Lady Juliette Thorndike and Bow Street Runner Daniel Swann are on the case in Regency London once again. And this one comes with its fair share of danger.
When Daniel Swann is on site during the Hammersmith Mill explosion, he rushes to try to help the survivors, then is assigned to find out who or what caused the explosion. Montgomery, the flour mill’s owner, is discovered dead in his office, but from a gunshot wound and not the explosion. Lady Juliette’s dear friend Agatha Montgomery is distraught over her father’s death…and the fact he was murdered is making things even harder for her.
As Lady Juliette uses her position in society to gain access to people and information that may help, Daniel is using his investigative skills to solve the killing. But there are plenty of people with motives and the killer has no intention of being caught.
But there are other threads running through this intriguing story. Although Daniel comes from very humble beginnings, a secret wealthy and influential patron has paid for his education, his housing, his clothing. But as Daniel approaches his twenty-fifth birthday, all that is about to come to an end, and perhaps even his Bow Street job. Daniel believes he will be able to make his own way in the world, even without the patronage, but he is curious about his benefactor’s identity.
Daniel and Lady Juliette are also part of a clandestine spy organization, and Lady Juliette’s instructor has ordered her to stay out of the investigation. But how can she when circumstances keep dropping her into trying to help her friend Agatha?
Ms. Vetsch has written an intriguing story with multi-dimensional primary characters. They have problems in their lives that they are working on, even as they take on solving the mysteries confronting them. Even secondary characters are well fleshed out. There’s mystery, history and romance combined in Millstone of Doubt. The author’s style is smooth and easy to read. I look forward to the next book in this Regency series.
5 stars
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