The third Wrexford and Sloane mystery set in Regency London brings trials and tribulations. No modestly behaved young lady should see murdered men and the innards of Newgate Gaol. Charlotte Sloane may be well born, but in MURDER AT KENSINGTON PALACE she moonlights as male cartoonist A.J. Quill. Political and satirical cartoonists were the paparazzi of the day, lampooning the famous, mocking the rich.

The Earl of Wrexford is party to Charlotte’s secret. As he often enjoys figuring out crimes, Sherlock Holmes style, the lady accompanies him to make sketches, dressed as a street lad. The Bow Street Runners refer to this urchin as Phoenix. Wrexford has no intention of getting involved when the older of twin brothers is foully murdered in Kensington Gardens after spending an evening at the Royal Society science gathering. But Charlotte is stricken because Cedric, the Baronet who has been stabbed, is her cousin. The younger twin Nicholas is the main suspect, but she’s sure he could not be responsible. Wrexford arranges for Charlotte to visit her relative in Newgate and then the pair of them decide to investigate.

The author Andrea Penrose has taken care to give her resourceful heroine a degree of liberty not enjoyed by all gently-born women. As a widow, Charlotte is responsible for her own household and person, but she is not so wealthy as to have endless impecunious suitors. She can receive gentlemen callers without much comment, though an Earl’s presence would certainly be noted. She doesn’t have too many social obligations, so she can attend crime scenes, and her staff, the biggest gossips, are minimal.

We learn about female scholars or Bluestockings, but the scientific minds of the day are almost all men, with the Royal Society, Royal Institution, Royal Botanic Gardens and a gathering of experimenters called the Eros Society mentioned. At this time people were still handling dangerous chemicals, and I always feel inclined to shout “No, don’t do that!” when I read of someone rolling beads of mercury around his hand. Other well-off men experimented with electricity or botany for hobbies, enjoying the attention and stature this conferred while making discoveries for their own sake. Against this well-drawn background our intrepid detectives sally forth to ask questions and notice details, match hats and match wits with the Ton. This enjoyable adventure MURDER AT KENSINGTON PALACE will make the series many new friends. Anyone who likes to read historical crime will be rewarded by this well-researched mystery.