Review by Booklist Review
After solving a series of poisonings in A Novel Disguise (2023), Tiffany Woodall, a 40-year-old librarian at a duchess' palace, wants nothing more than to marry Samir Lathrop, the local bookseller and constable, and raise a family. After she stumbles upon a corpse near her cottage, however, Samir is unfairly imprisoned for murder, an injustice made even more complicated by the arrival of a pregnant woman from his past. To clear Samir's name, Tiffany starts collecting clues and interrogating suspects, all while learning how to mother an abandoned baby. This original 1780s mystery includes a humorous mix-up in which menstrual blood is mistaken for murder evidence as well as intriguing historical anecdotes about wife auctions. Though Larsen can be a bit heavy-handed when it comes to making the story's morals clear, especially from the perspective of Tiffany, who is effortlessly virtuous, that also means this will appeal to readers who want to be comforted by a tale in which the heroes are sure to get their happily-ever-after and the bad guys their comeuppance.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Larsen's enjoyable second Georgian-era mystery for Miss Tiffany Woodwall (after A Novel Disguise) finds the Astwell Palace librarian wrapped up in a murder investigation that hits close to home. Tiffany is hurrying to work one morning when she stumbles over the body of Bernard Coram, a brutish former palace footman. With Bernard having sworn revenge against Tiffany for exposing his racism and ousting him from the palace, she's initially named the prime suspect in his death. Even after she provides a sufficient alibi to the local magistrate, things only go from bad to worse when he zeroes in on the Samir Winthrop as the next suspect. Tiffany has long harbored romantic feelings for Samir, and was devastated by the recent news that he'd gotten married and was expecting his first child. After Samir hires Tiffany to help clear his name, she races to find the truth while trying--and failing--to protect her heart. Though the investigation is less thrilling than it was in the previous entry, Larsen's characters enchant. Mystery fans who prefer their whodunits with a dash of romance will savor this. Agent: Jen Nadol, Unter. (Feb.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In 1784, an English librarian finds herself embroiled in another murder case involving those dear to her. Forty-year-old Tiffany Woodall is the librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort, who's given her a cottage and property in gratitude for saving Thomas, her adopted son, from the hangman. Tiffany is in love with Samir Lathrop, a bookseller of Indian background, but he never mentions marriage. On a day when Tiffany is already feeling poorly, an unwelcome surprise awaits her just outside her cottage, where she trips over the body of Bernard Coram, a former footman at the duchess' home. After sending her gossipy servant to fetch Samir, who also works as a constable, Tiffany continues on to the palace library. Bernard, who was evidently murdered, was much disliked for his dishonesty and betrayal of women. Samir and the doctor agree that he was killed elsewhere; a bite mark and a bit of thread provide a few clues. At first Tiffany is a suspect, but Bernard's father, a nasty bigot, accuses Samir of murdering his son. Because of local prejudice, he's arrested despite the absence of evidence, so Tiffany starts investigating on her own. She's deeply distressed when Bernard's sister, Evie, turns up, and it turns out that she's Samir's wife, though she left him many years ago. Now she's heavily pregnant, presumably by the blacksmith she's recently been living with. Despite her heartbreak, Tiffany continues to make inquiries into all of Bernard's many enemies. Having friends in high places may help her save Samir, if only she can solve the case. An admirable cross between a thorny mystery and a love story, with plenty of historical tidbits adding interest. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
