I actually enjoyed this book much more than the first Wrexford and Sloane mystery, Great character development continuing from the first book, which took place several months earlier than this one. I enjoyed that fact that I didn't guess the murderer until it was revealed - good plotting made it a good read and kept me guessing. I will certainly be reading the rest of this series!

This one was one of my anticipated reads for this year and it didn't disappoint! I loved the first book that I read last year and I am so glad the sequel was just as good.

On the way home from the gambling places Lord Wrexford and his friend Kit come upon a dead man in the street. It looks like it could be just a common mugging, but it was brutal. The 'weasels' as Wrexford likes to see them are there was well and of course they tell Charlotte Sloane who has taken them in as her wards.

Wrexford has not reason to get involved in another murder but the wife of the deceased asked if he would look into things because nobody seems to be doing anything. The runners think it's just a robbery but she believes he was killed for his newest invention. With the steam engines starting to take over jobs there are a lot of tension between inventors and workers. There are also those who know his invention will be worth a lot of money if sold to the right person. He reluctantly agrees because he knows the man and had respected him and his ways about science.

He also knows that Charlotte Sloane has better ways than even the police about finding information on the street so he ask her if she would like to join him in finding out what happened. She has a curious mind and when he shows her an emblem that was on the victim she recognizes it and decides to help. She finds out that it's the Workers of Zion emblem and that they could have something to do with things. The killer though seems to be one step ahead of them as when they find out about one person they end up dead before they get there.

I really enjoy the characters in this book and the author does a great job with adding some humor to a bleak thing such as murder. The banter between Wrexford and Sloane is great and so I highlighted a spot so I could remember to put it in here for you to see. For this quote we have Sloane moving into a better place because she can now afford it with the money she grudgingly took from Wrexford at the end of the first book for helping him get his neck out of the noose.

[su_note note_color="#f6feb1" radius="8"]"Perhaps I have come to wish you well in your new residence."

She let out a low laugh. "And perhaps pigs have learned how to fly."

Some men might have been offended. However, he liked to think hypocrisy was not one of his many faults. "I may always count on you to bring my vanity down to earth," he murmured.[/su_note]

Then there is the great banter between him and his valet who is also very smart and a man of science and helps Wrexford with his experiments.

[su_note note_color="#f6feb1" radius="8"]"Remind me again why I shouldn't give you the sack and hire a more obsequious servant?"

"Because no one else knows the secret for removing chemical stains from your expensive evening coats."[/su_note]

It's the great dialogue like this as well as a good solid mystery that puts this series high on my list of favorites. I thought I knew who it was but then just as the characters I kept getting it wrong. I had suspicions about one character but was surprised at some of the things that come to light at the end.

If you are a fan of historical mysteries then you really should check out this series. If you are a fan of the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn then I also think you will enjoy this series.

I love historical books like this. This one was a bit different than the ones I have read in the past with the character choice and I appreciated the woman perspective in this. It's not the norm that a woman plays such an important role in this scenario and in this time period. The story was perfect for this setting and the characters were perfectly detailed. I can't really say anything bad about this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm excited to see what Andrea Penrose does next.

Following on to Penrose’s Murder on Black Swan Lane, Murder at Half Moon Gate again brings together the unlikely pair of Wrexford and Sloane to untangle the murder of an inventor, whose steam engine innovations were poised to revolutionize manufacturing. Happily, we catch up with the “Weasels”, along with the other characters who came to life in Black Swan Lane. Penrose has set in place an intriguing world that I look forward to inhabiting in many more books.

Murder at Half Moon Gate is the second book in Andrea Penrose’s series of historical mysteries featuring the scandalous but scientifically-minded Earl of Wrexford and Mrs. Charlotte Sloane, otherwise known as A.J. Quill, London’s premier satirical cartoonist. In Murder on Black Swan Lane, Wrexford was accused of the murder of the prominent clergyman with whom he had been carrying on a very public dispute. Further infuriated by A.J. Quill’s uncannily accurate drawings and scathing commentaries, Wrexford determined to find the man and get him to stop his lampooning – only to discover that he was a she, carrying on the work of her late husband. The earl and the satirist eventually teamed up to find the real murderer and exonerate Wrexford, and during the course of the book forged an unlikely but strong working partnership in which Charlotte’s intuition and observational skills proved the perfect complement to Wrexford’s highly logical scientific approach.

