"Murder on Black Swan Lane" by Andrea Penrose

I'm in an online book club started by a friend of mine a few years ago, and one reason I joined is so that I will be inspired to read something besides the contemporary cozy mysteries I favor. Yet when I saw that last month's book was a historical mystery, I dreaded reading it. I shouldn't have, because I edit historical romances for an author in another country and absolutely love her books, but still … a historical novel wasn't what I was hoping for. So what a pleasant surprise when I discovered that I absolutely loved this book, and now I look forward to reading other books by Andrea Penrose.

This book was a bit edgier than the sugar-and-spice cozies I tend to read, yet it wasn't vulgar or overly violent or any of those other things that can make me put a book down. (Things like profanity, blood and gore, and glorified violence are the deal breakers for me; I can take it if a murder occurs "off-screen," as we say.) This tale had fascinating characters and an intricate plot, and I especially loved the two main characters—a widow and artist with a keen eye for detail, Charlotte Sloane, and a bored nobleman, the Earl of Wrexford, who both have an interest in the murder of a local clergyman—especially when Wrexford himself becomes a suspect in the man's murder. The investigation involves a lot of science and scientific evidence as they endeavor to trap the murderer, and it was fun to try to solve the mystery with them.

Tea lovers will note that tea is frequently offered to young and old alike. Sometimes, Charlotte has a cup of tea with two young urchins she's practically adopted. They go by the names Raven and Hawk, and I grew to love these young fellows and their escapades, especially when they became protective of their protector.

In one scene, Charlotte is treated to ice cream at Gunter's Tea Shop. She was escorted "inside the elegant tea parlor … at a table looking out through the large windows onto Berkeley Square. A parade of fancy carriages rolled by, the wheels clicking smoothly over the smooth cobblestones. Ladies frothed in silk and satins strolled along the neatly raked gravel paths of the central garden, accompanied by gentlemen dressed in the first stare of fashion."

Interestingly, Wrexford and Charlotte are not romantically linked in the book, and I look forward to seeing whether a relationship develops in a subsequent book in the series. Regardless, I found the Regency period details and writing thoroughly impressive, and I'm so glad my book club friend recommended this book. I do believe some of you would like it too!