Murder at the Merton Library

Andrea Penrose — 2023

A perplexing murder in a renowned Oxford University library and a suspicious fire at a famous inventor's London laboratory set Wrexford and Lady Charlotte on two separate investigations in this masterfully plotted, atmospheric Regency-set mystery from USA Today bestselling author Andrea Penrose. "[Penrose] mixes well thought out mysteries, early forensic science, great details of the era and a slow burning attraction creating a compulsive read." --The New York Public Library Responding to an urgent plea from a troubled family friend, the Earl of Wrexford journeys to Oxford only to find the reclusive university librarian has been murdered and a rare manuscript has gone missing. The only clue is that someone overheard an argument in which Wrexford's name was mentioned. At the same time, Charlotte--working under her pen name, A. J. Quill--must determine whether a laboratory fire was arson and if it's connected to the race between competing consortiums to build a new type of ship--one that can cross the ocean powered by steam rather than sails--with the potential to revolutionize military power and world commerce. That the race involves new innovations in finance and entrepreneurship only adds to the high stakes--especially as their good friend Kit Sheffield may be an investor in one of the competitors. As they delve deeper into the baffling clues, Wrexford and Charlotte begin to realize that things are not what they seem. An evil conspiracy is lurking in the shadows and threatens all they hold dear--unless they can tie the loose threads together before it's too late . . .

Reviews

Colleen@mirificmoxie

Jan 7, 2024

3.5 Stars

*A consistent installation in this STEM-centered historical mystery series*

This seventh book in the Wrexford and Sloane series, continues the comfortable but slightly formulaic rhythm of the series: someone in a STEM field is murdered, Wrexford and Sloane are pulled into the investigation, and their merry group of found family members solve the murder and save the day.

Murder at the Merton Library opens with Wrexford receiving an urgent summons from his brother's best friend but Wrexford arrives to find him murdered. And the case just might tie to his brother's death during the war. At the same time, the race to make the first steamboat capable of crossing the Atlantic becomes increasingly perilous as someone starts sabotaging the competition.

"Let’s just day that I sensed an unseen specter of Trouble lurking in the shadows. And I fear we haven’t seen the last of it."

As much as I am invested in these characters, I still feel like the main group is a bit too wholesome. Even for a cozy mystery, there is far too little conflict. As much as I hate drama, the number of stressful, emotional, and even life-threatening situations that are handled as if every character has taken advanced conflict management courses was too much of a stretch. Every time the group grows, it becomes harder to believe that there would be so little tension. This installment added more members to their group who were of course morally upright and slid into the group as if they had always been there. And I still find it impossible to believe that this many people would be able to keep Charlotte’s nom de plume a secret.

I did like that the children are growing up and participating on a deeper level and getting a bit more character development.

While every book in the series has some sort of relationship to STEM discoveries of the time, the information in Murder at the Merton Library was a little overdone. There were a lot of advancements happening in steam engines at the time, and Penrose seemed determined to include them all even when they didn’t directly relate to the story. So while I appreciate historical details, this one did infodump at times. I’d still rather have a well-researched historical novel than a shoddy one though. And Penrose’s authors notes always show how thoroughly she researches her subjects.

Although this series has settled into a slightly predictable cadence, I still enjoy it enough to continue reading it.

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Kristina Sanders@ksanders013

Mar 4, 2024