This book begins a few months after the previous one concluded, and although Wrexford and Charlotte have seen each other once or twice over that period, both expect their forged-from-necessity friendship to fade away given the fact that they move in very different social circles. Even so, neither of them is quite ready to let go of the unusual and strong connection that has developed between them – when the murder of a prominent inventor brings Wrexford back to Charlotte’s door.

On his way back from an evening’s carouse in the company of his friend, Kit Sheffield, Wrexford, who is somewhat the worse for wear, literally stumbles across a dead body in a dank alley. Closer inspection reveals the man was brutally attacked, his neck broken, his face cut – and unusually, his clothing slashed and rent as well. With nothing to suggest anything other than an attack by footpads, the earl is relieved to hand the investigation over to the authorities. But the next morning, he receives a visit from a beautiful woman who introduces herself as Mrs. Isobel Ashton and tells Wrexford that her husband was the murdered man he found the previous night. She proceeds to explain that Ashton had been an inventor on the verge of an important breakthrough – and Wrexford, a chemist of some renown, recalls that he had exchanged some correspondence with the man, who needed some assistance with the chemical composition of the iron he was using in his new steam engine.

When Mrs. Ashton tells Wrexford she believes her husband was murdered and asks him to investigate, he is reluctant at first, unable to see why anyone would want to kill an inventor. But as things begin to fall into place, he realises that whoever killed Ashton must have been looking for something – a suspicion confirmed when the widow tells him that her husband had been on the verge of a momentous breakthrough that would have made him a fortune, and suggests there were those who would stop at nothing in order to steal his ideas.

When Wrexford calls upon Charlotte – whose judgement, keen mind and observational skills he prizes highly – he tells her why he believes Ashton was murdered and asks her to see if her city-wide network of informants has heard any rumblings about the murder and who might be behind it. Very soon, Wrexford and Charlotte are embroiled in the search for a ruthless killer who always seems to be one step ahead of them and are confronted with an increasing body-count and an ever growing list of suspects – the Workers of Zion, a radical group advocating violence and destruction on a scale far more extensive than the Luddites, Ashton’s assistants and other associates – including Charlotte’s oldest friend, Jeremy, Lord Stirling, who was one of Ashton’s primary investors – and the dissolute Lord Kirkland, whose association with the widowed Mrs. Ashton places them both under suspicion.

Andrea Penrose has penned a complex mystery full of twists, turns and red-herrings that kept me guessing pretty much right up until the identity of the villain was revealed, while at the same time developing the relationship between her two principals that began in the previous book. It was clear in that story that both Wrexford and Charlotte were keeping secrets and there was more for them to learn about each other (and for readers to discover) and the author has indulged us – to a point – revealing a little more about each of them. I particularly liked seeing the cynical and unsentimental Wrexford’s interactions with the two street-urchins Charlotte has ‘adopted’, and his gradually dawning realisation that when it comes to Charlotte, it’s not so easy for him to remain detached and unemotional. He enjoys the fact that Charlotte challenges and provokes him and is surprised to realise that her passionate convictions are causing him to care more deeply than ever about things to which he has never really given much thought. And Charlotte, intelligent, stubborn and self-reliant, is a little disturbed to discover her thoughts increasingly preoccupied with a certain green-eyed, annoyingly sardonic earl who frustrates and infuriates in equal measure but whose friendship she has come to cherish.

Having a main character who is a scientist makes it natural that the author should focus on the scientific aspect of her stories, but in doing so she has also given them rather a unique slant. The early nineteenth century was a time of huge social change, political upheaval and technological advancement, and all these elements are skilfully incorporated as she takes a good look at the implications on the working poor of the huge strides being made in the development of mechanical processes and of the Industrial Revolution in general:

What place did people have in a world where machines made their efforts obsolete?

