Review by Booklist Review
Lady Abigail Worthing's marriage to the often-absent baron does have its share of drawbacks, but one advantage to their loveless union is the box at the Drury Lane Theatre Abigail so enjoys. Sadly, her theatrical place of refuge is thrown into disarray one evening when aspiring playwright Anthony Danielson is found stabbed backstage during a performance. Already the subject of gossip due to the color of her skin and her mother's scandalous past, Abigail, a determined abolitionist, can't afford to have her name linked to the murder. This leaves her no choice but to help retired lieutenant commander and physician Stapleton Henderson, who also happens to be Abigail's neighbor and frequent thorn in her side, investigate the crime. With impeccable attention to period details, a vividly evoked setting, a cast of richly nuanced characters, and a captivating plot that fully embraces the challenges and oft-overlooked diversity of the Regency era, Riley's second stunning addition to her Lady Worthing series, following Murder in Westminster (2022), is a delight.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bodies abound in Riley's disappointing second Lady Worthington Mystery (after 2022's Murder at Westminster), in which the eponymous heroine gets caught between her political principles and her desire to catch a killer. In 1806 London, Lady Abigail Worthington--daughter of a white Scottish father and a Black Jamaican mother, and wife to an absentee sea captain--spends a comforting evening at her beloved Drury Lane theater after her London townhouse is ransacked by an unknown intruder. The evening is cut short when aspiring playwright Anthony Danielson is discovered backstage skewered with a prop spear, the pages of his half-finished play strewn on the floor around his body. With the help of her neighbor, physician Stapleton Henderson, Abigail sets out to solve the murder before the scandal forces the theater to close. A moral dilemma arises when she begins to suspect the killer could be a leading figure in the fight to pass an antislavery bill through Parliament, a cause Abigail vehemently supports. It's a promising theme, and Riley sets her sights on a pivotal, fascinating period in British history, but the proceedings suffer from slapdash execution. With a convoluted, meandering plot, and heaps of anachronistic language, this misses the mark. Agent: Sarah Elizabeth Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
A night at the Drury Lane Theater ends with unexpected drama when a budding playwright is found dead in the prop room. Lady Abigail Worthing takes it upon herself to find the truth behind the crime, with the reluctant help of her neighbor Stapleton Henderson. The pair begin to uncover a tangled web of gambling debts, an actress with numerous suitors, and a struggle for the fate of the theater, and the mystery takes a personal turn when Abigail learns that one of the key suspects is a leading advocate for the abolishment of slavery in the British empire--a cause Abigail also fights for. Riley's prose is elegant and evocative, transporting readers to the opulent world of the Regency era. In a time when Black and mixed-race people were marginalized and overlooked, the author brings these voices to the forefront through vibrant and well-developed characters. Readers will enjoy the Bridgerton-esque setting and dialogue and will keep working to uncover the clues. VERDICT Combining elements of an Agatha Christie-style whodunit with the vivid portrayal of a more encompassing view of Regency-era England, the second Lady Worthing mystery (following Murder in Westminster) does not disappoint.--Ashlynne Watson
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A resourceful baroness solves a theatrical murder while battling societal prejudice. As the satiric comedy A Bold Stroke for a Wife unfolds on the stage of London's Drury Lane Theatre in 1806, an even more compelling drama is playing out behind the scenes. Following a heated argument with actor Alexander Hildebrand, playwright Anthony Danielson is stabbed in the back with a spear by an unseen killer. In the audience, Abigail Carrington Monroe, aka Lady Worthing, waits patiently with her godfather, Neil Vaughn, for the final act of the play to begin. As she elaborates on her justifiable distress over her disreputable husband, currently "exploring the world," and more immediately on the burglary of her home just hours ago, it becomes clear that Vaughn's plan to use entertainment to distract her from her recent troubles has gone terribly awry. The murder proves to be a more successful distraction, since Abigail, who's already acquired a taste for detection, can't help but investigate. Riley's Regency Era thriller diverges from most period mysteries in two respects: The heroine's first-person narrative is brisk and economical, and the whodunit plot is woven into Abigail's story of survival in a judgmental society. As if her abandonment by her husband were not challenge enough, Abigail faces bigotry and sexism as a Black woman as well. It's her empathy for Danielson's widow that compels her to solve the crime, though the revelation of the killer might endanger the pending abolition bill in parliament. An Author's Note provides much interesting background information on people, places, and history. Not your grandma's period mystery. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
