Review - Murder at King's Crossing

I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, check out the prior reviews of books in the series.

1)  Murder on Swan Lake (review here) 

2)  Murder at Halfmoon Gate (review here) 

3)  Murder at Kensington Palace (review here)   

4)  Murder at Queen's Landing (review here) 

5)  Murder at Royal Botanic Gardens (review here) 

6)  Murder at the Serpentine Bridge (review here) 

7) Murder at the Merton Library (review here)

Author interview (click here) 

This series hasn't slowed down.  Let's find out what the newest book in this historical mystery series has in store for us.

Author: Andrea Penrose

Copyright: September 2024 (Berkley) 369 pgs

Series: 8th in Wrexford & Sloane Mysteries

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Historical, Historical Amateur Sleuth

Main Character: Charlotte Saybrook, a satirical cartoonist under the name A.J. Quill

Setting: Regency Era, London England

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "Celebration is in the air at Wrexford and Charlotte’s country estate as they host the nuptials of their friends, Christopher Sheffield and Lady Cordelia Mansfield. But on the afternoon of the wedding, the festivities are interrupted when the local authorities arrive with news that a murdered man has been discovered at the bridge over King’s Crossing, his only identification an invitation to the wedding. Lady Cordelia is horrified when the victim is identified as Jasper Milton, her childhood friend and a brilliant engineer who is rumored to have discovered a revolutionary technological innovation in bridge design. That he had the invitation meant for her cousin Oliver, who never showed up for the wedding, stirs a number of unsettling questions.

Both men were involved in the Revolutions-Per-Minute Society, a scientific group dedicated to making radical improvements in the speed and cost of transportation throughout Britain. Is someone plotting to steal Milton’s designs? And why has her cousin disappeared?

Wrexford and Charlotte were looking forward to spending a peaceful interlude in the country, but when Lady Cordelia resolves to solve the mystery, they offer their help, along with that of the Weasels and their unconventional inner circle of friends. The investigation turns tangled and soon all of them are caught up in a treacherous web of greed, ambition, and dangerous secrets. And when the trail takes a shocking turn, Wrexford and Charlotte must decide what risks they are willing to take with their family to bring the villains to justice . . ."

Lady Charlotte and the Earl of Wrexford, Wrex for short, are a married couple now. I appreciate how they are a team and he doesn't try to change her nor cut her out of investigating. As always, Charlotte's adopted sons, Raven and Hawk are a refreshing addition.  This book has an interesting turn for the brilliant child nicknamed Peregrin-another favorite of mine. 

Wrex's best friend, Christopher "Kit" Sheffield and Lady Cordelia, a whip smart mathematician, are lovely as a couple but see stress on their just completed marriage with the investigation.  Aunt Alison and Henning the anatomist make appearances as the inner circle.  

McClellan the cook and housemaid and Tyler, Wrex's lab assistant/valet are present again.  Tyler gets involved a good bit with the investigating this time around.  All the characters have a role in the tight-knit "family" and pull together in this investigation.  I appreciate this rag-tag found-family that makes the stories special. 

I always appreciate the setting of Regency England in these novels for how the excitement of the blossoming scientific fields and innovation are juxtaposed against the greed and hubris of the investors and wealthy.  This book is a good example of that.

The plot has many twists just uncovering what the motive of the murder really was let alone who is the killer.  This and the wily suspects kept the pages flying by for me.  A character from a prior book makes another appearance and I still wonder if he is a friend or foe, which adds to the twists.

The killer show down lives up to my high expectations for this series with plenty of excitement and thrills. Exceptionally well done.  The wrap up leaves a personal mystery yet to be solved for our duo.

My Thoughts:  Ms. Penrose only gets better with each book.  The mystery is tangled and layered, the characters are brought to life with care and depth, the setting and time period are detailed and transport the reader, the pacing is spot on to present a gem.  

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Thank you for reading my book blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.