Ms. Penrose creates a very strong sense of time and place in the novel; the cartoonists of the day were instrumental in forming public opinion, but the fact that Charlotte is A.J. Quill must remain secret if she is to continue to make a living and retain any degree of respectability, as for a woman to engage in such a profession would have been ruinous. The author’s descriptions of her chosen locations are vivid and really help the reader to place themselves in the more tumble-down areas of London, and she has created a thoroughly engaging set of secondary characters. Kit Sheffield, Wrexford’s closest friend is clearly not so much a wastrel as he purports to be, the unflappable and enigmatic McLellan whom the earl assigns to act as Charlotte’s maid is someone I hope to see more of, and Raven and Hawk, the two boys Charlotte has taken under her wing, are a couple of winning lads who are perhaps a little too good to be true, but who are nonetheless a good addition to the larger cast.

Murder at Half Moon Gate is an enjoyably complex mystery that strikes a good balance between plot, character development and historical detail – and those of us who like a bit of romance thrown in will be satisfied with the direction things are taking. The book is sure to appeal to fans of Deanna Raybourn and Anna Lee Huber as well as those who enjoy a well-plotted historical mystery.

Grade: B+ / 4.5 stars

After discovering the body of a dead inventor, Lord Wrexford is content to allow the authorities to handle the matter. He is drawn into the case when the dead man's widow appeals to him for help. With the aid of Mrs. Sloane and more murders around every corner, Lord Wrexford finds himself once more in the dark side of Regency London.

I have been looking forward to this book since I finished reading the first book of the series last year. I absolutely adore Lord Wrexford, who approaches everything with logic and science. He is balanced by Mrs. Sloane, who looks at problems from a more creative side. Together, they are stronger, and I loved that their relationship was allowed to grow in this second book.

Once again, this duo faces a murder. More than one as they follow their leads. The suspect list grew with almost every page until it became obvious who the villain really was.

This is without a doubt my favorite new series. I'm excited to see where the author takes Lord Wrexford and Mrs. Sloane in the future, and I hope Raven and Hawk continue to delight.

England in the Regency Period was on the cusp of tremendous change with advances and interest in science and technology. Just as in our own time, technology brought with it social change and uncertainty. Charlotte Sloane is feeling the stress of changes in her own life with a move to a more prosperous (and proper) neighborhood. Can her two street urchin charges, Raven and Hawk, make the adjustment, and can she continue to conceal her identity; that of A.J. Quill, the most successful satirical cartoonist in London? And can she keep her other, even more, secret self hidden? The other change in her life includes her friendship with the mercurial Lord Wrexford. The two worked successfully to clear his name in Murder on Black Swan Lane and formed an undeniable connection.

Murder at Half Moon Gate begins with a night out in the insalubrious gaming and drinking haunts of London for Wrexford and his friend, Sheffield. The two literally stumble upon the body of a murdered man in a stinking alley. Wrexford merely reports the death to the Runners but is drawn in when he discovers that he knew of the dead man. Elihu Ashton was a well-known inventor and was rumored to be working on a revolutionary new invention that would change the steam power industry forever. Ashton's widow asks Wrexford, a known man of science to investigate her husband's death. Rather than an ordinary robbery ending in murder, the widow thinks it was murder connected to her husband's work. Once again, Wrexford needs Charlotte's extensive network of "street spies" to help him investigate.

Murder at Half Moon Gate both satisfies and entertains, with its well-researched history, colorful characters, twisty mystery and burgeoning romance. I am looking forward to the next in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an advance copy. The opinions are my own.

Lord Wrexford, a man of science, with his friend Sheffield discover the body of a brilliant inventor in a London alley. He leaves the discovery of the murderer to the Bow Street Runners until the widow asks for his help.
Joining him in his investigation is Charlotte Sloane and her team of street urchins.
Once again an enjoyable well-written story made better with the likeable and interesting group of characters.

I received a Kindle version of this title from the publisher in advance so that I could write a voluntary review.

I read Murder at Half Moon Gate as a standalone book having not read Murder on Black Swan Lane beforehand and honestly it was very easy to get acquainted with the characters and enjoy the story.
This story follows Lord Wrexford as he happens upon a murder of a prominent inventor in London and happens upon a secret society that seems to be responsible for a slew of murders. With the help of Charlotte Sloane and the street urchins, Raven and Hawk, they piece together the mystery of the killer.

