I received a copy from NetGalley and this is my freely given opinion.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery. Vanessa Riley really set the atmosphere in the opening pages, when you meet Juliet Henderson, the estranged wife of Stapleton Henderson. There is quite a dramatic entrance of Juliet into her husband's home, appearing to promote mischief, and chaos. In those brief opening pages, you get quite an idea of Juliet's thoughts, and character... and then the abrupt ending of her life.

Stapleton Henderson and Lady Abigail Worthing are feuding neighbours. Her rather spoiled terrier and his greyhounds are a bone of contention between the two neighbours, and you know the saying about good neighbours and fences? Well Henderson believes it too, and it is on his monstrosity of a half finished fence where Lady Worthing and Henderson find the b0dy of Juliet at night. When the magistrate is called, Henderson gives an alibi for himself and Lady Worthing, linking them together, and trapping Lady Abigail, because to deny him, would also point suspicion at her, as she was also engaged in suspicious activities herself, though not related to murder, but to her desire to help the abolition movement. Besides, she is a Blackamoor woman, who married up, and knows that given a choice, she would suffer more suspicion and accusation than a noted naval war hero, like Henderson.

She does have the advantage though, of being known to the investigator, Lord Duncan, having some minor success in solving a few other minor crimes and mysteries in the past, including proving the innocence of Lord Worthing, and saving him from jail and a hanging, before their marriage.

She decides that the best thing for her, as they likely are both suspects for the death of Juliet, was to find out who murdered Juliet; with suspicion heavily weighted towards Henderson.

This was an interesting book because there was quite the mix of interesting characters, history, and circumstance. Henderson is a dark, brooding man, a naval war hero who is a trained physician, and who fought at the side of Lord Nelson, and was there for his death in battle. His relationship with Juliet sounded very contentious and fraught, as he appeared to have angry arguments with her and ended up throwing her out on the street dramatically, because of her numerous, well known affairs, including with his own staff. But their relationship was far more complex and interesting than that. He has sailed with Lord Worthing, who has been away from his wife for a long period, and the relationship between Lord and Lady Worthing is in itself an interesting character in the story, as there is a lot of mystery or uncertainty about that too. Henderson and Worthing have a contentious relationship - with their neigbourly dispute to start with, then their enmity cum partnership regarding the murder.

The story was all written from the voice and viewpoint of Lady Abigail, and I liked the sideline history of the time, including the history of abolition, Wilberforce, and Hannah More, and how this wove into the story. But I really really wish there was some idea of what was going on in Henderson's head - he is such a stoic, and inscrutable character, and the tension and dynamic between him and Lady Abigail was so interesting.

I really did enjoy this mystery and the resolution of it and was drawn in by the relationships of Abigail and Henderson, as well as the sideline characters. There were a lot of loose threads leftover though, such as the relationship between Lady Abigail and her in absentia husband, her missing sister (a running thread in the story as well), and the inconclusive status of the relationship between Henderson and Lady Worthing - he seemed to grow in appreciation of her intelligence and respect and like her, but then what?

This was just such an interesting study of relationships overall...

Curiouser and curiouser...

4 stars out of 5.

The characters in this novel are larger than life, and the plot twists kept it interesting. Perhaps the resolution of the murders may leave some unsatisfied but I think it reflected the times.

It was a convoluted story and a little different to what I expected. I loved the dynamic between Abigail and her cousin Florence as well as the one with her next-door neighbour, The absence of the authorities for the vast majority of the novel was an interesting plotline and a little disconcerting.

There are certain brutalities from this time that some readers may find distressing (around slavery), so that is something to watch for. The reference to Abi's mother's visions, as well as hers, may also trouble some - though they don't form a big part in the overall storyline.

I found the summary, in Netgalley, misleading: as she's not a widow and the local vicar does not name her a prime suspect

This seems to be a great starting point for a new historical mystery series. I do hope we hear a little more about Lord Worthing, and his role, as the series moves forward.

With thanks for #Netgalley, Kensington Books and the author for my Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a little bit to get into this novel and the authors writing style, but once I did I enjoyed it very much. I especially liked the details concerning the abolition movement. It was fascinating and fun and different to read. Great characters, good story, and a nicely plotted mystery easily gives this novel five stars from me, highly recommend!

Jamaican, abolitionist, 1806, class-consciousness, London, historical-novel, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, murder, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, prescient-dreams, scandal, servants****

Good start to a new series of historical mysteries. Abigail and her neighbor have a somewhat contentious relationship, mainly because of her terrier (yappy nipper) and their hounds (digging in her flower beds). Abigail has a vested interest in the abolitionist movement, and it is her clandestine involvement that leads to her being in the joined property with the victim's husband and finding the body. This is a very busy story. All of the characters are interesting, but some seem to need more development, which I think we'll see in the next books.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!