Christmas 1814. Julian, Lord Trevelin (a.k.a. Trev) is still smarting over his renewed ostracizing when he and Mrs. S. attend a country house party. He wonders why he has been invited, as his hostess is unknown to him, and soon learns some of the guests are, unfortunately, not. The remainder are considered to be the dregs of society. Suspecting that his cousin, Evelyn, has fresh miseries in … store, he is both astonished and grateful when his private ghost, Willy, shows up. Also in attendance is Jack, his young valet, whose extreme loyalty and lack of decorum make him the perfect ally to discover who dispatched the vilest in their midst with the wassail bowl. It appears to be a crime of passion and all have a compelling motive. However, Trev suspects there is more at play. With a murderer on the loose in the snowbound house and Trev’s cousin insisting they take punishment into their own hands, it becomes a race against time to learn the identity of the killer before the vigilantes hang the one locked up for the crime: Trev.
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Lord Trevelin and Mrs. S. are invited to a house party, but wonder why since he doesn’t know the hostess. Upon arriving Trevelin is still confused because all of the guests seem to be of questionable moral character. When one of the dispicabled guests is found dead with Lord Trevelin nearby his cousin, Evelyn, tries pinning the crime on him. Trapped in the house due to a snowstorm, and with no way to contact the local authorities Trevelin fears for his life as his evil cousin Evelyn urges the rest of the houseguest to exact punishment. How can Lord Trevelin prove his innocence if he’s locked in his room?
This story started out a little slow for me until Trevelin was locked in his room. Then it got really interesting to see how he would be able to prove his innocence if he couldn’t escape to investigate. Luckily for him, his boot-boy turned valet, Jack is there to help.
I hadn’t gotten around to reading the previous two books but the author does a good job of reminding the reader of what’s previously happened–how Lord Trevelin got his scar, why he was ostrasized and who’s the woman who broke his heart.
I was surprised by who the murderer was and was happy Trev’s cousin Evelyn got his just desserts. I thought this was a wonderful way to end the triology. Lord Trevelin finally gets his happily-ever-after. Even Willy, the ghost finds peace in the end.
With a reputation as murky as pond water, Lord Trevelin (aka “Trev”) is used to being ignored, insulted, and given the cut direct. It seems like all of London society has swallowed the nefarious rumors spread about by his evil cousin Evelyn. When an invitation arrives for a country house party, Trev accepts it with some misgiving. He has never met his hostess before–what could she possibly want with a pariah like him?
In company with the well-meaning Mrs. S., Trev discovers that his worst nightmares have come true. The entire house party has been orchestrated by Evelyn, and between dealing with the boorish Mr. Chibnall, the disapproving Lord Vane, and the woman whom Evelyn stole from him, Trev discovers that something far beyond humiliation has been planned. Accused of murder, he must investigate the circumstances…while eluding a lynch mob. Will Trev survive to get his own happily ever after, or will Evelyn finally end this game of cat and mouse by swallowing Trev whole?
This book completes the Lord Trevelin Mysteries, pulling together all the threads from the previous two installments. From the very beginning of the book, the tension is palpable. The indignities Trev suffers stain the pages with embarassment, and the horror of what Evelyn is truly capable of permeates the atmosphere. The presence of Jane, now the wife of Evelyn, complicates things for Trev. Is he still in love with her? Did he ever truly love her?
I particularly enjoyed a further acquaintance with Lord Vane, for if you remember the novella “A Gift for Lord Trevelin,” it is Lord Vane’s daughter who will eventually heal Trev’s heart. For the last several years, Trev has known him as one of his cousin’s cronies. But is Lord Vane cut from the same cloth as Evelyn, or is he an honorable man forced into association with Trev’s cousin?
Following the events of the party, we do indeed see into the future and glimpse Trev’s version of his meeting with Sophie. The gift she gives him, of seeing past his scarred face and unwarranted reputation, is all the more singular now that the reader has a fuller understanding of all that Trev has suffered. But knowing what he does about the ill-fated house party, will Lord Vane allow Trev to make Sophie his wife?
Jack, Trev’s bootboy-turned-valet, is a delight as usual and proves invaluable in extricating Trev from his difficulties. The final pages of the book allow us to see Jack as a young man–a young man worthy of starring in a book of his own someday? Mrs. S. is a stalwart defenestrator…er, I mean, defender, despite her malapropisms, and in the end, she does Trev a good turn beyond anything he could have hoped for.
All in all, this is a satisfying conclusion to the Lord Trevelin Mysteries. Recommended.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the author. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.