THE DEVIL IN OXFORD

A daring heroine unravels another tangled murder mystery with lurid trappings.

Oxford 1923: Headstrong American Ruby Vaughn finds respite from the stresses of her life via daily fencing forays at the Artemis Club with alluring Leona Abernathy. Their blossoming relationship seems headed for an affair. Armstrong packs a great deal of exposition into the opening chapter of Ruby’s third case, much of it referencing previous mysteries while foreshadowing upcoming events. These include Ruby’s questionable relationship with handsome solicitor Hari Anand. At the home of former professor Emmanuel Laurent, Ruby learns about the feud between Oxford Egyptologist Frederick Reaver and the scoundrel Julius Harker, who runs a “curiosity museum.” The mystery develops slowly, driven by ornate language and a swirl of mysterious characters. Perhaps most mysterious is Ruby’s octogenarian boss, Mr. Owen, an antiquarian book dealer and perhaps a puppet master, who’s introduced her to the world of the occult. A reception at Harker’s museum ends with the discovery of Harker’s corpse. Although the police arrest Harker’s mild-mannered bookkeeper, Mr. Mueller, Ruby is unsettled by Leona’s suspicious behavior. So of course righteous Ruby must probe. As if on cue, folk healer and former inamoratos-cum–sleuthing sidekick Ruan Kivell reappears to assist her. Ruby’s attraction for Ruan simmers beneath their banter, which is charged with sexual tension and studded with barbs. A handful of other patrician suspects with colorful backstories are folded in, and Hari reappears with the startling news that Ruby’s mother and sister, who reportedly perished on the Lusitania, may be alive.

A bustling, elegant whodunit fueled by suppressed lust and enigmatic characters.