The first book in what promises to be a new series, featuring Audrey Sinclair, duchess of Fournier and Bow Street Officer Hugh Marsden. In the inaugural book, an opera singer is viciously murdered and Hugh is called to the scene. There he finds the Duke of Fournier (Audrey's husband) covered in blood. With no love of the aristocracy, Hugh arrests the Duke for murder. Audrey knows her husband could not have killed the opera singer and sets out to investigate, much to Hugh's displeasure. Oh, and did I mention that Audrey has a paranormal gift in that she can see an object's past when she holds it. I liked Murder at the Seven Dials. Cara Devlin has created characters that have enough baggage and secrets that are not usually found in a typical Regency mystery. I look forward to reading the second book.

There are many beautifully plotted historical mystery series that have a dash of romance in that, but how many throw in a fascinating bit of paranormal? Murder at the Seven Dials shines because it of that last bit. Duchess Fournier, Audrey Sinclair, has the ability to hold an object and see its past. That ability had her locked up in a sanatorium once until she faked it leaving her. Her husband has a different sort of secret and they married with the promise to protect each other's secrets. When the Duke of Fournier gets caught up in a murder, Audrey is the lone person who knows he's innocent, but the reason is tied to his secret, so Audrey is determined to prove his innocence by other means. Audrey has to convince the Bow Street runner, Hugh Marsden, that he's arrested the wrong man.

The writing is clever and the different points of view are clear in the changes in style. There are some points where the reader doesn't get full information, but the result is enticing instead of being frustrating, which can sometimes happen when that tactic is employed. The wait for the reveal after those moments doesn't take too long, which adds to the fast pace feeling in this story. There are a few background details about the main characters that never come to light, but this is only the first book in a series. I'll certainly be reading on!

If you think characters being married means there isn't a romantic subplot, that would be wrong. There manages to be some delightful romantic tension here.

this was a great start to the Bow Street Duchess Mystery series, it had what I was looking for from the mystery genre. I enjoyed getting to know this universe and getting to know the characters in this story. The plot worked really well and I'm glad I got to try and solve this. It left me wanting to read more in this series and from the author.

"Audrey fought to remember more about the man she’d seen twice now. Both times, she hadn’t gleaned more than a general outline of his figure. With an uneven pulse, she compared it to the blurred vision she’d had of the murderer while holding Miss Lovejoy’s earbob. Whether or not it was the same man eluded her."