous secrets. And when the trail takes a shocking turn, Wrexford and Charlotte must decide what risks they are willing to take with their family to bring the villains to justice . . .
My Thoughts: The eighth Wrexford & Sloane historical mystery begins with some friends' wedding at the Wrexford's country estate. But the quiet time after the festivities is disrupted when one of the wedding guests doesn't arrive and a body with the wedding invitation in his pocket is found.
Fearing that the body belongs to a favorite cousin, Cordelia soon learns that it isn't her cousin but a childhood friend of hers named Jasper Milton instead. To add to the confusion, the cousin is missing and a possible suspect in Milton's death.
The investigation leads to the Milton's fellow scholars and to someone who wants Milton's scientific discovery. The discovery could lead to much more efficient bridges which would lead to a better transportation network, and it isn't only Britain that is interested in that.
Suspects range from the French to the Russians to English businessmen who see a huge profit in better bridges. And the British government has a strong interest in Milton's discoveries too. Wrexford and Charlotte are busy trying to find out who murdered Milton and a couple of the others in Milton's club of fellow mathematicians and engineers. Adding to the investigative team is Peregrine who joins the Hawks after he was expelled from Eton after a stink bomb episode.
This was another enjoyable historical mystery.
I bought this one January 1, 2025. You can buy your copy here.
I bought this one January 1, 2025. You can buy your copy here.
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