Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: A Useful Woman Mystery #8
Publication Date: 12/24/24
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 448

London is awash in political intrigue with everyone choosing sides in the divorce proceedings between King George IV and his Queen. Some will go to any lengths to help their side win – even murder. Rosalind Thorne, a useful woman who makes her way in the world by assisting ladies with delicate problems, wants no part of any political intrigue. However, it is dumped in her lap and she has to deal with it. If Rosalind is dealing with it, so are her close friends, and it was a delight to visit with them.

I thought the mystery of the disappearance of Mrs. Fitzherbert’s proof of her marriage to the king was good, but things quickly spun out in so many tangents that it was hard to keep up with it all – and I love convoluted mysteries. All the factions pulling one way or another was almost like buckshot – going in every direction. Because there was so much buckshot, I found it difficult to ‘feel’ the stress, doom, and sense of urgency Rosalind felt for herself and her friends.

I enjoyed the page time with Rosalind and Adam and was glad to see some movement there – even if it did wait until the epilogue. This romance has been entirely too slow-burn for my taste and it still isn’t satisfyingly settled after eight books.

I was disconcerted by the portrayal of Stephen Lavender in the book. He was a real-life, renowned Bow Street principal officer frequently in the news because of the cases he solved. This story portrays him in a very unflattering light, so I’m not sure if this author just chose a name from history and didn’t do much research on him – or if she thoroughly researched him and just got a different view. There is another author who writes a historical mystery series based on his real-life cases and the two presentations of the man are very different.

Overall, I enjoyed the mystery and will probably read the next book to see how Adam and Rosalind’s relationship grows (or doesn’t). The mystery had a great premise, but too many tentacles to keep them all straight. It also appeared to me this author might have some sort of hang-up with race, though I fail to see what it might be. Upon introduction, every character is given a race or color, and those labeled ‘white’ get the word with the capital ‘W’. If you are an avid fan of historical mysteries, as I am, you will probably enjoy the basic mystery but will lament the labyrinthine twists and turns it takes. As for me, I wouldn’t read the book a second time and probably wouldn’t purchase it as a gift for a friend without giving explanations.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Rosalind Thorne Mysteries #7
Publication Date: 12/26/23
Period: Regency (1820 London)
Number of Pages: 304

Rosalind Thorne’s aristocratic family is certainly a peculiar one. It houses a father (the Baron) who is a forger and is either dead or on the run and a sister who was a highly sought-after courtesan but has recently married. Rosalind was left to make her way in the world and she didn’t have many options. She could follow in her sister’s footsteps or she could find a way to make herself useful – and charge for the service. So, being useful it was! Over the books in the series, Rosalind has gone from helping ton ladies solve ‘problems’ and accepting whatever ‘gifts’ those ladies wanted to bestow to helping the ladies and having a written contract for services and payment. Even though she is now officially charging, she is still received by most of the ton.

This case involves poisoning and murder – and as an extra case to follow, Adam Harkness is on the trail of traitors. So, two different cases and two different investigators. I had thought we’d spend the majority of our reading time with Rosalind – since it is her series – but it seemed to me that we spent more page time with Adam. Perhaps not, but that is the way it felt to me.

Rosalind worked hard and struggled to identify the culprit in what, to me, seemed to be a simple case to solve. So, again, for me, the more interesting – and disappointing – case was Adams. I say disappointed because people got away with crimes because the Bow Street powers- that be had their own version of the law and justice.

For some reason, neither mystery caught my attention and drew me into the story. I think part of that was the dual storyline and alternating chapters between Adam’s story and Rosalind’s story. Perhaps, given the ending of this book, we’ll see both Rosalind and Adam working side-by-side on future cases. I certainly hope that is the case.

Overall, I was disappointed in the book and the characters and would not read it a second time. I want to like Adam and Rosalind and cheer for them as they work together to solve cases, and I hope that will happen starting with the next book. If it doesn’t, then I probably won’t pursue reading any future books in the series.

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

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