Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5
Series: The Lucy Lawrence Mysteries #4
Publication Date: 9/17/24
Period: Victorian – Lake Como, Italy 1888
Number of Pages: 323

This book was the perfect ending for the series. The mystery was multi-faceted, nuanced, and filled with red herrings and the personal relationships were absolutely lovely. I read the first book of the series and loved the characters and the mystery, but then I didn’t get a chance to read the other two books before this current one was here. Goodness! A lot has happened to/with Lucy and Phin since that first book and now I have to go back and read the missing books.

Lucy Lawrence and Phineas (Phin) Stone have just married and are ready to set off on their wedding trip when they get word from Phin’s sister, Elvira, Contessa Carmosina, that her husband, Luca, is missing. Luca has been missing several days and everyone fears the worst for the beloved young Conte.

Lucy and Phin will face their greatest dangers yet in the beautiful, idyllic setting of Lake Como. They quickly discover that they cannot rely on anyone because none, other than Elvira and their personal servants, can be trusted. There are dark undercurrents in the Lake Como area and some very ugly people who don’t want the Conte to survive and they’ll do anything to keep anyone else from learning those dark secrets. You will find yourself suspecting everyone and picturing all the scenarios to see if it was this person or that person. Then, you rapidly read to see where the author chose to take the tale. It is a book that involves all of you, body, mind, and heart in the story and it will not turn loose of any of those very quickly.

A beautifully written epilogue perfectly closes out the series for Lucy and Phin. It is a lovely, poignant, caring piece of the story and you will find yourself letting out a very satisfied sigh. My only problem with the book was that it painted too vivid a picture of Luca and made the reader come to really care for him, Elvira, and their family. It was hard to concentrate on solving the mystery when so much heartache was involved. So, in the end, when Lucy and Phin were celebrating all of their joys, I was thinking of Elvira, Luca, and the children whose lives were forever changed.

This was an excellently written story. If you love a complicated mystery and deeply involved emotional and romantic interests, then you will enjoy this book—and the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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