The story is set in the Regency period of London and certainly portrays that air as all characters are intertwined through different story lines and upbringing. Andrea Penrose does a wonderful job of creating a dark and gloomy realistic account of London's slums and aristocratic tenements. This book is a wonderful mesh of historical fiction, mystery, science, love, and character resolve.

I will certainly have to read the first book in this series and look forward to any forthcoming additions to the series!

As mentioned in the back cover copy, the Earl of Wrexford is drawn into a murder investigation when he stumbles across a dead body and the man’s widow asks him to look into his death. Was he killed for his invention or other reasons? The widow intrigues him in many ways and he wants to know what happened to the invention so he investigates. Since the last book, he hasn’t seen much of Charlotte Sloane, but she’s packing to move to a newer place in a safer neighbourhood. It’s bittersweet for her to move on but she’s hoping it goes well for her and Raven and Hawk, the two boys, aka the Weasels, that she has taken in.

The mystery’s turns drew me in and Wrexford and Charlotte both use resources at their disposal to find more information about the inventor. They’re not working closely together at the beginning but eventually they’re more doing more than passing on updates as they actively plan. It’s not long before there’s another death, and a tie-in to working class protests about machinery taking the place of humans in factories. There are suspects galore in the inventor’s assistant, his secretary, his widow, the man who he was renting the house from, and more. As Wrexford and Charlotte put together the pieces, they also learn more about each other and some secrets are revealed.

Penrose skillfully lays out the puzzle pieces and readers will enjoy the twists, both personal and related to the mystery, throughout the book. Another excellent installment and I look forward to the next.

Murder at Half Moon Gate is the second book in Andrea Penrose’s series of historical mysteries featuring the scandalous but scientifically-minded Earl of Wrexford and Mrs. Charlotte Sloane, otherwise known as A.J. Quill, London’s premier satirical cartoonist.  In Murder on Black Swan Lane, Wrexford was accused of the murder of the prominent clergyman with whom he had been carrying on a very public dispute.  Further infuriated by A.J. Quill’s uncannily accurate drawings and scathing commentaries, Wrexford determined to find the man and get him to stop his lampooning - only to discover that he was a she, carrying on the work of her late husband.  The earl and the satirist eventually teamed up to find the real murderer and exonerate Wrexford, and during the course of the book forged an unlikely but strong working partnership in which Charlotte’s intuition and observational skills proved the perfect complement to Wrexford’s highly logical scientific approach.

This book begins a few months after the previous one concluded, and although Wrexford and Charlotte have seen each other once or twice over that period, both expect their forged-from-necessity friendship to fade away given the fact that they move in very different social circles.  Even so, neither of them is quite ready to let go of the unusual and strong connection that has developed between them – when the murder of a prominent inventor brings Wrexford back to Charlotte’s door.

On his way back from an evening’s carouse in the company of his friend, Kit Sheffield, Wrexford, who is somewhat the worse for wear, literally stumbles across a dead body in a dank alley.  Closer inspection reveals the man was brutally attacked, his neck broken, his face cut – and unusually, his clothing slashed and rent as well.  With nothing to suggest anything other than an attack by footpads, the earl is relieved to hand the investigation over to the authorities.  But the next morning, he receives a visit from a beautiful woman who introduces herself as Mrs. Isobel Ashton and tells Wrexford that her husband was the murdered man he found the previous night.  She proceeds to explain that Ashton had been an inventor on the verge of an important breakthrough – and Wrexford, a chemist of some renown, recalls that he had exchanged some correspondence with the man, who needed some assistance with the chemical composition of the iron he was using in his new steam engine.

When Mrs. Ashton tells Wrexford she believes her husband was murdered and asks him to investigate, he is reluctant at first, unable to see why anyone would want to kill an inventor.  But as things begin to fall into place, he realises that whoever killed Ashton must have been looking for something – a suspicion confirmed when the widow tells him that her husband had been on the verge of a momentous breakthrough that would have made him a fortune, and suggests there were those who would stop at nothing in order to steal his ideas.

