Newly married, Charlotte and Wrexford are settling into married life as Charlotte reconnect with her family. On an evening walk with the boys, Wrexford comes across the body of gentleman who was clearly murdered. Wrexford doesn’t think much more about it after informing Bow Street of the matter. However, attending an event hosted my Charlotte’s family leads to them meeting the nephew of the murdered man, and Wrexford finds himself summoned back to London to recount his observations of the body. He quickly finds that the British government wants him to investigate the murder as it relates to a missing invention that could change the balance of power in Europe. And should Wrexford prove reluctant to take on the task, they hint that they might know Charlotte’s secret. Neither Charlotte nor Wrexford’s sense of justice will let them walk away from the mystery, but they’re both aware that this investigation is fraught with danger and might be a trap as well.
The mystery is tight and twisty this time around, and proves to be quite a challenge for our investigators. Charlotte and Wrexford are back in fine form, and Charlotte seems to have lost her tendency to worry about everything. She has some fleeting moments of worry, but it’s mostly about reasonable things to worry about, and it’s not the constant presence that it was in the last book. While she and Wrexford are adjusting to be married, it’s very clear that they’re both happy with the decision, and they both seem very comfortable with how their relationship has worked out. Which is good since Kit’s bringing the relationship drama in this one. That and Hawk and Raven’s new friendship with the murder victim’s nephew, Peregrine, both inform the story.
It’s nice to see the Weasels make a new friend, and the trio play a fairly large role in the plot. It was also nice to see the way that Wrexford’s relationship with the boys is developing. While he has always cared about them, he’s been a little more hands off in his treatment of them, trying not to step on Charlotte’s toes as their guardian. We’re also starting to see the starts of adolescent rebellion from the boys, so Wrexford and Charlotte are going to have their hands full. Kit and Cordelia’s romance made a nice little subplot, and it’s been something that’s been building over the past few books since Cordelia was first introduced. Overall, this was a return to form for Penrose, and a great continuation of the series. Five out of five stars.