Murder in Westminster

Set in Regency England, this lively series launch from romance author Riley (A Duke, the Spy, an Artist and a Lie) stars Abigail Carrington, the daughter of a Jamaican mother and a Scottish father. After Abigail, who has married a much older lord who spends most of his time at sea, and her cantankerous London neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, encounter each other outdoors one evening, they discover the strangled corpse of Henderson's estranged wife slumped against the fence dividing their properties. Abigail fears her race will make her a suspect, despite her slight acquaintance with the victim, and she can't reveal that she was on her way to a meeting of antislavery crusaders without compromising the group's secrecy. Instead, she resolves to solve the crime. The victim's many lovers are obvious suspects, but Abigail sees Henderson as a likely murderer, despite his attempts to persuade her otherwise. While the backstory introducing series characters sometimes feels clumsy and the modern language can be distracting, Riley offers a vibrant picture of the roles Black and mixed-race people played in Regency life. Fans of Bridgerton will enjoy this one. Agent: Sarah Elizabeth Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Sept.)

A mixed-race woman investigates murder while stoking the stalled abolition movement in this 1806 London--set series launch. Twenty-two-year-old Abigail Carrington Monroe--the half-Jamaican, half-Scottish Baroness of Worthing--should be making plans to celebrate her second wedding anniversary with James Monroe, renowned explorer and Baron of Worthing. Instead, her much older husband is off on a high seas adventure while Abbie is stuck at home in Westminster, feuding with naval hero Stapleton Henderson, her ill-tempered neighbor. Abbie and Stapleton are bickering in Abbie's yard one night when Abbie's terrier gets loose. The dog leads the duo to the strangled corpse of Stapleton's estranged, flagrantly adulterous wife, which is slumped on Abbie's property and strung to Stapleton's partially constructed fence. The magistrate questions their earlier whereabouts, causing Abbie to panic: She left the theater early to attend a secret meeting of abolitionists. To her surprise, however, Stapleton alibis them both, swearing they watched the entirety of Ali Baba from their respective boxes, which are in sight of each other. This lie all but convinces Abigail of Stapleton's guilt, but she can't call him out without causing problems for herself. Further, who would believe a young female "Blackamoor" over a White man? Abbie resolves to uncover the truth even if she must feign cooperation with Stapleton to do so. Riley's inclusive, keenly drawn cast shines a light on the role of people of color in the Regency era. Abbie's backstory is overly complicated, and a plot thread involving her alleged second sight feels superfluous, but snappy dialogue, abundant intrigue, and Abbie and Stapleton's increasingly flirtatious antagonism keep the tension high and the narrative drive strong. Smart, fun, and full of moxie. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.