0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: Available soon
Abigail can't divulge that she was attending a secret pro-abolition meeting at the time of the murder. To her surprise, Henderson offers her an alibi. Though he and Juliet were long estranged, and she had a string of lovers, he feels a certain loyalty to his late wife. Perhaps together, he and Abigail can learn the truth.
Abigail, whose marriage to Lord Worthing was not a love match, knows well how appearances can deceive. For all its surface elegance, London's high society can be treacherous. Yet who in their circle would have killed Juliet, and why? Taking the reins of her life in a way she never has before, Abby intends to find out—but in the process she will uncover more danger than she ever imagined . . .
-
Creators
-
Series
-
Publisher
-
Release date
August 30, 2022 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781666184778
- File size: 304784 KB
- Duration: 10:34:57
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
July 18, 2022
Set in Regency England, this lively series launch from romance author Riley (A Duke, the Spy, an Artist and a Lie) stars Abigail Carrington, the daughter of a Jamaican mother and a Scottish father. After Abigail, who has married a much older lord who spends most of his time at sea, and her cantankerous London neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, encounter each other outdoors one evening, they discover the strangled corpse of Henderson’s estranged wife slumped against the fence dividing their properties. Abigail fears her race will make her a suspect, despite her slight acquaintance with the victim, and she can’t reveal that she was on her way to a meeting of antislavery crusaders without compromising the group’s secrecy. Instead, she resolves to solve the crime. The victim’s many lovers are obvious suspects, but Abigail sees Henderson as a likely murderer, despite his attempts to persuade her otherwise. While the backstory introducing series characters sometimes feels clumsy and the modern language can be distracting, Riley offers a vibrant picture of the roles Black and mixed-race people played in Regency life. Fans of Bridgerton will enjoy this one. Agent: Sarah Elizabeth Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. -
Narrator Chant� McCormick purrs and croons as she portrays Lady Abigail Worthing, an upper class Black woman from the Caribbean Islands who is slowly settling into the ton and her absent husband's house. Lord and Lady Worthing's house is adjacent to the property of her highborn neighbor, Lt. Stapleton Henderson, who has recently retired from serving in the Napoleonic Wars. When the Worthings discover Henderson's unfaithful wife, Juliet, hanging on the fence dividing their properties, they investigate the odd clues surrounding the murder. McCormick elegantly delivers the abundant clues as murders pile up, as well as innuendoes recounted by servants from across the British Empire. She also expertly portrays the British aristocrats and stiff-necked police who populate this Regency mystery. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
June 10, 2024
Abigail Carrington, aka Lady Worthington, is of mixed Scottish and Jamaican descent. She has a nose for crime solving that may be enhanced by "second sight." One night, she finds her neighbor, Juliet Henderson, strangled on the fence at their joint property line. Juliet's husband, Stapleton, had recently thrown Juliet out of the house for her numerous adulterous affairs, which makes him a likely suspect. Suspicion falls on Abigail, too, in large part because of the color of her skin. Although Abigail and Stapleton have their differences, they work together to investigate the murder, uncovering additional murders and more suspects in the process. Riley (A Duke, the Spy, an Artist, and a Lie) sets her story in the 19th century, highlighting issues of class and race that resonate even today. Unfortunately, the story line stutters as suspicions change to certainty with little explanation. Additionally, the acrimony between the neighbors becomes tedious long before it ends. Narrator Chant� McCormick's British accent is lovely, but her pacing is poor, and her characterizations are so similar that listeners may struggle to know who is speaking. VERDICT Readers of Regency-era mysteries will enjoy the book, but the audio is a nonessential purchase for most libraries.--Joanna M. Burkhardt
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-