Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Lord Petteril Mysteries #2
Publication Date: 9/26/23
Period: Regency – 1812
Number of Pages: 183

In the first book of the series, we met (and loved) the eccentric Piers Withan who was ripped from his much-loved post as a don at Oxford and elevated to Viscount Petteril after the sudden loss of five of his closest male family members. To say he was unhappy about it all would be putting it mildly, but he was on better footing after solving a mystery that showed him and others that he could be a formidable foe if pushed. Also, in that first book we met Ape, a street urchin from the slums who saved Petteril and then basically became his shadow. We also discovered that Ape was actually a female who had been dressing and acting as a male (for protection) for so long that she had forgotten how to be female. I’m going into all of this because, if you haven’t read the first book (you really should), you’ll need some background for parts of this one to be clear. It is my suggestion that you read at least the first two books in the series for a proper understanding of the background, and the future books will probably be fine as standalone reads. BTW – Petteril has an affliction that keeps him from being able to recognize faces – especially those he doesn’t come into contact with on a regular basis.

Lord Petteril has convinced Ape to transition from her guise as a male and adopt her true identity as a female named April. To facilitate that change, Ape will travel with Petteril to his country estate, Haybury Court, as his assistant – and along the way, Ape will become April. Ape puts the transition off as long as possible, but when they are close to arriving at the state, she relents and makes the change.

The real adventure begins when they smell smoke in the woods as they are approaching Haybury, and decide to see what is burning. What do they find? A very naked body whose clothing is a pile of cinders in a nearby burn pile. Petteril immediately notifies the local magistrate who seems totally inept at handling the investigation because he wants to rule it anything other than murder. Did I mention the corpse had a knife sticking out of his chest?

It was so much fun watching Petteril outwit all of those folks who still equated him with the child they had known so many years ago. To them, he was still the strange, awkward, unusual child who, perhaps, wasn’t all there – so they ignored him, spoke down to him, insulted him – until they discovered he was so much more than they had believed. Oops!

Once they had finally identified the corpse, there were suspects aplenty – even a local highwayman known as Brandy Bill. April and Petteril sift through the evidence, investigate the suspects, and finally identify who, what and why. Believe me – you’ll be surprised. You may suspect some things, but – you won’t know.

This was a fun read with delightful characters, murder, mayhem, kindness, metamorphosis, suspense, and finally a satisfactory end. I recommend this book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. Now, the wait begins for the third book in the series – Petteril’s Ladybird.

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Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lord Petteril Mysteries
Publication Date: 9/5/23
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 161

This first book in Mary Lancaster’s new historical mystery series is an outstanding addition to the genre. It was so very good that I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down.

The character of Lord Petteril is wonderfully complex, nuanced, and built layer upon intriguing layer. I believe he is one of the most interesting and likable characters I’ve read in a very long time. Ape, the thief, is also an excellent choice as a main supporting character. Ape has survived by his intelligence and wits his entire life in St. Giles. He’s not a thief by choice, he works for the “Lord”, and if he wants to survive, he does as he’s told. When Ape is given the choice to change his life, he jumps at it and never looks back. (Can you picture an urchin who actually wants to take a bath?)

Absolutely nobody wants Oxford don, Piers Withan to be Viscount Petteril: Certainly not his estranged family and certainly not Piers himself. However, the point is moot because there is no choice for any of them. During the months it has taken Piers to wrap up his affairs and assume the title, his family has taken full advantage of draining the coffers of the title as much as they can get away with. Piers has an affliction and his family – even his father – took the opportunity to bully him and ridicule him. They assume that will continue now that he is back. Hmmm, I wonder how that will work out for them.

On his first night in the Petteril townhouse, he encounters a young thief who has just emptied the safe of the few contents in it – and he lets the thief go – and he lets the thief keep the contents. That encounter changes Piers’s life in untold ways. When it turns out that a very valuable family heirloom ruby necklace is missing, Piers is sure the little thief didn’t take it. He’s also equally sure that a family member or a member of the staff did.

His family is expecting the old Piers – the one they could bully and intimidate. What they got was something quite different and it was an absolute delight to watch Piers show those nuanced, stronger, layers to his family as one by one he eliminates them as suspects in the necklace theft but holds them accountable for other pilfering. Then, there is only one suspect left and Piers handles that with dignity and aplomb.

While all of the necklace and family drama is going on, Piers is leaving his darkness behind, dealing with his affliction the best way he can, saving his young cousin from a terrible fate, and doing his best to guide Ape in dealing with his big secret. You’ll quickly come to admire Piers and wish you could meet him in real life. He’d be an extraordinary friend to have.

As you can tell, I loved this book and highly recommend it. The mystery is interesting and there are plenty of red herrings to keep you wondering. Lots of opportunity, lots of motives, so who can it be? You will just have to read this excellent first book in the series to find out.

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