Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose

This part of the story ran very unevenly, requiring too much accommodation to facets of Wrexford as an aristocrat versus the gentleman sleuth consorting with the mysterious Mrs. However, it took me about half the book to warm up to the Earl of Wrexford. Quill, with her two adopted street urchins. My main quibble was Penrose's inclination to muddy the narrative with essentially two unrelated mysteries which, in my view, clashed as far as a plot device.Ĭharacterization was fun and I liked my time getting to know the female protagonist, a satirical illustrator, A.J. I certainly found the story intriguing despite some quite rocky plot development. I was very happy to become acquainted with this author's work. Sloane plunge into a dangerous shadow world hidden among London's intellectual enclaves to trap a cunning adversary-before they fall victim to the next experiment in villainy. Soon Lord Wrexford and the mysterious Mrs. But he has a proposal-use her sources to unveil the clergyman's clandestine involvement in questionable scientific practices, and unmask the real murderer. When Wrexford discovers her true identity, she fears it will be her undoing. An artist in her own right, Charlotte Sloane has secretly slipped into the persona of her late husband, using his nom de plume A.J. But then the clergyman is found slain in a church-his face burned by chemicals, his throat slashed ear to ear-and Wrexford finds himself the chief suspect.

As their war of words escalates, London's most popular satirical cartoonist, A.J.

So when pompous, pious Reverend Josiah Holworthy publicly condemns him for debauchery, Wrexford unsheathes his rapier-sharp wit and strikes back. The Earl of Wrexford possesses a brilliant scientific mind, but boredom and pride lead him to reckless behavior. In Regency London, an unconventional scientist and a fearless female artist form an unlikely alliance to expose a cold-hearted killer.

Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose