Friends in High Places (A Liberty Lane Mystery, Book 7)
In 1840, private investigator Liberty Lane is engaged by Lady Blessington to escort a friend of Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte to The Hague. The gentleman has papers that would assist the prince, the late emperor’s nephew, in his trial; he is accused of an attempted coup in France. It would appear that others are involved in the case as well, including Mr. Benjamin Disraeli, MP. Liberty has clashed with the MP before. However, when a dead body is discovered in Lady Blessington’s mansion, the plans for Liberty’s expedition are disrupted. Liberty, noting the evidence of a well-planned execution, avows to track down the killer. But little does she know that she is being drawn into a dangerous game of spying, including extortion and treason.
While this is the seventh in Caro Peacock’s Liberty Lane series, it can be read independently of its prequels. The novel, written in Liberty’s first-person viewpoint, is a pleasurable read. The Victorian setting and international political intrigue, together with the murder mystery, add complexity to the plot, although the inclusion of a bit more romance would have added more vivacity to the story. Nevertheless, Liberty’s sleuthing, aided by her able assistants, Amos and Tabby, will make the readers keep turning the pages.
