Murder on Black Swan Lane has two main characters: Charlotte Sloane and the Earl of Wrexford. They take turns being the POV character throughout the book. Charlotte is a widow, and she is secretly a very popular and famous political cartoonist whose satirical artwork is the talk of Regency-era London. When one of her pieces accuses Wrexford of committing a brutal murder, it brings him to her door, demanding either a retraction of some sort. They eventually join forces, albeit unwillingly, and work to bring the actual murderer to justice.
The whole book is thoroughly enjoyable, especially if you enjoy lots of Regency slang and fashion and other period-correct details, plus a dastardly plot to untangle, but without delving into sordidity. (Do you like that word? I just coined it.) Although there are some ugly murders, and some violence toward children, the book does not devolve into grisly, preferring to remain grimy but not gruesome. I look forward to continuing the series, and I'm happy to discover there are five more books in the series out already, with another due out this fall. I do love a good series, and I hope this one continues in the same vein!
Particularly Good Bits:
Hope, however, was a two-edged sword, a dangerous weapon in careless hands (p. 277).
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for murders, violence to children, lots of danger and peril, and a sprinkling of cuss words. No smut, but some mention of things like mistresses and ladies of the evening.
This is my 25th book read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2023.
Sounds a cool, proper murder mystery with historical background! Will save this to my wishlist. Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteFanda, exactly! It is a proper murder mystery. I hope the series continues in this pattern.
DeleteThis sounds delightful, like a slightly more serious version of Sylvester (one of my favorite Georgette Heyer books) but also murder mystery but also without delving into sordidity?? (A very good word.) Yes, this is definitely going on my TBR.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I haven't read Sylvester, but it definitely has a bit of a more-serious Heyer thing going on :-)
DeleteJust stopping by to let you know that, thanks to your review, I’ve added this book to my wish list. I quoted a passage from this post and link it up in my post ;)
ReplyDeleteFanda, that's cool! I am honored :-)
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