When Wrexford calls upon Charlotte – whose judgement, keen mind and observational skills he prizes highly – he tells her why he believes Ashton was murdered and asks her to see if her city-wide network of informants has heard any rumblings about the murder and who might be behind it.  Very soon, Wrexford and Charlotte are embroiled in the search for a ruthless killer who always seems to be one step ahead of them and are confronted with an increasing body-count and an ever growing list of suspects – the Workers of Zion, a radical group advocating violence and destruction on a scale far more extensive than the Luddites, Ashton’s assistants and other associates - including Charlotte’s oldest friend, Jeremy, Lord Stirling, who was one of Ashton’s primary investors – and the dissolute Lord Kirkland, whose association with the widowed Mrs. Ashton places them both under suspicion.

Andrea Penrose has penned a complex mystery full of twists, turns and red-herrings that kept me guessing pretty much right up until the identity of the villain was revealed, while at the same time developing the relationship between her two principals that began in the previous book.  It was clear in that story that both Wrexford and Charlotte were keeping secrets and there was more for them to learn about each other (and for readers to discover) and the author has indulged us – to a point – revealing a little more about each of them.  I particularly liked seeing the cynical and unsentimental Wrexford’s interactions with the two street-urchins Charlotte has ‘adopted’, and his gradually dawning realisation that when it comes to Charlotte, it’s not so easy for him to remain detached and unemotional.  He enjoys the fact that Charlotte challenges and provokes him and is surprised to realise that her passionate convictions are causing him to care more deeply than ever about things to which he has never really given much thought.  And Charlotte, intelligent, stubborn and self-reliant, is a little disturbed to discover her thoughts increasingly preoccupied with a certain green-eyed, annoyingly sardonic earl who frustrates and infuriates in equal measure but whose friendship she has come to cherish.

Having a main character who is a scientist makes it natural that the author should focus on the scientific aspect of her stories, but in doing so she has also given them rather a unique slant. The early nineteenth century was a time of huge social change, political upheaval and technological advancement, and all these elements are skilfully incorporated as she takes a good look at the implications on the working poor of the huge strides being made in the development of mechanical processes and of the Industrial Revolution in general:

What place did people have in a world where machines made their efforts obsolete?

Ms. Penrose creates a very strong sense of time and place in the novel; the cartoonists of the day were instrumental in forming public opinion, but the fact that Charlotte is A.J. Quill must remain secret if she is to continue to make a living and retain any degree of respectability, as for a woman to engage in such a profession would have been ruinous.  The author’s descriptions of her chosen locations are vivid and really help the reader to place themselves in the more tumble-down areas of London, and she has created a thoroughly engaging set of secondary characters.  Kit Sheffield, Wrexford’s closest friend is clearly not so much a wastrel as he purports to be, the unflappable and enigmatic McLellan whom the earl assigns to act as Charlotte’s maid is someone I hope to see more of, and Raven and Hawk, the two boys Charlotte has taken under her wing, are a couple of winning lads who are perhaps a little too good to be true, but who are nonetheless a good addition to the larger cast.

Murder at Half Moon Gate is an enjoyably complex mystery that strikes a good balance between plot, character development and historical detail – and those of us who like a bit of romance thrown in will be satisfied with the direction things are taking.  The book is sure to appeal to fans of Deanna Raybourn and Anna Lee Huber as well as those who enjoy a well-plotted historical mystery.

Buy it at: Amazon/iBooks/Nook/Kobo

Murder at Half Moon Gate is the second book in Andrea Penrose’s Wrexford & Sloane Regency-era historical mystery series. I enjoyed reading the first book in the series, and I was looking forward to happen next in the series.

The Earl of Wrexford stumbles upon a body in an alley, and he realizes immediately that this is not a random incident of a hapless soul wandering into a dangerous neighborhood. Wrex doesn’t intend to involve himself with another mystery so soon after the last incident, but after meeting with the man’s widow, he feels that it is his duty to look into what led up to the victim’s brutal death.

Wrex knows that he isn’t going to be able to piece the details together without the insight of his new friend Mrs. Charlotte Sloane. Together, they pore over the clues and attempt to rule out the various suspects. But someone was killed for the information at the crux of this case, and the perpetrators would certainly be willing to kill again.

