A Murderous Relation (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery Book 5)

Don't be put off by the first couple of pages. I re-read them several times and they put me off continuing the book, until I had nothing else to read then I pushed through, and the story returned to it's expected form. It was another very enjoyable read in this series.

I have read all the previous Veronica Speedwell books and strongly recommend you start from the beginning to enjoy the character development, but it is not essential -they can all be read on their own. I love this heroine and I did not stop in this adventure -another gallop through twists and turns surrounding a mysterious club in central Victorian London with more intriguing characters that demand you keep reading to find out what's next? Some delightful intermingling of historical fact and entertaining fiction - Viva Veronica!

I’ve read and enjoyed several books in Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey series, but have never read any titles in her Veronica Speedwell series. So I was really happy to get a chance to read a review copy of the fifth and most recent title in that series, A Murderous Relation.At the beginning of the book, I was pretty confused, and wished I had read the four previous books. It took me a while to start understanding the background, but once I learned more about the characters and their relationships, I really started to enjoy the story. In the end, I got sucked into the book, and ended up finishing it by reading far too late into the night.The book is an interesting combination of a “traditional” royal scandal (Prince meets madam, Prince gives madam a personalized gift, Prince is now vulnerable to exposure or blackmail) with the idea that Prince Eddy (Albert Victor) might have been Jack the Ripper. I really enjoyed these two somewhat linked storylines. In addition, there’s a thread related to Veronica’s parentage, and also some developments in the budding relationship between Veronica and Stoker. Both of these storylines were also enjoyable, but this more personal stuff is where I felt my lack of background the most.Overall, though, I enjoyed this book a lot, and now will go back and look for earlier titles in the series.My thanks again to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC. And also please keep in mind that I try to fight “star-inflation” a little bit. I reserve 5 stars for a very few of my most favorite books, ones I’m likely to read and re-read many times, and 4 stars is a great rating from me.