The murder that drags Wrexford and Sloane back into the fray after the events of Murder at Half Moon Gate again hits a bit too close to home – at least for Charlotte Sloane. In fact, it’s so close to home – her past home if not her present one – that when Wrex informs her that the recently elevated Lord Chittenden is dead, she performs the only quintessential female act he’s ever seen her do.

She faints. She literally swoons at his feet. And he doesn’t know what to do about it. But then, not knowing what to do about or with Charlotte Sloane, AKA the brilliant satirical artist A.J. Quill, has been a constant state of affairs for Wrex since the moment they met in Murder on Black Swan Lane.

Charlotte has just learned that her dear cousin, one of the few people who accepted her as she was back in a day she hasn’t yet revealed to Wrex, has been accused of murdering her other dear cousin – his twin brother. Charlotte is certain that this accusation is as false as the one that brought Wrexford to her door in the first book in this series.

But there’s no evidence for Nick Locke’s innocence, while the evidence for his guilt is both gruesome and damning. Not even a visit to Nick in Newgate dims Charlotte’s belief that he can’t possibly be guilty – even if does cast a dark pall over her determination to win him free.

Which is when Charlotte realizes that the cost of Nicky’s freedom – if it can be won at all – will be the sacrifice of her own. In order to investigate the possible suspects, a surprising number of whom are women in the upper reaches of the ton, Charlotte will have to finally admit the truth of her own origins, and walk with eyes wide open back into the gilded cage she escaped from in what seems like another lifetime.

Only because it was. A life that she didn’t fit into then, and must return to now. After all, needs must when the devil drives – and there is absolutely a devil driving the rush to Nicky’s judgment. And Charlotte’s own.

Escape Rating A-: I got into the Wrexford & Sloane series because it is an amazing readalike for the Sebastian St. Cyr series without being the same at all – which I know sounds contradictory but bear with me.

Both are historical mystery series, and both take place in England during the Regency. Both feature amateur detectives who are aristocrats, working with female partners with whom they have tension-filled relationships.

But, but, but there are huge differences. The St. Cyr series is exactly what it says on the label. The story is told primarily from the perspective of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, the man who will in the fullness of time become the Earl of Hendon. In the meanwhile, Devlin expiates his demons, many but not all of which he acquired while serving in France during the Napoleonic Wars, by solving murders – generally the kind of murders that no one in the halls of power want solved..

Although Wrexford gets top billing in ‘his’ series, it’s not his journey. Instead, this story is told from the perspective of Mrs. Charlotte Sloane, a widow living in genteel poverty who makes ends at least wave at each other by penning satirical drawings and publishing them under the nom-de-plume A.J. Quill. It’s clear that she grew up in different circumstances, but when the story begins neither Wrexford nor the reader know exactly what those circumstances were or why she left them.

If the St. Cyr series had been written from the perspective of Devlin’s wife, the social reformer Hero Jarvis, it might read something like Wrexford & Sloane, but it isn’t and she doesn’t and as a consequence the two series are looking at the same period through much different lenses.

If you like one you’ll like the other just as much – I certainly do – but they are cousins rather than twins or even siblings. To mix metaphors entirely and get back to Sloane and her cousins at the same time.

The other thing that makes the two series different, and has been a huge factor in the Wrexford & Sloane series so far, is that Wrexford, unlike Devlin, is a man of science rather than politics, and this case, like the previous two books, is steeped in that world that seemed to be changing and discovering every day.

And yet asks the same questions that are still being asked today. Questions about possibility vs. morality, whether the ends justify the means, how far, how dark and how deep an experiment should be allowed to go, and whether just because something CAN be done doesn’t mean it SHOULD be done.

Because this case was steeped in those scientific questions, as well as the age-old question about the fine lines between genius and madness, and between interest and obsession. All the red herrings in this one, and there were many, had been electrocuted or charred to a crisp before presentation, making the solution seem just that much farther out of reach.

But what held my interest, and will hold most readers by the heartstrings, is Charlotte Sloane’s journey, and her decision to give up the thing she prizes most in order to save a person she holds dear. And that’s a dilemma that is every bit as potent two centuries ago as it is today.

Obviously, I’m still enjoying my read of the Wrexford & Sloane series very much, although I will probably take a bit of a break before I get back to it to keep the whole thing at the correct level of compulsion and freshness. But I know I’ll be picking up Murder at Queen’s Landing the next time the mood for a compelling historical mystery strikes!

