The redoubtable Lord Julian Caldicott returns in A GENTLEMAN OF SINISTER SCHEMES, by historical author Grace Burrowes, with The Lord Julian Mysteries book number eight.  Burrowes is best known for her gentle historical romances (which I love to cozy up with), but I adore her mystery books even more. 

Lord Julian Caldicott is the third son of the prior Waltham duke.  Julian served as a spy during the Napoleonic War and was captured and tortured as a prisoner of war along with his brother who was killed by the French. Julian has been using his well-honed spy skills to successfully investigate domestic crimes now that he’s home, and he is now getting requests from others in the ton to come investigate their problems.

The Marquess of Dalhousie has survived two attempts on his life and has asked Lord Julian to discover the culprit.  The evidence Julian uncovers casts suspicion on members of the marquess’s own family, and there are plenty of potential villains in the Marquess’ household.  Indeed, so many of the family seem like miserable termagants or simply jerks.  There are a plethora of suspects and plenty of red herrings to entice the readers down the path of suspicions- what fun!

Julian is such a relatable character, and I find him incredibly endearing in his honor and earnestness.  Julian and his stalwart lady love Hyperia West make this series so enticing, and I love watching their burgeoning romance.  A GENTLEMAN OF SINISTER SCHEMES brings some marked turmoil to their relationship; as Shakespeare says, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”  This series’ themes of redemption and relationship repair continue to resound here.

The guilty party here is a surprise, and it's fun to go with Lord Julian through the twists and turns of this investigation.  This short historical mystery by Burrowes is cozy yet satisfying.  A GENTLEMAN OF SINISTER SCHEMES is a lovely mix of mystery and historical romance, and I love where this series is going.