This was an excellent mystery. Wrexford and Charlotte work well together, and they are bolstered by an extensive cast of secondary characters. Charlotte has two streetwise young boys who she has taken on as wards. Their skillset and network of cohorts prove to be invaluable. Wrex gains a new appreciation for Charlotte, and begins to wonder if his affection for her is platonic or perhaps something more. Charlotte’s secret job as a satirical cartoonist does seem to be less of a priority than it was in the first book. This is understandable because she had some changes in her personal life to sort out, but I do hope that there are more satirical prints in future books.

I would absolutely recommend Murder at Half Moon Gate. I would suggest reading the first book in the series before this one; it’s not mandatory, but I do think it gives the reader a more thorough understanding of the relationship between Wrex and Charlotte, and an appreciation for the developments over the course of this book. There’s a nice balance of mystery and world building, and as a fan of the Regency era, I appreciated how much Penrose is able to immerse the reader into 19th century. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book

Andrea Penrose has the Earl of Wrexford and his friend Sloan examine the Murder at Half Moon Gate. Historical Victorian mystery with lots of atmosphere.

I have a real weakness for historical mysteries. What I love are the things that are a big part of the story in Murder at Half Moon Gate. This is a mixture of the real and what could have been. In addition the characters fit the period where the story is set. This time the two main characters are Lord Wrexford, a English lord who loves science and feels that there is no room for emotion. Helping him is Charlotte Sloane, a lady with a somewhat mysterious past who uses a male pseudonym A. J. Quill to publish her scathing political cartoons. The mystery is complex, the danger ever present, and there is an excellent fit with the time period. The two have some very interesting helpers. All of the characters are very well developed, even those in a secondary role. This is book two in the series and I wished that I had read book one. Even so I had no trouble keeping up with the story. A very nice addition to the historical mystery universe.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing the first book in a new series, Murder on Black Swan Lane, which was an exciting first book. I was anxious to read the next book and was thrilled to finally see it on Netgalley!

In the first book, I loved getting to know the protagonist, Lord Wrexford and Mrs Slone. While each had something that I liked independently, the thing I loved most about them was the chemistry. This book would no doubt capitalize on that chemistry.

When Lord Wrexford discovers the body of a gifted inventor in a dark London alley, he promptly alerts the watchman and lets the authorities handle the matter. But Wrexford soon finds himself drawn into the murder investigation when the inventor’s widow begs for his assistance, claiming the crime was not a random robbery.

It seems her husband’s designs for a revolutionary steam-powered engine went missing the night of his death. The plans could be worth a fortune . . . and very dangerous in the wrong hands.

Joining Wrexford in his investigation is Charlotte Sloane, who uses the pseudonym A. J. Quill to publish her scathing political cartoons. Her extensive network of informants is critical for her work, but she doesn’t mind tapping that same web of spies to track down an elusive killer. Each suspect—from ambitious assistants to rich investors, and even the inventor’s widow—is entwined in a maze of secrets and lies that leads Wrexford and Sloane down London’s most perilous stews and darkest alleyways.

With danger lurking at every turn, the potent combination of Wrexford’s analytical mind and Sloane’s exacting intuition begins to unravel the twisted motivations behind the inventor’s death. But they are up against a cunning and deadly foe—a killer ready to strike again before they can recover the inventor’s priceless designs (summary from Goodreads).

As I mentioned in my review of the first book, the plot doesn’t exactly sound terribly original. In fact based on the plot summary on each book, I felt like I had read a number of mysteries like this before. So why did I love this book and the series so much? Character, character, character.

I love Lord Wrexford. His sarcasm and pragmatic view of the world strikes a chord with me and I can’t help but love him. He is intelligent, brooding, and has a armor that no one dare break through. I feel like in many ways him and I are kindred spirits which is what makes me simply love his character so much. I would read this book just because of him. He isn’t this squeaky clean, bored aristocrat. He’s got a checkered past and puts on this arrogant pomp in order to protect his heart and I simply can’t say enough great things about him.

Charlotte Slone is the counterpart to Lord Wrexford. She’s had to struggle her whole life and now she is finally in a place to move on from her previous life and start to regain some of her former life. She is taking care of two orphans, Raven and Hawk, and trying to offer them a civilized and better life than what they know on the streets. She is honorable, sassy, courageous, but yet stubborn and proud to a fault.

