A bride mysteriously disappears on her wedding day in the newest Veronica Speedwell adventure by the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey series.Lured by the promise of a rare and elusive butterfly, the intrepid Veronica Speedwell is persuaded by Lord Templeton-Vane, the brother of her colleague Stoker, to pose as his fiancée at a house party on a Cornish isle owned by his … Cornish isle owned by his oldest friend, Malcolm Romilly.
But Veronica soon learns that one question hangs over the party: What happened to Rosamund? Three years ago, Malcolm Romilly’s bride vanished on their wedding day, and no trace of her has ever been found. Now those who were closest to her have gathered, each a possible suspect in her disappearance.
From the poison garden kept by Malcolm’s sister to the high towers of the family castle, the island’s atmosphere is full of shadows, and danger lurks around every corner.
Determined to discover Rosamund’s fate, Veronica and Stoker match wits with a murderer who has already struck once and will not hesitate to kill again.…
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No one does unbuttoned Victorian fun like Deanna Raybourn! Veronica Speedwell (and Stoker) fans will rejoice to get their hands on the newest (#4) in the series. The main character is actually based on a real lepidopterist of the period, believe it or not, but the plot twists, witty banter, and flirtatious intelligence in these pages are Raybourn-original.
Fantastic Book!
I couldn’t wait to read the next book in the Veronica Speedwell Series, and I loved this book as much as I did the first three books. Deanna Raybourn is one of the best writers I have ever read. She writes beautifully and her books contain a lot of humor (never silly) and a lot of wisdom. Her writing is entertaining, and yet always profound.
The mystery was unique, and although I did not guess who the murder was, it made absolute sense to me when it was revealed. I loved the setting, and the supporting characters were sympathetic overall, however, I absolutely adore Veronica and Stoker. They are perfect together. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane in that both couples are intelligent and strong.
I was especially gratified to learn the back story of Tiberius (Stoker’s brother). His character got deeper and deeper every time we learned more about his past. I liked him a lot.
I am grateful to have won an advance copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.