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

Murder at Kensington Palace follows the investigative exploits of Wrexford, Earl and amateur scientist, and Sloane, who is secretly a satirical cartoonist, as they traverse the gritty streets and esteemed halls of a scientific society to solve a confounding murder of someone close to Sloane.

This is the first Wrexford and Sloane mystery I have read, though the two previous installments hold a place on my bookshelf, and I had no problem quickly learning the characters’ backgrounds and situation. It can easily be read as a standalone though I am sure reading the books in order adds even more reading enjoyment. That said I very much enjoyed my first adventure with the somewhat unlikely pair. The story unfolds from alternating viewpoints, and I think this helps propel the plot forward while also making the book more engrossing. Many times I had a hard time putting the book down – I needed to know what was going to happen next. Additionally, Sloane’s relationship to the deceased and his accused murderer make the story even more compelling.

Author Penrose makes the scientific research, innovation and discoveries of the Regency Period the backbone of the mystery. The details of the era, both social and scientific, are meticulously researched and presented in a concise, informative manner without ever being dry or taking readers out of the story. The voltaic pile, an early type of battery, is pivotal to the mystery and brings to mind Mary Shelley’s famous tale. The intricate murder mystery is well plotted and paced with plenty of red herrings to keep me second guessing the killer’s identity for much of the book. The complex, intriguing characters are distinctive with well developed protagonists and a strong supporting cast. I particularly enjoyed the boys Sloane has taken under her wing.

Murder at Kensington Palace is a smart, compulsively readable historical mystery. I wholeheartedly recommend it to any fan of historical mysteries and romances.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

This was an enjoyable installment into this series. In this one Charlotte Sloane's cousin is murdered and his twin is charged with the murder. Sloane just can't see her cousin killing his brother so she sets out to find out what happened. Lord Wrexford at first isn't sure why she is so involved in the case but he won't let her go it alone and so helps her. I really love the chemistry and slow burn romance between Wrexford and Sloane but hope the author don't keep them at arms length for to long. :)

I LOVE this series! It has all the things I love: history, brooding men, women with secrets, romance. and well plotted mystery! The author is able to combine so many different elements and not leave anything wanting. Exceot maybe the reader wanting more. I continually put this book out and other books in the series and library patrons gobble them up! I have made this an NYPL staff pick and included it in NYPL blog posts.

I love historical mysteries, so much so that I sometimes think I read too many. After a while they can merge into one another unless there’s something to differentiate them from the mass. Andrea Penrose’s Murder at Kensington Palace is yet another set in the Regency period, but Penrose has taken the standard and given it a very nice twist indeed with her protagonists — the well-connected Lady Charlotte Sloane, who has an alternative existence as a satirical cartoonist, and the aristocratic scientist Lord Wrexford.

I liked this twist very much. The plot itself isn’t really what drives the story, which is a fairly standard romp through Recency London as Charlotte tries to track down the murderer of her cousin amid the usual cast of corrupt lords, Bow Street Runners and smart-alec valets, and which has a conclusion that rather stretched my credulity. But the protagonists are different from most, and they’re quirky and (apart from the fact that I found some of the repartee a little bit unbelievable), they work.

I thought the book was nicely written though in places the dialogue felt a bit brittle. But the tension built up when it mattered and I kept turning the pages, and it was strong enough to keep me interested when the plot started to feel a little silly. But it was fun and it was readable and I will be back for more of Wexford and Sloan.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Andrea Penrose hits it out of the park with this installation of the Wrexford & Sloan series. She creates believable characters who act within the confines of their developed capacity - a rarety in these cozies. Her characters compliment each other and make for an entertaining and credible investigation.

Her random use of Latin throughout the story feels a little disjointed. It left me wondering what the purpose was. I suppose it could be to remind the reader that Sloan is from the upper classes rather than the poverty side of society.

In all the writing is sound and very enjoyable. Kensington Palace is written on a slightly higher level than typical cozies, an appealing factor. Being the third in the series, Penrose avoids the watering down of the intensity of the story. I would highly recommend this installation as well as the previous books in the series.

Oy, as if I need another historical mystery with romantic elements to follow, but this cross-genre is appealing to me … so, here I go again with Andrea Penrose’s Wrexford and Sloane Regency-set, slow-burn romance and mystery series. Add this to the pile with Harris’s St. Cyr, Raybourn’s Speedwell, and Ashley’s Holloway.

