Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Fan Mystery #10
Publication Date: 11/24/23
Period: Georgian
Number of Pages: 335

I completed my read of the last book, The Vengeance Trail, in a very sad mood because Francis had a lot of emotional suffering in that book, and it was not over by the end. That left me wondering how things would change for this book – and the rest of the series – to work. I have my answer now – and if you were wondering the same thing, you’ll have your answer as well.

A very pregnant Ottilia Fanshaw, Lady Fan, and her husband Francis are at her brother’s home for the funeral of his wife who had been ill for a very long time. Francis cannot wait to leave so he can get Ottilia back to their home and coddle her before the delivery of their child. Just as their departure is approaching, their two nephews come running into the house announcing they’ve discovered a dead body in the woods. Is it natural causes? Is it suicide? Is it murder? Lady Fan – and even Francis – are sure it is a murder staged to look like a suicide. Poor Francis – because we all know Ottilia will want to stay and solve the crime.

There is a plethora of suspects because the victim is the most hated man in the district – not a single soul has anything good to say about him. They speak with suspects throughout the district, but few have real alibis which makes the elimination of them all but impossible. How can Lady Fan work through it all and solve the crime before her pregnancy makes it impossible for her to do so? With time of the essence, she decides to divide and conquer. She enlists her two nephews and Francis to help interview suspects, chase down clues, and help puzzle out the events, so surely she’ll identify the murderer soon.

This is an excellent mystery that will keep you guessing till the end. Just when you are absolutely sure who the culprit is, there is a revelation that makes you doubt it. When we finally wind through all of the clues and suspects and find the culprit – you’ll be surprised – at least by part of it.

I enjoyed this addition to the Lady Fan series and am already looking forward to the next one. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.

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Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: A Lady Fan Mystery #8
Publication Date: 4/6/22
Period: Georgian – 1794 England
Number of Pages: 362

Lady Ottilia Fanshawe (Lady Fan) and her husband Lord Francis are trying to settle in for a nice quiet period after the birth of their son, Luke. They long for the peace and quiet of their home where they can spend time with their adopted daughter, Pretty, and get to know Luke. That, of course, is a pipe dream. First, Lord Francis’s mother Sybilla drops in to stay for a while – and she’s soon followed by Mr. Maplewood, and then their niece Lizzy. Oh! And lest I forget – there was the corpse of Mr. Marmaduke Gibbon dumped at their front door. So much for peaceful family time.

Once they’ve identified the body – and Ottilia is pretty sure of the cause of death – there are plenty of suspects to go around. All of them are hiding something. All of them are telling untruths – even the victim’s best friend, Percy Pedwardine.

Richenda Vexford, a spoiled, sly, manipulative, wealthy young lady seems to be at the bottom of everything. Or, is she? It certainly seems all of the suspects are in her thrall, and the victim was there to pursue her – or at least her fortune. Did some of her suitors feel threatened by Marmaduke’s dashing good looks? Or, is there another motive behind it all? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

I have become invested in the lives of Ottilia and Frances as well as their motley mix of family and friends, so I enjoyed this story and getting to meet new baby Luke. The story was a tad slow in some spots and some of the author’s word choices puzzled me – but none of it was anything I couldn’t overlook. What I didn’t like was that the perpetrator got away with no punishment – or at least none that was worth noting.

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