Murder on Black Swan Lane

By: Andrea Penrose

Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart

The Earl of Wrexford possesses a brilliant scientific mind, but boredom and pride lead him to reckless behavior. He does not suffer fools gladly. So when pompous, pious Reverend Josiah Holworthy publicly condemns him for debauchery, Wrexford unsheathes his rapier-sharp wit and strikes back. As their war of words escalates, London's most popular satirical cartoonist, A. J. Quill, skewers them both. But then the clergyman is found slain in a church - his face burned by chemicals, his throat slashed ear to ear - and Wrexford finds himself the chief suspect.

An artist in her own right, Charlotte Sloane has secretly slipped into the persona of her late husband, using his nom de plume, A. J. Quill. When Wrexford discovers her true identity, she fears it will be her undoing. But he has a proposal - use her sources to unveil the clergyman's clandestine involvement in questionable scientific practices and unmask the real murderer. Soon Lord Wrexford and the mysterious Mrs. Sloane plunge into a dangerous shadow world hidden among London's intellectual enclaves to trap a cunning adversary - before they fall victim to the next experiment in villainy.

©2017 Andrea DaRif (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

A good listen for the historical details but ...

the story itself, although slightly mysterious was generic enough that any character could have been speaking adding information to the plot and it would not have mattered. The plot with it's shadowy intro and hints of alchemy had potential to be a thrilling ride for readers. Instead the author simply made it obvious that she knows no more about the acient art then her readers.
The main character is the story's saving grace. A wealthy gentleman who is hard and tough on the outside and sweet and thoughtful with progressive ideas about class and status. Also generic as murder mystery hero's but this one finds his uniqueness in his wit.
As a whole the book was a series of instances of climbing the hill in a rollercoaster to find a merry go round instead of a steep heart pounding decent.

19th Century Science Makes for an Exciting Mystery

I thoroughly enjoyed the first Wrexford and Sloane mystery. The protagonists are engaging and not stereotypical and the supporting cast is truly likeable (love the street urchins, the Weasels). Plus, Stewart's narration is outstanding. I'll listen to any others in the series.

Thoroughly engaging

My wife and I read and listen to many books in a variety of genres. We happily discovered book three and quickly decided to stop and go to book one. We are glad we did and are quite hooked on the rich characters and story. We eagerly anticipate book two and beyond!

Hokey cliched overwrought

This book might've been good if it weren't so formulaic and clichéd. Cut and paste characters. This was a Disney movie of a regency mystery.

Worth your time

Definitely a good way to pass the hours. Good narration and decent plot. What's not to like?

Regency England portrayed faithfully

Without all the DNA, fingerprints, data banks, how did "they" solve murders in those days? it's a good thing murder was more rate then than now...

Loved it!

WHAT IT'S ABOUT
In Regency London, an unconventional scientist and a fearless female artist form an unlikely alliance to expose unspeakable evil . . .

The Earl of Wrexford possesses a brilliant scientific mind, but boredom and pride lead him to reckless behavior. He does not suffer fools gladly. So when pompous, pious Reverend Josiah Holworthy publicly condemns him for debauchery, Wrexford unsheathes his rapier-sharp wit and strikes back. As their war of words escalates, London’s most popular satirical cartoonist, A.J. Quill, skewers them both. But then the clergyman is found slain in a church—his face burned by chemicals, his throat slashed ear to ear—and Wrexford finds himself the chief suspect.

MY TAKE
I've just found a fun new series! Penrose writes a great mystery and pulls in the emerging science of the time. Not too much to overwhelm readers but enough for it to make sense. And the characters are just as deep and intriguing.

You can tell that Wrex was hurt in his younger days. The way he's protected his scars is to cloak himself in a illusion of pragmatism and logic. Not emotion allowed. Except the deeply rooted sense of honor he can't quite shed. His inquiring mind, usually deep in science, is put to use in trying to keep himself from being the target of the mysterious artist AJ Quill.

And that's when his life changes. Such a fun story. The side characters are as entertaining as the the main ones.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a good job, though he went a little too high on some of the women, making them sound cartoonish. Fortunately, they were secondary characters.

Enjoyable start to a series

I greatly enjoyed the characters and having a science and art focused mystery duo. The narration was well done. I found it a bit slow going and wished that I hadn't read so many Regency/Victorian London mysteries - this was better than most, but I think the somewhat cliche formula was a strike against it.

I wanted to like it

On "paper", this book has everything I love, but I just couldn't get into it. I can't put my finger on exactly why. All I can think of is I did not find the main character, a member of the British upper crust bucking the stereotype and trying to solve crimes, interesting. The female counterpart was more interesting, character-wise. She was the only character I liked and wanted to know more about.

Good history!

A little tedious for some reason, but good characterizations and I listened to it all because I cared about their fates. Really enjoyed the boys and the different layers of society. Much more interesting than the average "regency romance". Still read more from this author!