Murder At Kensington Palace is the series third and I’m sorry I didn’t read the first two. The present volume was so satisfying, however, that it made me an insta-fan and regretful not to have discovered it from the get-go. As with Harris, Raybourn, and Ashley, Penrose creates engaging, easy-to-love protagonists. Like Ashley especially, she fashions an irresistible band-of-sleuths ethos, with a circle of friends, servants, street-people and -children, Bow Street runners, an eagle-eyed, sharp-tongued aged aunt, aiding and abetting the primary protags, compelling, lovable characters in their own right. Wrexford and Sloane are Lord and Lady “statussed,” but their world goes way beyond the ton.

Wrexford is urbane, handsome, sharp-tongued and a chemist. His valet and lab assistant, Tyler, with whom he shares antagonistic banter, is one of the band of truth- and justice-seekers. Wrexford is often accompanied by his I-pretend-I’m-dumb friend Kit Sheffield and Basil Henning. Charlotte’s household is even more eccentric. Charlotte is a widow, who had run away to Italy with her art instructor and left her aristocratic family behind. She moonlights as a political cartoonist under the pseudonym A. J. Quill. Her street persona, for when she disguises as a street urchin to sleuth and nose the truth of a murder, alternates between Magpie and Phoenix. Charlotte lives with Wrexford’s blunt-tongued, knife-wielding cook, McClellan, and two adopted, adorable, hilarious street urchins, Raven and Hawk, aka Thomas Ravenwood Sloane and Alexander Hawksley Sloane, and affectionately dubbed “the Weasels” by Wrexford.

Kensington Gardens‘ mystery centres on the murder of Charlotte’s beloved childhood cousin, Cedric, Lord Chittenden; the accused, his twin brother, Nicholas Locke. When Charlotte, with Wrexford’s insistent help, sets out to exonerate Nicholas, she contends with long-buried feelings about the life she left behind and how to reemerge as Lady Charlotte when she’s lived incognito as plain old Charlotte Sloane for years. It is key, however, to infiltrate the ton to help Nicholas. She calls on her Aunt Alison, who proves to be as cool and witty as the Dowager Countess of Grantham, without Violet’s noblesse oblige ‘tude. I thought the mystery itself was fascinating until the resolution. Cedric and Nicholas were mixed up in scientific intrigue and elixir-of-life nonsense, making Wrexford’s knowledge and knife-edge intelligence key to murder’s solution. He is inquiry to the quackery that was going on at the time. But the resolution reminded me of a mad scientist Hollywood b-movie scenario. It turned out laughable where Penrose aimed for dramatic?

Whatever “meh” I thought of the mystery, my insta-love for Wrexford, Sloane, and Co. remained steady throughout. I loved them from the moment Charlotte muttered to Wrexford: ” ‘What a pair we are … Prickly, guarded, afraid of making ourselves vulnerable.’ ” Afraid initially. As the narrative builds, Wrexford and Charlotte’s slow-burn romance flickers and flares, teasing the reader and making her yearn for more. They have three near-kisses that ratcheted the tension horribly and yet deliciously. They also share one of the sexiest waltzes I’ve ever read. And how irresistible is our Wrexford introduction? Note: “The earl settled himself on the sofa, all well-tailored broad shoulders and long-legged elegance.” Perfection in that “well-tailored” incongruity to his “broad shoulders”. And Charlotte noticing how, in pursuit of the truth for her, he neglects getting a haircut. Wrexford does a lot of sexy running-fingers through his long, dark hair.

The slow burn, however, is beautifully maintained as the background to Wrexford and Charlotte’s friendship, with affectionate quips like this one: “A faint smile tugged at his lips. ‘We are, I suppose, well-acquainted with each other’s eccentricities and have learned to put up with them.’ ” And heart-wrenching bits like “She managed a shaky exhale and allowed herself to sink back against the pillows. ‘I’m very grateful for –‘ ‘Love doesn’t require gratitude,’ he said.” And then the tension flaring with the deep love they have for each other, yet unspoken and dormant as it is: ” ‘Without you, I would have given up long ago.’ ‘I would do anything for you,’ he said softly. ‘Would you?’ Charlotte set down the book and box of cards. ‘Then please … ‘ She moved a step closer and reached up to press her palm to his cheek. ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. I can’t bear to see you trapped in such shadows.’ ” I loved it and them.

