Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Series: Lord Petteril Mysteries #4
Publication Date: 2/22/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 167

I loved this latest addition to the Lord Petteril Mysteries series. The characters are very likable and quirky and the mysteries (yes, more than one) are interesting and the resolution is surprising. I will mention that I believe you should read the books in this series in the order they are published rather than starting in the middle. There are character developments you need to follow as they happen to fully understand the characters.

Piers Withan, newly elevated Viscount Petteril, has spent the first few months in his new title dealing with family issues and visiting the various properties – and solving mysteries along the way. He and his assistant April are on their way to one of those properties, Sillitrees, but first, they will stop by the home of his good friend Sir Peter Haggard (Haggs) because there is a small mystery to solve.

A portrait of Haggs’s father has been defaced and Haggs has asked Lord Peteril to discover who did it. Luckily, the artist who painted the portrait, a Frenchman named Claude St. Etienne, is also there to paint a portrait of Haggs. The artist can repair the picture, but why would anyone deface and damage the portrait in the first place since Haggs’s father was beloved by all who were in attendance?

Solving the mystery of the portrait doesn’t take long at all – but then there is a murder. Oops! Did the person who defaced the portrait also commit the murder? Surely not! If not, who else might it have been and were the two things related?

This was a fun, entertaining read with two lovely mysteries and equally lovely characters. I would have liked to see more progress in April’s language skills after several months, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot happening there nor in her ladylike behavior. So, it will be interesting to see what happens in the next book, Petteril’s Wife, which will be released later this spring.

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Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Lord Petteril Mysteries #3
Publication Date: 10/3123
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 157

Piers Withan, the newly minted fifth Viscount Petteril, has been at his country estate getting the lay of the land – and solving a murder – when he (and his assistant April) is urgently called back to London by his good friend, Sir Peter Haggard. It seems their mutual friend, Percy Austen, who is a very non-violent and amiable man, is about to be arrested for murder. Austen is the former protector of the victim’s mistress, and Percy’s gun was found beside the body.

Piers needs to quickly find the real murderer to spare Austen’s family the scandal of his arrest. Who would want to frame sweet, gentle Percy Austen? Or, was it someone else the murderer wanted to frame? The investigation takes them everywhere – from Seven Dials to Mayfair and everywhere in between. Could it be the mistress who did it? Maybe it was the victim’s brother. Is it someone from Austen’s past? Is it someone from the victim’s past? Is it someone from the mistress’s past? Is it the victim’s spouse? Possibilities abound, and time is of the essence!

I have enjoyed this series with the quirky, highly intelligent, bookish Viscount, and Ape the street urchin who turns out to be a girl named April. April’s growth and transformation have been a joy to watch, but her insecurities about showing herself as a female have been touching. This story features a fair amount of April because the victim’s mistress is someone we’ve heard April mention before. There are also some interesting developments in the relationship between April and Piers and I have to wonder where that will go.

If you enjoy a fast-paced, interesting mystery with quirky, endearing characters, then this is the series/book for you. From a mystery standpoint, this book can be read as a standalone – however, to understand the characters and their relationships, I suggest you read the books in order.

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