Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

December 19, 2024

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

The four middle-aged supposedly retired assassins from Killers of a Certain Age are back for another adventure. The son of the target of their first kill is methodically tracking down and killing the people responsible for his father's death. It's up to the four assassins to take him out before he finds them. But how will they find him, and how does he know where they are?

The Golden Girls meets Charlie's Angels. Despite being in their 60s, the four female assassins are still evolving and growing. They are smart, sassy and sexy. I do like the recommendations for using common household items as killing or torture tools. Also, I would like Taverner if Billie is finished with him. A worthy sequel to the first book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Venice

A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn

April 8, 2024

A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell and her partner and lover Stoker are busy restoring Lord Rosemarran's extensive collection of curiosities, when they receive a delivery of a life-sized waxwork figure known as an Anatomical Venus. They wonder who created the figure and its intended purpose, but the mystery only deepens when they attempt to unlock its secrets.

The ninth adventure in the Veronica Speedwell/Stoker mystery series, filled with questionable science, potential scandal, and eccentricity among the aristocracy. The relationship between Veronica and Stoker deepens. Love the covers. Clever, action-packed and great fun as always. I would advise reading the series in order.

An Anatomical Venus - there were also Anatomical Adonis models

A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn

March 28, 2023

A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell is back for her 8th adventure. Following a misunderstanding regarding her marital status, Veronica and her partner Stoker (nee Revelstoke V. Templeton-Vane) are temporarily estranged. With Stoker's brother Tiberius, Viscount Templeton-Vane, Veronica travels to Bavaria to find Stoker, who is himself in search of a wolpertinger for Lord Rosemarron's collection. At first, Stoker is reluctant to return to England, until Tiberius reveals that he has located a megalosaurus that requires restoration. Oh, and Tiberius has also been receiving death threats.

Fun series. I love me a mystery set at an English country house, so this one was definitely in my wheelhouse. My only problem with book #8 is that Stoker is not in the first half of the book very much, and one of the series major charms is the interplay between Veronica and Stoker. Unfortunately the next installment won't be out for probably about a year. Love the cover art on the Veronica Speedwell series.

Megalosaurus

A wolpertinger, a creature out of German mythology

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

October 26, 2022

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

Orphaned following the death of her grandfather, Theodora Lestrange is a 23 year old spinster living in Edinburgh with her sister and her husband and their five children. Theodora does have a suitor, but rather than entering a life of domesticity, what she really wants is to travel and write a novel. When a school friend invites her to come and stay at her family's castle in Rumania, Theodora jumps at the chance to leave Scotland and her sister's house and have an adventure.

I have enjoyed the author's other books, and while I'm not much of a romance reader, this is a good choice for the Halloween season. It is much different than her other books, much more a traditional gothic novel with castles and legends and a mysterious count, all set in Transylvania. The story pays homage to both Dracula and Northanger Abbey. It does have kind of a racy cover.

Castle in Transylvania

An Impossible Imposter by Deanna Raybourn

April 25, 2022

An Impossible Imposter by Deanna Raybourn

London 1889 - Recently returned from attending a royal wedding in Europe, Veronica Speedwell and her partner Stoker (aka Revelstoke Templeton-Vane) are summoned by Sir Hugh Montgomerie to investigate a delicate matter. A man named Jonathan, believed to have been killed in the eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia in 1883, appears at his family home, claiming amnesia. He has the "dead" man's belongings and matches his general description. The family members are uncertain whether he really is the missing Jonathan. His teenaged sister and elderly grandmother are the only family members who ever met the man in person, and while the grandmother is positive that he's her grandson, the sister is less sure. It's important for them to find out, because the missing man was the heir to the family fortune and the country house where they now all live. 

I love the Veronica Speedwell series, and in this volume, we learn more about Veronica's past beyond her connection to the royal family. But the more we learn about Veronica, the more mysteries there are! Her relationship with Stoker is growing deeper and is one of the best things about the mysteries, considering I'm not much into romance novels. The peripheral characters are all entertaining and well-conceived. Looking forward to the next book.

The volcano on Krakatoa blew up in 1883, so there aren't any photographs from that time - this is Krakatoa today.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

August 20, 2022

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Four nice middle-aged women embark on a luxury retirement cruise, courtesy of their employer. But all four have worked as contract killers for a clandestine organization, and they quickly realize that their employer has plans to dispose of them permanently. They need to use their skills and quick thinking to stay ahead of events and stay alive.

As someone over 60, I appreciated reading about heroines who aren't 20 and super gorgeous and perfect. These are smart women, quick thinking and resourceful, who work with the trials of getting older to survive. There is the issue of society ignoring women over 50 (unless you're Jennifer Anniston), which these women use to their advantage. I've told my co-workers that I could be running a drug cartel, or printing counterfeit money in the basement, or working as a hired killer, and no one would ever know. Who would suspect a young-ish senior citizen wearing leggings and a sweatshirt that says "Ask Me About My Cat"? (FYI, I don't have a cat, I'm more of a dog person).

Here's another news flash: mentally you never feel old - you always feel like you're 25.

The characters get a little bit Golden Girls as times, but this is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I love Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell and Lady Julia Grey series, and this stand-alone novel does not disappoint. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

July 12, 2020

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell and her partner Revelstoke Templeton-Vane (i.e., Stoker) are back for their 5th adventure, this time involving Prince Eddy, oldest son of Edward, Prince of Wales.  Eddy has been visiting a house of pleasure run by the mysterious Madame Aurore, and he hasn't been very circumspect about his activities.  He ordered a piece of diamond jewelry for Madame Aurore from his mother's jeweler and billed it to her account, thinking she would never find out (sigh).  Worse yet, Lady Wellie, guardian of royal secrets, has been receiving anonymous notes and newspaper clippings insinuating that Eddy is involved in the Jack the Ripper murders.  Urgently needing a discreet inquiry into both matters, she calls on Veronica and Stoker to investigate and retrieve the jewel before it falls into the wrong hands.  Veronica's mysterious ancestry unexpectedly comes into play as well, and matters between Veronica and Stoker personally continue to heat up.

I really enjoy this series, for the entertaining dialogue and the perils that the characters land in.  I usually don't enjoy mysteries with sleuthing couples since they tend to be simpering and sugary, and the couple are almost never in conflict with each other.  Not so with Veronica and Stoker - their verbal sparring and undeniable chemistry keep things entertaining.  There is enough quirkiness to keep the reader amused - Patricia the Galapagos tortoise is getting married, Lady Rose (Lord Rosmarron's daughter) is scheming to poison her brother (but only a little), and Stoker's brothers make an appearance as well.  I also like how historical characters and events are skillfully woven into the story line.  This series is smart, sexy, and well-plotted, with fast pacing and frequent twists.  The Victorian-style silhouette covers only add to the series' attraction.  The only bad part is that once you finish the book, you want the next adventure, and it's probably going to be about a year before you get it.

If you haven't read any of the titles in this series, I highly recommend starting with the first book, A Curious Beginning, where we first meet Veronica and Stoker.