Penrose’s other great strength, other than the yummy romance, is the love of friends and family Charlotte and Wrexford built around them: “She had somehow gathered a mismatched circle of friends around her during the past few years. They had become very dear to her. Once again, she was aware of how frighteningly vulnerable she felt because of it. A solitary existence was far safe, uncomplicated by the complexities of emotions. Danger now held more consequences than the question of her own measly survival. The boys depended on her … ” Ah, the boys, Wrexford’s beloved “Weasels” (how tender is it that he has found them a tutor? how loving is Charlotte’s heart-weakness for them? teaching them to draw, muttering motherly threats about “no jam tarts,” which McLennan affectionately bakes for them, hugging them and giving them a world of love and care and knowledge where they had none). Raven and Hawk are funny, smart, and vulnerable in how much they love Charlotte and both love and are in awe of Wrexford. In the end, the most winning aspect of Penrose’s wonderful series is the conclusion Charlotte and Wrexford come to together and apart, that love is primary, makes life worth living, and deserves our greatest care and protection. And why I await the next book in the series as I do Raybourn’s, Harris’s, and Ashley’s. With Miss Austen, we find, in Murder At Kensington Palace, “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Andrea Penrose’s Murder At Kensington Palace is published by Kensington Books. It was released in September 2019 and may be found at your preferred vendors. I am grateful to Kensington Books for an e-galley, via Netgalley.

Charlotte Sloane and the Earl of Wrexford, Wrex for short, team up again for this complicated and dangerous case. Their relationship is tense at times and the reader is in the middle of it. The two street urchins Charlotte has officially adopted, Raven and Hawk, are being tutored while still maintaining some of their street habits. They are a joy to watch blossoming. This story also provides more of Charlotte's background story.

The setting of Regency London provides great atmosphere and is one of the strong aspects of the series. I enjoy how the scientific advances of the era are spotlighted. Add a vicious serial killer, the Bloody Butcher, to the foggy mists of London and you have Gothic gold. The plot and subplots immediately grabbed hold of me and didn't let go though a few twists and turns. Ms. Penrose's writing style also contributed to create a page-turning suspenseful tale.

The killer reveal lived up to the standard set by the two previous books with nail biting tension and harrowing danger. Excellent! The wrap up left me wishing for the next book.

I enjoy the sharp dialog between Wrexford and Charlotte and how she is respectable yet has a network of street people who feed her information. Her character is complex and layered. Wrexford isn't so much brooding as disinterested with the typical superficial interests of the nobility and grouchy. The two play off each other believably and with wry humor. The era of scientific exploration adds realism along with the visceral descriptions of everything from Newgate prison to the ball rooms. To sum it up, this novel is another gem in the series crown. If you enjoy historical mysteries, this isn't to be missed.

Rating: Near Perfect - Couldn't Put it down. Buy two copies, one for you and one for a friend.

Description
Wrexford and Sloane must unravel secrets within secrets—including a few that entangle their own hearts—when they reunite to solve a string of shocking murders that have horrified Regency London . . .

Though Charlotte Sloane’s secret identity as the controversial satirical cartoonist A.J. Quill is safe with the Earl of Wrexford, she’s ill prepared for the rippling effects sharing the truth about her background has cast over their relationship. She thought a bit of space might improve the situation. But when her cousin is murdered and his twin brother is accused of the gruesome crime, Charlotte immediately turns to Wrexford for help in proving the young man’s innocence. Though she finds the brooding scientist just as enigmatic and intense as ever, their partnership is now marked by an unfamiliar tension that seems to complicate every encounter.

Despite this newfound complexity, Wrexford and Charlotte are determined to track down the real killer. Their investigation leads them on a dangerous chase through Mayfair’s glittering ballrooms and opulent drawing rooms, where gossip and rumors swirl to confuse the facts. Was her cousin murdered over a romantic rivalry . . . or staggering gambling debts? Or could the motive be far darker and involve the clandestine scientific society that claimed both brothers as members? The more Charlotte and Wrexford try to unknot the truth, the more tangled it becomes. But they must solve the case soon, before the killer’s madness seizes another victim . . .

My Review
Murder at Kensington Palace is a true historical mystery novel. This is the 3rd installlment in the Wrexford and Sloane Mystery Series.

This ARC was provided in exchange for my honest opinion. There are a vast of characters and although well-crafted I would have liked an index of each one for easy reference. The overall story revolves around obviously a murder. The twist however is that there is a connection to Charlotte. Charlotte decides she needs the help of Wexford if she is going to figure out who the real killer is before it's too late.

Murder in the Kensington Palace has all of the ingredients necessary for a great historical mystery novel.

I give this a 4 Star!

Andrea Penrose sets the Earl of Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane off in pursuit of who committed the Murder at Kensington . Charlotte's cousin Lord Chittendon is found foully slain and his brother is arrested for the deed. Charlotte insists someone else is guilty. Some of the scientific community have gotten dangerously involved in experiments with electricity; other gentry are involved in blackmail and cheating at cards. To track the guilty will Charlotte reenter high society? Nineteenth century London at its grittiest and most dangerous.

