THE CABINETS OF BARNABY MAYNE

Intellectual curiosity serves an aspiring botanist well when she investigates the baffling murder of a mentor.

London, 1703. In response to her letter of inquiry, Lady Cecily Kay receives an invitation to visit the fashionable residence of Sir Barnaby Mayne in Bloomsbury Square. Not only does Mayne have an impressive collection of books, jewels, and artifacts from all over the world, but his cabinets of flora, which Cecily will have a week to examine, are equally notable. The residence itself is meticulously organized—Serpent Room, Bird Room, Beast Room, etc. When they go looking for Mayne in his study, Cecily and a handful of other guests discover the corpse of their ill-tempered host along with a frenzied Walter Dinley, one of the other guests, who declares that he killed Mayne after a quarrel. The case seems open-and-shut, but Cecily, who’s not so sure, secretly examines the murder scene and begins questioning the household staff. The arrival of the imperious Lady Mayne, who seems unmoved by her husband’s death, adds a twist: She won’t inherit her husband’s priceless collection. Instead, it will go to his courtly, amiable friend Giles Inwood. The sudden return of guest Otto Helm, who had left before dinner and the murder, makes Cecily even more suspicious, especially when he claims to have been assaulted and robbed. The solution is complex, but Cecily is determined to find it in this series debut from the author of the trio of Li Du mysteries.

Hart’s juicy character portraits and graceful prose make for a delightful period whodunit.