Putting her together with Wrexford is a recipe for chemistry and spark. If it wasn’t clear in the first book, than it’s undeniable in this book, that Wrexford and Charlotte have feelings for one another. Their budding romance was one of my favorite things about this novel. I loved watching each character discover and admit that what they felt was more than just admiration. However, I think that could have been stretched into one more book. I almost felt like the ending between the two was rushed so that it would fit in the narrative by the end. I think it would have almost worked better to have them each discover how they felt and then in the next book have the romance be more about declaration. I think they needed more time to fully develop the sexual tension and romance. Don’t get me wrong, I love their romantic plot line, but I think it might have teased readers a little longer and built more suspense and tension for them.

This mystery was a tangled mess….in a good way. I thought there were enough red herrings to propel the story and keep readers guessing. I also liked how Wrexford continued to return to the scientific method to solve the case. Sometimes the obvious, simplest, and neatest solution is the answer—and then sometimes it’s more complicated than that. I loved trying to sort out and piece everything together and just found that I couldn’t do it until the final piece of the puzzle was revealed.

I read this story very fast and loved so many aspects of it. I can’t say enough good things about this series. I am eager to read the next installment. Penrose’s writing is superb and her ability to write complex characters that readers can still admire and relate to is perfection. I love each character in their own way and the romance is exciting not to mention the mystery itself. A win on a number of levels!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: Murder at Half Moon Gate (A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery #2) by Andrea Penrose

Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Expected publication: March 27th 2018 by Kensington
ASIN B073NP3DM3
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review.
This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 4.5 out of 5

Genre: historical fiction, Regency era, mystery, suspense, detective novel

Memorable lines/quotes:

The second book in this series might just be better than the first, which was just terrific. The characters are more fleshed out, the banter between Lord Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane is more revealing and the Weasels are as entertaining and brave as all get out. The mystery involving steam engineering, patents and murder is interesting really quite interesting and the further development of the main characters histories and backgrounds is most welcome. Just a really fun read.

Andrea Penrose rocks!! As a fan of her Lady Ariana series, I welcomed the first Sloane and Wrexford mystery. The second is even better!! Penrose has obviously done her research as one can clearly see from her accurate portrayal of all levels of Regency society. She also does an excellent job of portraying the challenging relationship between her extremely independent main characters. Her sense of humor is evident in her portrayal of lesser characters ranging from Sheffield and Griffin to the Weasals and their cohorts. The answer to one mystery at the end offers so many new possibilities for future adventures that I want the next installment to appear ASAP!! Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for pre-pub access to such a delightful mystery.

Penrose’s second book in the Wrexford and Sloane series provides intriguing insights into the main characters pasts and their relationship as well as a mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the very end. The book is fast-paced and very well written. It can certainly be read as a stand-alone book, but you’ll miss all of those formative interactions among all of the characters and their relationships with each other. I’ve now read both books in the series and they are both outstanding!

The Regency period sees the very early beginning and the burgeoning of social and technological changes within England. Science and technological innovation were changing the way people lived and worked. Social order was beginning to change as well and was constantly challenged by satirical cartoonists who were actually quite powerful in molding public opinion. I think that the fact that our author chose Sloane as a very gifted and influential satirical cartoonist and Wrexford as an earl who is a gifted scientist is a big part of what makes this series very appealing to me. The characters are wonderful, fully-developed, humorous, brave and intelligent and when you add in an excellent dose of great history and an excellent mystery, you just can’t go wrong.

Wrexford is a bored, pragmatic, cynical, emotionless man who is also a gifted scientist. He governs his life by scientific principles. No emotions, only empirical evidence, and the step-by-step scientific process need apply! That is – unless Charlotte is involved and then – well maybe it is a little harder to be pragmatic and emotionless.

