When a nobleman’s mistress is gunned down on the steps of the Covent Garden opera house, brilliant adventurer Atlas Catesby discovers a sinister family connection that compels him to investigate.London, 1815. Amateur sleuth Atlas Catesby is about to discover the dark side of the bright lights. His long-awaited night at the opera with Lady Lilliana ends abruptly when a notorious courtesan is shot … courtesan is shot to death in Covent Garden.
The infamous victim was the mistress of the powerful Marquess of Vessey. Atlas believes that the marquess–his former brother in law–is responsible for the long-ago death of Atlas’s sister, Phoebe. Atlas seizes the opportunity to potentially avenge his sister’s death. But his inquiry is complicated when Phoebe’s grown son implores Atlas to help prove Vessey’s innocence.
Plunging into the cutthroat backstage life of the theatre community, the adventurer and the noblewoman soon discover that ruthless professional rivalries can escalate into violence, setting the stage for death in Murder at the Opera, D. M. Quincy’s third riveting Atlas Catesby mystery set in Regency England.
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Murder at the Opera: An Atlas Catesby Mystery is the 3rd in an excellent series. I think this is my favorite with all the excitement and action. There are so many who could have motives for murder that the reader is kept guessing. Well crafted story and characters. I hope to read many more books by this author.
Murder at the Opera is the third book in a fantastic series with excellent storytelling, wonderful historical detail, and deeply-drawn characters and interpersonal dynamics, and a well-crafted mystery. The audio version was a pleasure for the accents! You don’t have to read these in order, but you’ll enhance your experience if you do, because the third Atlas Catsby wraps up some overarching family and romantic threads to such a satisfying end! Highly recommend!
Atlas Catesby is an enigma. He is the son of a baron, yet shuns society festivities. He is very intelligent, preferring to spend his time solving intricate puzzles. He shuns settling down and has traveled extensively. At times he seems like a teenage boy. He admires and is attracted to Lady Lilliana. Not only is he afraid his affection is not returned not does he feel he is good enough for him, even though she gives enough hints that she wants to be more than friends. In this third of the Altas Catesby mysteries, Altas is face to face with his nemesis, the Marquess of Vessey, his late sister’s husband. After attending a night at the opera, Atlas witnesses the murder of Vessey’s mistress, Wendy Pike. What secrets will Altas uncover as he searches for her killer? Why does he care? How does investigating the murder bring him closer to Lilliana? As you read through this book, the reader can almost hear the wheels turning in his brain as Altas rules out one suspect after another. Although I seemingly guessed who the killer was before Altas, as the story progresses, you know he had this suspect in mind all along. This is a very nice addition to the Altas Catesby mysteries, I do hope there will be more. I received this eBook from NetGalley for an honest review. These are my own opinions.
A much anticipated evening at the opera turns deadly for Atlas Catesby. Leaving the performance he hears a gun shot and a woman is dead. Before he knows it, his past comes back to haunt him. The woman who has died is Mrs. Pike, a well known singer and her long time lover and father of two of her children turns out to be the Marquess of Vessey, Malcolm Lennox, known to Atlas as his former brother in law. When Atlas was just 11 years old, his sister, Phoebe, was married to him and Atlas blames him for her death. As he learns more about Mrs. Pike and her relationship with Lennox, Atlas wants to finally find him guilty of the past crime.
Atlas is eager to prove Lennox’s guilt until his nephew, Nicholas, comes to him, asking him to help prove his innocence. It turns out that there is more to the life of the late Mrs. Pike than meets the eye and the list of possible suspects isn’t short. Atlas needs to put aside his feelings about Lennox if he expects to track down Mrs. Pike’s killer. along the way the reader is immersed in the sights and sounds of 1815 London. From the high life to the low life, the reader sees it all. Which makes this one historical mystery series keep its place on my must read list. In the genre of historical mysteries it’s one of the best. The mystery itself is well crafted with more than enough twists and turns and some red herrings to keep me guessing to the reveal. I hope this series has a long run.
It was a good book
4.5 Stars
Atlas Catesby is about to discover the dark side of the bright lights. His long-awaited night at the opera with Lady Lilliana ends abruptly when a notorious courtesan is shot to death in Covent Garden.
The infamous victim was the mistress of the powerful Marquis of Vessey. Atlas believes that the marquis–his former brother in law–is responsible for the long-ago death of Atlas’s sister, Phoebe. Atlas seizes the opportunity to potentially avenge his sister’s death. But his inquiry is complicated when Phoebe’s grown son implores Atlas to help prove Vessey’s innocence.
This is the third book in the series & the first I’ve read, I loved it. Murder & mystery set in the Regency era ticked all the boxes for me. I was drawn in from the start & engrossed until the end. A very well written book with characters that have depth & well developed. There are red herrings & the identity of the villain isn’t obvious. I now need to go & read the first two books & look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Series: Atlas Catesby #3
Publication Date: 12/10/19
Number of Pages: 283
This is a very well-written, well-plotted, page-turning, adventurous romance and mystery with wonderfully well-developed characters. There are twists and turns aplenty and you are always wondering – right to the end. You will think you know who the villain is – but, you can’t be sure. My only complaint is that is has been over a year-and-a-half since the last book. I definitely hope we don’t have to wait that long for the next book.
Solving the murder of Mrs. Wendela Pike turns out to be bittersweet for Atlas Catesby. If you read the earlier books, you are aware that Atlas has been haunted by the murder of his sister, Phoebe. Twenty years ago, her husband pushed her down the stairs and eleven-year-old Atlas, who was in the house at the time, was sure it was a deliberate act. Now, that same husband, Malcolm Lennox, the Marquess of Vessey, is involved in another murder. You see, Mrs. Pike is the long-time mistress of the Marquess. Atlas would love for the Marquess to be guilty – but – that would hurt his nephew Nicholas, and Atlas is only just getting to know him – so – bittersweet.
There are actually several suspects – the Marquess had several children with Mrs. Pike, could it be one of them? Then, there is the vicar who says he was betrothed to Mrs. Pike – could he have done it? Was she involved with someone besides the Marquess? Could it be Atlas’ nephew, Nicholas, who murdered her? Then, of course, there is the Marquess himself. Yes, there are lots of twists and turns and more suspects than you can shake a stick at. Just buckle your seatbelt and hang on for the ride.
Atlas is still, of course, besotted with Lilliana and their romance is softly and unobtrusively woven within the mystery. As always, Lilliana helps with the solutions and constantly confounds Atlas by insisting on going places he doesn’t want her to be. It is too bad Atlas is still feeling that he, the fourth son of a baron, isn’t good enough for the daughter and sister of a duke. He probably just needs a big shock to get him moving – maybe he’ll get it.
It was fun visiting with all of the returning characters. I thoroughly enjoyed Jaimie and it was nice to see how he’s growing and adapting as Atlas’s Valet. Of course, we couldn’t have a book without Atlas’s best friend, the Earl of Charlton and Lilliana’s brother, the Duke of Somerville.
I can definitely recommend this book and this series. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.