A Murderous Relation

January 1, 2020
An eccentric pair of late-Victorian detectives delve into a case involving the royal family. Through many a wild escapade (A Dangerous Collaboration, 2019, etc.), Veronica Speedwell and Stoker Templeton-Vane have danced around their passionate feelings for each other. Just when the highly independent Veronica is about to commit to a full physical relationship--"The truth, dear reader, is that I was as ready for him as any filly ready for the stud"--a new case hurls them into perhaps their most dangerous adventure yet. Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk, a power in royal circles, calls them to a meeting with the Princess of Wales and Inspector Archibond of Scotland Yard. The meeting is fraught, for Veronica is the unacknowledged daughter of the Prince of Wales, who deserted Veronica and her Catholic mother to marry Alexandra of Denmark. Since the Yard is overwhelmed with the hunt for Jack the Ripper, who's terrorizing London, Archibond asks the sleuthing duo to recover a diamond star that the princess's eldest son, Prince Albert Victor, aka Eddy, has given to Madame Aurore, the owner of a private sex club. At first the sleuths decline, but when Lady Wellie suffers a severe angina attack, some snooping reveals her fear that Prince Eddy is suspected of being the Ripper. With the help of Stoker's brother, they attend a masked ball at the club whose members indulge in all sorts of sexual depravity. After an exciting and informative evening, they run into Eddy, a dim but likable lad, who's with them when their attempt to open Aurore's safe ends with their discovery of her body under her bed. All three are kidnapped by Veronica's Uncle de Clare, an Irishman who wants to place Veronica on the throne and free Ireland. Now they must escape, return Eddy unharmed to the bosom of his family, and discover who murdered Aurore. A rollicking tale of desire, murder, and mayhem complete with Victorian atmosphere and two bickering leads.

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January 27, 2020
Veronica Speedwell and Revelstoke “Stoker” Templeton-Vane have finally decided to act on their long-standing attraction to each other when an urgent telegram from friend of the royal family Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk puts romance on hold in Raybourn’s rollicking fifth Victorian mystery (after 2019’s A Dangerous Collaboration). It’s October 1888, and Prince Albert Victor, the heir to the British throne, has given a diamond star marked with his initials to Madame Aurore, who runs the Club de l’Étoile, a “palace for debauchery.” Lady Wellingtonia asks the duo to retrieve the gift, which could cause scandal; worse, she has received anonymous letters suggesting that the prince may be involved in the Ripper murders terrorizing London. Stoker and Veronica attend the club’s weekly masked ball hoping to find out more. Instead, they encounter the prince dressed up as a woman, Madame Aurore’s murdered corpse, and thugs who imprison them in a warehouse. Raybourn delivers fast-paced action, sexual tension, quirky characters, and clever repartee, but she also crafts quiet scenes—most memorably, a meeting with one of the Ripper’s future victims—rich with deeper emotion. This entry’s bound to win her new fans. Agent: Pam Hopkins, Hopkins Literary Assoc.

February 15, 2020
New York Times best-selling author Raybourn continues her enthralling Veronica Speedwell series with the much-anticipated fifth installment set in Victorian England. Here, natural-historian Veronica and her colleague Revelstoke Templeton-Vane (aka Stoker) are summoned by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to London in October 1888. Veronica, who is the unacknowledged daughter of the Prince of Wales, meets with her stepmother, Alexandra of Denmark, who seeks her help in preventing what could be a huge scandal involving Alexandra's eldest son, Eddy (Prince Albert Victor), who has given a stately and expensive jewel to the madam of a brothel. Complicating matters, there is much speculation as to whether there is a connection between Eddy and Jack the Ripper. It is up to Victoria and Stoker to sneak into the brothel and steal the jewel before it can be traced to the prince. The charming characters and involving story, together with the smoldering heat between Stoker and Veronica, make this one a highlight in a very popular series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from March 1, 2020

Veronica, an unconventional lepidopterist, and Stoker, an aristocratic taxidermist, take on a case at the request of Lady Wellie in October, 1888. Prince Eddy, Queen Victoria's eldest grandson, has been terribly indiscreet, gifting Madame Aurore, owner of a private pleasure house, with expensive jewelry--including a diamond that could be traced back to the royal family. Meanwhile, London is reeling from the gruesome attacks by Jack the Ripper, and Lady Wellie is also worried that the Prince could be involved. Veronica and Stoker aim to retrieve the diamond and go undercover to investigate the killings before scandal erupts. From the quirky beginning, where a tortoise wedding is being planned, to the salacious sex club escapades to the death-defying denouement, the pair of amateur detectives work together to avert royal disgrace, all while navigating the increasing sexual tension between them. Raybourn's (A Dangerous Collaboration) combination of late Victorian history, well-drawn characters, romance, and humor keep the pages turning. VERDICT Fans of the author and Victorian mystery lovers will enjoy this romp and eagerly await another Veronica and Stoker adventure. [See Prepub Alert, 8/19/19.]--Barbara Clark-Greene, Westerly, RI

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2019

Jack the Ripper is terrorizing London, but Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker have a more immediate problem. Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk wants them to retrieve a costly gift that Prince Albert gave to the proprietress of an establishment he frequents, an exclusive club (read: brothel) called Club de l'Etoile. Next in the USA Today best-selling and Edgar Award-nominated Veronica Speedwell mysteries.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.