Lady Worthing #2
The second book in Vanessa Riley’s Lady Worthing Series, Murder in Drury Lane, starts off with a recently reformed rake getting stabbed with a theater prop. Though Anthony Danielson had lived far from a blameless life, and died with others owing him money they couldn’t pay, it seems he truly had turned over a new leaf. Newly married to the previously upstanding Joanna Mathews Danielson, Anthony had a lot to look forward to. He was even writing a new play that he was sure would be a smash hit.
Fortunately, or unfortunately for the mystery loving Lady Abigail Worthing, she is there at the theater the night he dies. Though he died backstage, and she was in the audience, she manoeuvres her way through the crowd to see what’s going on. There, she gets tangled up not only with her attempts to solve the crime, but the affairs of her neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, a close friend of Joanna’s. He just so happened to be currently housing Joanna and her husband, too, as her family so deeply disapproved of the match.
Abigail isn’t sure that she trusts Stapleton, but she finds herself drawn to him. The two bicker constantly throughout, but there is no denying that they truly enjoy each other’s company. As Abigail’s marriage is one of convenience, and her husband is rarely if ever at home, it’s easy to see the potential of trouble brewing there too. In addition to all this, the vote for abolition in England is coming to a head. The deciding vote to make this happen may be up to one of the strongest murder suspects, Duke Culver. As a woman of color herself, Abigail is torn between the idea of justice for a single victim, or justice for so many more.
Despite the title, the story doesn’t have a great deal to do with the theater. Truly, this is Abigail’s story, and not so much the victim’s. But the book packs a lot in, inside and outside of Abbie’s head, and the reader won’t find themselves bored. For anyone looking for a book of Regency era intrigue, this series is a good place to start. – Margaret Agnew