THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE is book three in the Casebook of Barnaby Adair series by Stephanie Laurens. I love mysteries, and I love books by Stephanie Laurens, so I was happy to give this book a try. I heartily enjoyed reading THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE. There is romance, and there are passionate encounters in this story, but the mystery dominates. This is fine for me, because there are enough puzzles to make for a very intriguing mystery. There are characters from previous books, but I don't think it will be too confusing to enjoy for anybody new to this series, or this world that Stephanie Laurens has created.

The thing which starts the deadly chain of events is an elderly lady putting her financial affairs in order. When she becomes the victim of foul play, her paid companion -- Miss Violet Matcham -- refuses to let Lady Halstead's sudden death go uninvestigated. Because of some of the questions about Lady Halstead's finances, she engages the services of financial wizard Mr. Heathcote Montague. There is an attraction between Violet and Montague that is developed throughout the story.

Part of why the fledgling romance between the two works so well is because they are both really great characters. Violet is 34 and is a very composed, intelligent woman with a lot of fortitude. Montague is a strong and smart hero. One thing that I love about THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE is the respect given by all of the good guys to their female counterparts, and the lack of condescension. Violet, Griselda, and Penelope are very different women, who are from slightly different levels of society, but they are all intelligent and their men treat them as such. Strong, intelligent, self-possessed women are a staple of any Stephanie Laurens book. As a longtime Stephanie Laurens fan, I was extremely happy for the cameo appearance of the indomitable Lady Osbaldestone. I like the teamwork by the detectives in this story. There were many minds at work trying to unravel the complex mystery. It's a smart strategy employed by the detectives to have the different players investigate using the avenues they are most familiar with.

I love that there are actually many little mysteries in THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE in addition to murder. I was riveted from beginning to end. As Montague, detective extraordinaire Barnaby Adair, Inspector Stokes -- along with the ladies -- hunt down clues and track down alibis, you feel as though you're part of the investigation. In THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE, you really get a feel for the staggering amount of paperwork detectives had to wade through, as well as the tedious job of copying documents out by hand to cross-reference facts rather than streamline the process by using a computer. The surviving members of Lady Halstead's family are all pretty odious and make for perfect suspects.

THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE is an extremely exciting and entertaining mystery with great characters and a dash of romance. I eagerly await the next installment in this Casebook of Barnaby Adair series and hope to see familiar characters.