Charlotte Sloane has secrets – many secrets. Wrexford knows some of her secrets, but not all of them. One of Charlotte’s secrets is that she is the political satirist known as A. J. Quill. It is very important that she keep that secret, though Wrexford knows it, because it is how she earns her living. Were it to become known that A. J. Quill was a woman, nobody would publish her work and she would starve. Charlotte also has a large network of street urchins (boys and girls) as well as other important contacts that keep her up-to-date on what is going on. She always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else when it comes to her cartoons. Charlotte is also a pragmatic lady who always strives to control her emotions.

The prologue begins with a heart-pumping chase through the worst part of London. A thick mist from the river is covering the area and the wind is howling (I love the word the author used – skirled – isn’t that perfect it). Our victim is new to London and is hopelessly lost – and finally – he is brutally attacked and killed. Elihu Anthony is an inventor who is on the cusp of patenting a brilliant ground-breaking new technology that will increase the power of steam engines. The patent is worth a fortune for whoever manages to file for it first. Now – what will happen to the patent? Is it the Luddites who are trying to prevent the patent? Is it a greedy investor? Is it family?

Wrexford and his friend Christopher Sheffield are returning home from a gaming hell and take a route through the more unsavory parts of town and discover a lifeless and mutilated body at Half Moon Gate. Not only is the body mutilated, but his clothes are cut and ripped at the seams. Wrexford and Sheffield notify Bow Street, give their account and then go on home. Later, Wrexford is visited by Isobel, the wife of Mr. Anthony and she asks him to solve the case because Bow Street isn’t taking it seriously. That sets us off on a chase that leads to places and events you wouldn’t imagine. There are so many suspects and all of them are very viable – but you won’t guess who the real culprit is until almost the very end (unless you peek).

Raven and Hawk are featured again in this book and they are delightful. They are the street urchins that Charlotte taken into her life and is trying to encourage them to actually live with her and give up their street ways. They are leery of doing that, but she’s winning them over.

Click on the title to see my review of the first book – Murder on Black Swan Lane.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

I didn’t realize I was starting this series with the second book until I’d finished it. I enjoyed Murder at Half Moon Gate so much I’ll go back to read Andrea Penrose’s introduction to these terrific characters. I loved Charlotte Sloane. She is the infinitely more interesting half of the Wrexford Sloan mystery solving duo . Charlotte is an independent widow who supports herself and her two young male streetwise wards by drawing provocative satirical newspaper cartoons under the alias of her dead husband. Her artistic and intellectual skills allow her to advocate for social justice for those without a voice. Lord Wrexford is her foil in gender, social ,and economic class, He’s a grumpy rich guy with not enough to do to keep himself busy or out of trouble. They shouldn’t work well together, but they do.

This second mystery involves a brilliant young inventor with a design to revolutionize the emerging British railroad industry, a missing research assistant, a secretive group bent on eliminating technological advances because of the economic inequity they create,, and a throat slashing murderer. Wrexford and Sloane can’t seem to keep their distance from each other or a violent crime, but their attempt to solving this mystery was full of adventure and Regency era social commentary.

"Audentes Fortuna iuvat", Pliny’s famous “fortune favors the bold” quote; Mrs. Charlotte Sloane, fond of Latin phrases as she is, would find it an apt saying for the adventures in "Murder at Half Moon Gate." Once again, Andrea Penrose weaves an amazing tale filled with the richness of her prose and an intriguing situation that leads to murder. The scientific background (for which the author includes historical notes at the back of the book) is detailed and specific -- perhaps too specific for some readers. I, and I suspect Lord Wrexford would find me a kindred soul, enjoyed what is essentially a detailed description of the changing landscape of Britain through what was indeed a true revolution, industrialization.

What is paramount here, however, is the give and take of the relationship between Charlotte Sloane and The Earl of Wrexford. They are both outside the norm of society (she with her great secret, her alter ego, and her propensity for doing things that no “proper” English woman would do, and he with a view of society that is quite unlike his class). Both are slowly but surely being drawn into a world where each will be comfortable with each other. Luckily for readers, everything seems to be progressing satisfactorily. I do enjoy the spirit of what Ms. Penrose is accomplishing here, although there were times while reading that the constant "give and take" began to wear a little thin, to where I wanted to say "get on with it, already." Eventually, they do, and we're given a little plot twist, as it were, that will mean a future is possible.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy ahead of publication, in exchange for an honest review.