I love how Penrose brings Regency England to life. These books almost feel like Georgette Heyer could have written them sometimes -- lots of witticisms, wonderfully atmospheric details, and unconventional romances, but with clever murder mysteries mixed in too. And I also love how she weaves real scientific discoveries and inventions into all the books -- I feel like I'm learning a bit of the history of science along the way.
But it's my fondness for the Earl of Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane and their motley found family that keeps me returning to the series over and over. I have started collecting the paperback editions as they get released because I know I will want to reread the series in the future, and I can no longer trust my local library system to just keep good books on their shelves.
This mystery centers around missing plans for a way to make longer, stronger bridges that may have been stolen by Napoleonic supporters hoping to bring the former French emperor back from exile. Don't want to say more than that so I don't spoil it!
Particularly Good Bits:
"Indeed, the union of kindred hearts and minds makes each person even stronger" (p. 47).
"It is nice to be reminded that there is beauty in this world that cannot be diminished by the evil that lurks in the human heart" (p. 50).
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for murder, attempted murder, some mild cussing, and veiled allusions to wedding nights and newlywed activities.
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