Murder at Kensington Palace (A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery): 3

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There is growth in the continuing characters, especially the two boys who Charlotte has unofficially adopted. Hawk and Raven are a delight and are developing their own interests: Hawk is becoming a naturalist and artist, while Raven has found a love for numbers and a fascination with Wrexford's laboratory. Their burgeoning talents play a part in solving the murders. Charlotte’s life is about to change – totally – not from her desire, but from a need to save the life of her closest childhood friend, her cousin Nicholas. Charlotte will sacrifice most anything, even her hard-won independence, to free her cousin, but the decision fills her with trepidations. Can she do it? What if she makes the sacrifice and she’s still not successful? He said the prosecution could not prove that the killer, seen by two witnesses shortly after the 11.30am shooting, was George. So when I finally saw this one on Netgalley I begged to read it! I couldn’t wait and read it in a couple of fast sittings!

Just to recap, usually the Earl of Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane and their small circle of unlikely and very likeable characters are drawn into the depths of the rookeries and dark places of London when pursuing a crime. This time however the pursuit will lead into the tonnish limelight. The other thing that makes the two series different, and has been a huge factor in the Wrexford & Sloane series so far, is that Wrexford, unlike Devlin, is a man of science rather than politics, and this case, like the previous two books, is steeped in that world that seemed to be changing and discovering every day. The defence argued that he was incapable of such a sophisticated killing, which involved detailed planning and specialist bullets.Penrose’s other great strength, other than the yummy romance, is the love of friends and family Charlotte and Wrexford built around them: “She had somehow gathered a mismatched circle of friends around her during the past few years. They had become very dear to her. Once again, she was aware of how frighteningly vulnerable she felt because of it. A solitary existence was far safe, uncomplicated by the complexities of emotions. Danger now held more consequences than the question of her own measly survival. The boys depended on her … ” Ah, the boys, Wrexford’s beloved “Weasels” (how tender is it that he has found them a tutor? how loving is Charlotte’s heart-weakness for them? teaching them to draw, muttering motherly threats about “no jam tarts,” which McLennan affectionately bakes for them, hugging them and giving them a world of love and care and knowledge where they had none). Raven and Hawk are funny, smart, and vulnerable in how much they love Charlotte and both love and are in awe of Wrexford. In the end, the most winning aspect of Penrose’s wonderful series is the conclusion Charlotte and Wrexford come to together and apart, that love is primary, makes life worth living, and deserves our greatest care and protection. And why I await the next She's not that bright about anything else either, TBH. It is completely impossible for me to believe that she's been so sucessful in life and in her art, given how idiotic she is in every aspect of it that we see. It's fine for the author to tell us how brilliant she is, but when all we see is her acting like a numbskull, it becomes both unbelievable and annoying. One of my favorite things about this series is those two street boys and their lovely interactions and relationship with Charlotte, and also with Lord Wrexford. Another favorite thing for me is Penrose's knowledge of the Regency period and her excellent use of this in the various mysteries and their development. The book alternates between Slone’s point of view and that of Wrexford. The author uses this as a way of increasing tension and helping pull the reader through the book at an even pace. These changes occur at well-placed intervals that serve to leave the reader wanting more with one character while at the same time being intrigued by what is happening with the other. Charlotte’s collaborator, Lord Wrexford, has the entrée denied to Charlotte into “the highest circles of Society.” He’s also a passionate devotee of science. During their most recent case, Murder at Half Moon Gate, Wrexford learned of Charlotte’s secret profession, and they came perilously close to developing a personal relationship. She’s reluctant to call on him for help. Needs must, however, and she sends the boys to Wrexford’s residence with a note.

Kensington Gardens,” replied Raven. “The Duke of Sussex had a fancy party for some visiting men of science from Prussia last night at the Palace.” Now, here's the problem I have with Charlotte Sloane's character, especially in this outing: she's completely torn up about her cousin's death and the other cousin being arrested for the crime. She's so torn up about it in fact, that she makes sillier choices than usual and gives up her anonymity to rejoin "high" society, supposedly so she can interact with the female suspects. (And, by the way, this sacrifice turns out to be unnecessary because Wrexford and Sheffield already know the main female suspect and have several dealings with her throughout the story.) A first appeal failed, but a second, last November, concluded that the fresh scientific evidence meant there was "no certainty" the jury at his original trial would have convicted him.

Transforming Nottingham House

Commander Simon Foy, who heads the Homicide Command, expressed disappointment at the verdict and said police would be "reflecting upon it" before deciding how to proceed.

Penrose’s other great strength, other than the yummy romance, is the love of friends and family Charlotte and Wrexford built around them: “She had somehow gathered a mismatched circle of friends around her during the past few years. They had become very dear to her. Once again, she was aware of how frighteningly vulnerable she felt because of it. A solitary existence was far safe, uncomplicated by the complexities of emotions. Danger now held more consequences than the question of her own measly survival. The boys depended on her … ” Ah, the boys, Wrexford’s beloved “Weasels” (how tender is it that he has found them a tutor? how loving is Charlotte’s heart-weakness for them? teaching them to draw, muttering motherly threats about “no jam tarts,” which McLennan affectionately bakes for them, hugging them and giving them a world of love and care and knowledge where they had none). Raven and Hawk are funny, smart, and vulnerable in how much they love Charlotte and both love and are in awe of Wrexford. In the end, the most winning aspect of Penrose’s wonderful series is the conclusion Charlotte and Wrexford come to together and apart, that love is primary, makes life worth living, and deserves our greatest care and protection. And why I await the next book in the series as I do Raybourn’s, Harris’s, and Ashley’s. With Miss Austen, we find, in Murder At Kensington Palace, “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma. I love the way the boys are developing their distinctive talents. Raven is mathematically inclined and Hawk is engaged by the study of natural history and drawing. Charlotte needs to find out more because the public has an “insatiable appetite for scandal and depravity,” and who better “to trumpet all the juicy details” than A. J. Quill. Lilly, one of Charlotte’s army of spies on the street, told the boys she heard the news directly from a gardener who discovered the corpse. Charlotte’s wards, Hawk and Raven, once homeless and now living under her wing, tell her the Bloody Butcher has murdered another victim—this time a “titled toff.” The crime is so heinous, “the Bow Street Runner puked all over ’is boots.” Why? Because this case was steeped in those scientific questions, as well as the age-old question about the fine lines between genius and madness, and between interest and obsession. All the red herrings in this one, and there were many, had been electrocuted or charred to a crisp before presentation, making the solution seem just that much farther out of reach.On the morning of 20 June 1837, Princess Victoria woke up to be told that the King had died and that she was now Queen. She was just 18 years old. As usual I had an idea who the murderer was and as usual I was wrong. I like this. I hate it when I can guess too early on who's done the deed. The retrial jury was told George claimed to be the cousin of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the band Queen, and to have served in the SAS.