Sophia Rose Reviews: Murder at King’s Crossing by Andrea Penrose

 

Today Sophia Rose reviews Murder at King's Crossing #8 in Andrea Penrose's Wrexford and Sloan series.
Enjoy!

Murder at King’s Crossing by Andrea Penrose

#8 Wrexford and Sloan

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Kensington

Published: 9.24.24

Pages:  372

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

For fans of Miss Scarlet and the Duke and Bridgerton—a masterfully plotted mystery that combines engaging protagonists with rich historical detail and “an unusually rich look at Regency life,” (Publishers Weekly), plus a touch of romance that readers of Amanda Quick and Deanna Raybourn will savor.

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 . . .

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

Returning to the historical Regency Era world of science, mathematics, and murder, the latest installment has Charlotte and Wrexford tracking down the evidence that will hopefully exonerate a dear friend’s relation.  Andrea Penrose has written a fine blend of historical backdrop that draws in the inventiveness and thinking of the times with a satisfying mystery and connection to heartwarming characters.

 

Murder at King’s Crossing is the eighth in a series that reads best in order for the character background and relationships’ history, but each book does present a standalone murder mystery.

 

In the latest, Regency era engineer, transportation innovations, and brilliant Calc is at the core of our detecting teams’ latest case.  Cornelia and Kit’s wedding opens the book, but things soon turn to murder when Cornelia’s cousin is implicated and her dear childhood friend is the victim.  Many would kill- and someone obviously has- to get their hands on his brilliant bridge design idea.

 

Like with many series, several books in, one can have quite the expansive cast of characters and side trails as a result.  Murder at King’s Crossing is no exception- hence my advice to read in order.  Peregrine is struggling off at Eton and finds a way to resolve his difficulties that stir up everyone, Charlotte is wondering as the wife of an earl if she’s going soft since she rarely gets out into the darker, poorer streets that she once roamed, and Wrexford is still coming to terms with where he left things with his deceased father and brother especially after coming across something he never knew about his father.

 

The mystery has them all racing to and fro and yes, there are some breathtaking moments of high danger as well as a few good twists.  I did have my finger on a large bit of the solution, but that in no way took away from the pleasure of reading this one.

 

Another solid entry in a series that every historical mystery fan should try.

 

Author Bio:

Andrea Penrose is the USA Today bestselling author of Regency-era historical fiction, including the acclaimed Wrexford & Sloane mystery series, as well as Regency romances written under the names Cara Elliott and Andrea Pickens. Published internationally in ten languages, she is a three-time RITA Award finalist and the recipient of numerous writing awards, including two Daphne Du Maurier Awards for Historical Mystery and two Gold Leaf Awards.

A graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in Art and an M.F.A. in Graphic Design, Andrea fell in love with Regency England after reading Pride and Prejudice and has maintained a fascination with the era’s swirling silks and radical new ideas throughout her writing career. She lives in Connecticut and blogs with a community of historical fiction authors at WordWenches.com. She also can be found at AndreaPenrose.com and on Instagram @AndreaPenroseBooks.

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.

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