Booklist Reviews
In A Curious Beginning (2015), butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell learned about her relation to the royal family. Although that connection remains hidden from the public, Princess Louise summons Veronica for help: Louise's friend is about to be hanged for the murder of his mistress, but Louise knows he is innocent. She tasks Veronica and her cohort, Stoker, a handsome natural historian, to identify the real culprit. The investigation leads them from London's competitive art community to a covert paradise for sexual deviants. Although this mystery includes classic suspicious characters and unexpected twists, Veronica's gumption is by far the biggest draw. Casting away Victorian propriety, she delivers quips, confronts danger, and sizes up men the way she assesses her butterflies, all while exuding candor, energy, and charm. Equally engaging, Stoker serves as a grumbling foil, challenging her with his wit. The two share plenty of sexual tension, but they also begin to reveal the secrets of their convoluted pasts. Another exciting installment in Raybourn's promising historical-mystery series, starring a fun heroine who defies convention and embraces intrigue. Copyright 2016 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
Butterflies and not-so-closeted Victorian sexcapades abound in Raybourn's deliciously quirky sequel to
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Raybourn's effervescent sequel to 2015's A Curious Beginning combines witty suspense with a playful look at the secrets proper Victorians hid. When Veronica, an adventurous lepidopterist, meets a woman calling herself Lady Sundridge, she easily deduces her exalted true identity. Lady Sundridge wants Veronica to reinvestigate the murder of an artist known as Artemisia. Though she wants her late friend's death avenged, the woman insists that Artemisia's lover, Miles Ramsforth, soon to be hanged for the crime, is not guilty. Veronica and her associate, aristocratic natural historian Revelstoke "Stoker" Templeton-Vane, wend their way through opium dens, artists' studios, the headquarters of Scotland Yard, and the Elysian Grotto, an underground cave lavishly fitted out for sexual pleasure on the Ramsforth estate. The sleuths' lives are threatened as their investigation uncovers peccadillos at the highest levels of society. Revelations about Stoker's painful past add nuance to the pair's spirited and sexually charged banter in this playful historical. Agent: Pam Hopkins, Hopkins Literary Associates. (Jan.) Copyright 2016 Publisher Weekly.