Murder at Queen’s Landing (A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery)

Written by Andrea Penrose
Review by Jeff Westerhoff

Amateur detectives in early 19th-century London, Lady Charlotte Sloane and the Earl of Wrexford are faced with locating their friends, Lady Cordelia and her brother Lord Woodbridge. After investigating the murder of an East India Company clerk at Queen’s Landing, clues indicate the possibility that Lord Woodbridge may have been involved. As the case unfolds, the two discover the existence of a secret consortium that may affect the banking world and international arbitrage where funds are being bought and sold on the international market. They must now try to locate the mastermind behind the international plot and prevent economic and personal disasters that may affect the two missing friends.

This novel is the fourth installment of the Wexford and Sloane mystery series. I have not read the previous novels, and it isn’t necessary to do so first. I enjoy 19th-century mysteries, and this story did not disappoint. The international and mathematical conversations can be confusing. I had to reread the paragraphs that mentioned these issues, which tended to interrupt the narrative. By the end of the novel, though, the plot is uncovered, and these complicated subjects are explained. The author provides interesting characters, including those who support the protagonists.