Enjoy!
A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn
#8 Veronica Speedwell
Historical Mystery
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 3.7.23
Pages: 320
Rating: 4 stars
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Sellers: Amazon
ADD TO: GoodReads
GoodReads Blurb:
Veronica must find and stop a devious
killer when a group of old friends is targeted for death in this new adventure
from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna
Raybourn.
Veronica’s natural-historian beau, Stoker, has been away
in Bavaria for months and their relationship is at an impasse. But when
Veronica shows up before him with his brother, Tiberius, Lord Templeton-Vane,
he is lured back home by an intriguing job offer: preparing an iguanodon for a
very special dinner party.
Tiberius has received a cryptic message—along with the
obituaries of two recently deceased members of his old group of friends, the
Seven Sinners—that he too should get his affairs in order. Realizing he is in
grave danger but not knowing why, he plans a reunion party for the remaining
Sinners at his family estate to lure the killer out while Veronica and Stoker investigate.
As the guests arrive and settle in, the evening’s events
turn deadly. More clues come to light, leading Veronica, Stoker, and Tiberius
to uncover a shared past among the Sinners that has led to the fatal present.
But the truth might be far more sinister than what they were prepared for.
Sophia Rose's Review:
Things got a tad dicey at the end of
the last book with its shocking revelations about Veronica’s past so I was both
eager and wary to pick up A Sinister Revenge to see whether Veronica can mend
matters with Stoker and together keep Tiberius from being murdered by someone
set on revenge for an incident in his past.
The Veronica Speedwell series has been an engaging blend of Victorian
era mystery, adventure, and a tantalizing romance between two powerful, complex
personalities. Well written with witty
flair and flavored with manners and dialogue of the period, each book showcases
an aspect of the Victorian world and this time is fossil hunting on England’s
south coast that features prominently.
A Sinister Revenge is the eighth
Veronica Speedwell adventure and, because of the way the personal story for
Veronica, Stoker, and all the regular characters is ongoing, these really
should be read in order.
Veronica has deep-seated issues that
reared their ugly head once again when she thought she’d conquered them. She let Stoker leave and never corrected his
assumption that she was married. Who
knows how long she would have fiddle-faddled and waited for him to give in
first, but Tiberius discovers something so disturbing that he needs Stoker.
And, so, they are reunited once again
to uncover answers about the death that happened in Tiberius’ younger years and
is at the heart of the present situation.
In good murder mystery plot fashion, Tiberius brings all the principle
parties back to the scene of the death, the Templeton-Vane family estate, and
siccs Veronica and Stoker with their detecting ability on his guests.
Meanwhile, Stoker remains obdurate
even when she tells him she’s not married.
He makes his stance crystal clear.
Trust him and go all in or leave him be.
Veronica gets her hackles up over this and deflects by making them
rivals in murder investigation. But,
drat the man, he isn’t going to give in on this one, is he?
So, I went into this one and hoped it
wouldn’t stall out in the quagmire of Veronica’s issues. Thankfully, it didn’t. Oh, she did start out that way, but I didn’t
account for Stoker. He’s her match for a
reason. She really does love him and has
to learn that love is stronger than fear.
I enjoyed seeing them working on the case from different angles and had
a good time when they got up to shenanigans and tried to outwit each other
while driving to the truth.
The solution to the mystery was an
easy one for me. Though, I landed on the
‘who, how, and why’ by chance rather than by design very early on. Still, I had a good time seeing Veronica and
Stoker get there and go through a harrowing final adventure before the end.
Deanna Raybourn’s talented writing
made this a fast, sparkling read that left me utterly satisfied and lusting for
more of the series. While there is a
historical mystery in each book, I would nudge these toward romantic suspense
fans who enjoy a historical setting since the focus is on Veronica, herself,
and her relationship with Stoker a strong secondary plot.
Author’s Bio:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Deanna
Raybourn is a 6th-generation native Texan. She graduated with a double major in
English and history from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Married to her
college sweetheart and the mother of one, Raybourn makes her home in Virginia.
Her novels have been nominated for numerous awards including two RT Reviewers’
Choice awards, the Agatha, two Dilys Winns, a Last Laugh, three du Mauriers,
and most recently the 2019 Edgar Award for Best Novel. She launched a new
Victorian mystery series with the 2015 release of A CURIOUS BEGINNING,
featuring intrepid butterfly-hunter and amateur sleuth, Veronica Speedwell.
Veronica returned in 2017's A Perilous Undertaking, and A Treacherous Curse,
2018. A Dangerous Collaboration was released in 2019, and book five, A
Murderous Relation, was a March 2020 release. An Unexpected Peril, Veronica's
sixth adventure, will be published in March 2021. In addition to further
Veronica books, Deanna is writing a contemporary novel about four female
assassins on the cusp of retirement.
Website: https://www.deannaraybourn.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/deannaraybourn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deannaraybourn/
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia
is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing,
piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments,
restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible
man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes
Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and
Chocolate.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that
Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a
prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many
wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading
tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and
romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose
This sounds like a fun series. The fact that the mystery was easy is a little worrisome, but this being described as a fast and satisfying read puts this series on my list. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNot all of them in the series were this easy, but there is a lot of good stuff, always. Glad to put it on your radar, Renee! :)
Delete"He’s her match for a reason." YES YES YES!!! I love how the author worked this one out on the personal side of things.
ReplyDeleteTiberius was so frustrating... he asks for help, but then sabotages their efforts with his own. But that's who he is and I love that V is T are friends.
I was wrong about the who, but still enjoyed watching the story unfold. It was a good one and I can't wait for more.
I'm with you. Tiberius' friendship and place in the story definitely spices it up.
DeleteI have no idea why the culprit pinged my radar and I stuck with the suspicion through the end. Rarely happens that I get it right like that. Haha!
I neeeed this. I finally got the library to buy the one before
ReplyDeleteYes, you definitely need this after the way things ended with the last book. :)
DeleteI was so worried about Veronica and Stoker before diving into this book. I was so glad to see them reunited.
ReplyDeleteWhew, yeah, same here, Carole!
DeleteI enjoyed this but hope they work side by side next time...lol
ReplyDelete