An inquisitive bachelor. A mysterious widow. A dangerous partnership in Regency London.
Idle heir to an earldom, Viscount Northwood drifts through life with little purpose—until a shocking murder shatters the calm of his quiet London square. His prime suspect? The beautiful but enigmatic widow across the way. Determined to uncover her secrets, North calls upon the investigative tricks he’s learned from his Bow Street Runner twin.
Except anonymous broadsheets are circulating, exposing every lurid detail of the crime and bringing a crowd of intrusive onlookers into the square, complicating North’s investigation. When he discovers the author of the scandalous publication is none other than the suspicious widow and that she is also apparently trying to solve the murder, they reluctantly join forces.
Their uneasy alliance is soon tested when the killer sets his sights on them. Can they trust each other in the face of danger, or will the murderer claim two more victims?
Buy links: https://darcyburke.com/books/raven-wren/a-whisper-in-darkness/#buy-today
Review:
Another mystery from Darcy Burke, this time set in the Regency? YES, PLEASE.
Jeremy Sheffield, Viscount Northwood, (AKA North) has recently taken a house in Pemberton Square. His siblings, including his twin Harry ( A Secret Surrender ), have all settled down and though he’s moving toward being more…grown up? less rakish?…he doesn’t really have much of a purpose for himself…yet.
And then his neighbor dies unexpectedly. And though everyone seems willing to say it was an accident, North isn’t sure. He pushes for a murder investigation, but then is taken aback when another neighbor, Lady Hypatia Cartwright, is the sole viable suspect. North’s only just met her, but he’s somehow fairly certain she’s innocent. (Has he inherited his law enforcement twin’s intuition? Maybe…he also thinks she’s attractive, so there’s that.) He offers to help her prove her innocence, and she–very reluctantly–agrees.
Though North being involved in this first investigation at all is a bit of a stretch–he pretty much just inserts himself into the whole thing from the very start–I really enjoyed this story. Hypatia and North make a great team, her cat Quill (the cover model of the book) is an excellent assistant in their investigation.
The mystery kept me turning the pages, and I enjoyed the growing relationship between North and Hypatia. At this point he’s definitely more interested in her than she is in him–her first marriage was not a good one, to say the least–but I am looking forward to seeing what develops in the future.
Not to mention just how many murders can possibly take place in the square. 😉
Only Murders in the Square (LOVE that name!) is set in the same world as many of her series (The Untouchables, The Spitfire Society, The Pretenders, to name a few), it works just fine as a standalone.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
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