Portrait of Peril: A Victorian Mystery
Rowland opens the fifth in the Victorian mystery series centered on Sarah Bain at the photographer/sleuth’s long-anticipated wedding to Det. Sgt. Thomas Barrett. But what should be a happy day is interrupted by the discovery of a murdered man in the church’s crypt. For most newlyweds, this would be an ominous omen, but for Sarah, it is the start of an exciting honeymoon.
Charles Firth is a ghost photographer and spiritualist but, more importantly, helped Sarah get started in photography. She feels compelled to solve his murder and gets a leave from the Daily World to investigate. As she delves into Charles’s life, she finds herself in the strange world of spiritualist believers, hucksters, and their detractors. Everyone seems to have a motive for killing Charles.
Compounding matters is Sarah’s private, and long-running, investigation into the allegation of murder against her father, and a manipulative police inspector who is doing everything he can to make Sarah’s life miserable. And, if that isn’t enough, Sarah now has to deal with her mother-in-law and the Victorian ideals of what a wife should be.
Rowland’s talent for recreating Victorian London is on full display here. Sarah and her supporting cast are delightful and make for an engaging, if odd, team. There are plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing, and the addition of a second murder increases the tension. The plotting takes a few odd turns, and new readers may be confused by references to past cases as well as Sarah’s father’s story. However, this a clever look at Victorian women’s norms as well as an entertaining murder mystery.
