MURDER IN ST. JAMES'S PARK

A radical Regency aristocrat is caught up in murder and lies within her own family.

Abigail Carrington Monroe, Lady Worthing, holds an unusual and precarious place as a baroness in 1807 London. As an Englishwoman with Black ancestry, she works tirelessly to persuade Parliament to abolish slavery. As a lover of puzzles, she’s solved three mysteries to date. And as a wife whose husband, a naval hero, has long been away, she’s formed a chaste but intense friendship with her neighbor, the inquisitive physician Stapleton Henderson—a relationship that Lord Worthing, returning from years on the high seas, has responded to with foul abuse. But none of these threats to Abigail’s standing can compare to her walk with Stapleton and their beloved dogs, which leads to the discovery of Worthing’s body, bashed in the head, stabbed in the eye, and dragged into St. James’s Park. Her failing marriage and the discovery of one of her gloves nearby make Abigail a suspect, although the implausibly rapid and scientifically advanced coroner’s report does exclude the fireplace pokers from their home as possible weapons. Bound by the etiquette of mourning, Abigail’s inquiries into Worthing’s past are limited to those who visit to pay their respects. Despite this constraint, they raise shocking questions about crimes she believed she’d already brought to justice. After she finally reads through her late husband’s many papers and letters, she calls her family and their most dedicated lieges to her parlor to reveal the true killer to the magistrate.

Since so much of the mystery-mongering arises from the backstory, this installment is probably best for fans of the series.