Murder at Queen's Landing: A Captivating Historical Regency Mystery (Wrexford & Sloane Mystery, #4)

by Andrea Penrose

The murder of a shipping clerk…the strange disappearance of trusted friends…rumors of corruption within the powerful East India Company…all add up to a thrillingly dark mystery…
 
When Lady Cordelia, a brilliant mathematician, and her brother, Lord Woodbridge, disappear from London, rumors swirl concerning fraudulent bank loans and a secret consortium engaged in an illicit—and highly profitable—trading scheme that threatens the entire British economy. The incriminating evidence mounts, but for Charlotte and Wrexford, it’s a question of loyalty and friendship. And so they begin a new investigation to clear the siblings’ names, uncover their whereabouts, and unravel the truth behind the whispers. 
 
As they delve into the murky world of banking and international arbitrage, Charlotte and Wrexford also struggle to navigate their increasingly complex feelings for each other. But the clock is ticking—a cunning mastermind has emerged . . . along with some unexpected allies—and Charlotte and Wrexford must race to prevent disasters both economic and personal as they are forced into a dangerous match of wits in an attempt to beat the enemy at his own game.

• ISBN10: 1496722841
• ISBN13: 9781496722843
• Publish Date: 29 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781496722843

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

I've really enjoyed the first three books in this series, and though I enjoyed this one too it was a bit heavy on the sentimentality.

Penrose crafts her plots around fictionalised versions of real historic events, and this time around it's mathematical machines and financial shenanigans that may or may not involve the East India Company.  Her historical knowledge always adds an extra depth to the story, and a well plotted mystery makes it even better.

Charlotte has built quite a scooby gang around her and Wrexford, and the characters are fully fleshed and they're easy to care about and cheer for.  But the dynamic between Wrexford and Charlotte has become increasingly sentimental to the point of down right syrupy.  The sentiments are lovely, but just a little too much for my tastes.  I was also getting aggravated at the overuse of the word ‘dastards’.  

I'm still a fan, but I'm hoping the next book will regain a little of the edge the first couple had.

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Murder at Queen's Landing is the 4th Wrexford & Sloane regency mystery by Andrea Penrose. Due out 29th Sept 2020 from Kensington, it's 368 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an engaging and well written addition to the series. It's an ensemble character driven cozy(ish) historical murder mystery with a strong element of romance. The author has written the story around a framework of fictionalized historical characters (two of my favorites from real life - Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace) and does a good job of interweaving the historical facts with the fictional narrative allowing for some minor poetic license regarding names, dates, and times.

Although self-contained in the narrative arc, the cast of characters have a long history together, so it works well enough as a standalone, but I strongly recommend reading the series in order because of character development spoilers. The language is very clean, there's some violence used in context, and no sexual content.

Enjoyable cozy murder romance. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.