If you combined Stalking Jack the Ripper and Pride and Prejudice, you would get Kensington Palace! I’m an avid historical fiction/romance lover and this book checked all the boxes for me. The writing and language felt very true to the time period and I loved the setting of 19th century London during the science era. Though I haven’t read the other two in the series, Kensington Palace was easy to follow along and I could pick up on where the characters were in their journey, relationships, etc.

The book had so many characters and while they were different, they were hard to keep track of and I got confused sometimes. I did kind of predict the ending but not all of it which I enjoyed.

Overall I give this book 3.5/5 stars and will definitely be reading the others soon!

Another gruesome murder has occurred in London and this time an aristocrat was stabbed at Kensington Palace. The news alarms Lady Charlotte Sloane deeply once she learns the identity of the victim; he was a very dear childhood friend. She soon enlists the aide of Lord Wrexford to collect clues and evidence in this case because she knows the killer cannot be the man charged...the twin brother of the victim. Charlotte soon realizes that she must return to Society and enter the world of the ton to observe and collect clues to solve the case with the Bow Street Runners.

This is a very well written historical mystery. I have read an earlier story in the series and enjoyed the evolving of the characters in this new tale.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

Charlotte Sloan’s secret identity as satirical cartoonist AJ Quills is still safe, even though the Earl of Wrexford knows her true identity. But that all may change with a bizarre and vicious murder in which Charlotte’s cousin is charged with his twin’s death. Charlotte needs Wrexford’s help as they attempt to unravel what led to the killing and who is really responsible. Charlotte finds herself having to negotiate the social swirls of Mayfair’s glitterati to follow the clues she discovers. They also must investigage the scientists with whom her cousin interacted in scientific societies and experiments. What secrets are they hiding…and why?

Was her cousin a victim of blind rage, romantic jealousy, gambling debts or something else she and Wrexford must uncover before the murderer strikes again. And will she have to reveal her alter ego to secure the information she needs to clear her cousin of his twin’s killing and find the true murderer?

Charlotte and Wrexford also find themselves dancing ever closer in their attraction to one another, despite the complications that involves. Will their fascination prove fatal if one or the other is found out by a ruthless killer?

Andrea Penrose has written another intriguing Regency mystery with enough twists and spins, clues and red herrings to keep you turning the pages while you enjoy getting to know these characters a little better. Here’s to more adventures with Charlotte and Wrexford.

Murder at Kensington Palace, book three from A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery series, was a pretty good read. I give it four stars.

I read Murder at Kensington Palace more or less in one sitting on a lazy Saturday. I loved the character development, not just for Wrexford and Sloane - although that was very satisfying, but also for the cast of secondary characters. I didn't quite enjoy the mystery in this entry as much as in the previous books, but the conclusion was very well done. As always, Penrose offers a fascinating glimpse at the state of science and scientific inquiry at a time when so many new discoveries were being made. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.

Interesting read and a solid middling entry in this series. I enjoyed spending time with these characters again (strong heroine and her street boy wards, grumpier than ever hero, etc), though the H/h's "will they, won't they" got old very quickly (and there really didn't seem to be any reason for why they shouldn't). I thought the mystery was a little convoluted (was it just me?). So many names and not much to distinguish one from another. I would have liked a little more closure at the end too. I enjoyed learning about the science of the day though. 3.5 stars.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

They are at it again!
Wrexford and Sloane have yet another case to solve, but this one hits very close to home.
Not to mention it leads to a life-altering decision for Charlotte that she may not be ready for.

There is a brutal butcher in London and a new scientific theory being tested by a secret scientific society. Could they be connected? Science/the arts/and a mix of latin along side street smarts, friendship and a smidgen of love.
Enjoy!

Murder at Kensington Palace is a great historical mystery. The characters are well developed and interesting. A wonderful series.

After reading the first two books in this series (Wexford & Sloane historical mystery), I greatly anticipated the release of Murder at Kensington Palace. Each book in the series just gets better. As with the other books, the story revolves around a murder. Only this time both the victim and the alleged murderer are persons who were close to Charlotte in her past. She enlists Wexford to help find the real killer since she knows the accused could not have possibly done it. From there the tale takes off, a blend of scientific study and evil. All the things I enjoy in a read are present, mystery, danger, intrigue, and a villain or two. As with the other books there is an underlying, undeclared romance between Charlotte and Wexford. Hopefully there will be more books. This author is a talented historical mystery writer who really needs to continue if not with these characters, then with new ones, but I hope we will see more of Charlotte and Wexford.