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Amidst a web of gambling debts, romantic entanglements, and theater drama, Abigail navigates the complexities of Regency life and the political fight for abolition while trying to catch a murderer who may be coming for her or her husband.
It's a good book for mystery lovers and readers of historical fiction. It's great for book clubs, and for readers looking for a woman as an amateur detective. Lady Worthing is for you.
In a time when Black and mixed-race people were marginalized and overlooked, the author brings these voices to the forefront through vibrant and well-developed characters. Readers will enjoy the Bridgerton-esque setting and dialogue and will keep working to uncover the clues. Combining elements of an Agatha Christie-style whodunit with the vivid portrayal of a more encompassing view of Regency-era England, the second Lady Worthing mystery does not disappoint.
Riley's Regency Era thriller diverges from most period mysteries in two respects: The heroine's first-person narrative is brisk and economical, and the whodunit plot is woven into Abigail's story of survival in a judgmental society. As if her abandonment by her husband were not challenge enough, Abigail faces bigotry and sexism as a Black woman as well. It's her empathy for Danielson's widow that compels her to solve the crime, though the revelation of the killer might endanger the pending abolition bill in parliament. An Author's Note provides much interesting background information on people, places, and history.
Not your grandma's period mystery.
With impeccable attention to period details, a vividly evoked setting, a cast of richly nuanced characters, and a captivating plot that fully embraces the challenges and oft-overlooked diversity of the Regency era, Riley's second stunning addition to her Lady Worthing series, following Murder in Westminster (2022), is a delight.