The FIfth Veronica Speedwell Mystery - A Murderous Relation

I'm always thrilled when a really well-written series continues being published (when it seems so many that I enjoy end after only three or four books), so knowing that even though I have finished reading this fifth Veronica Speedwell mystery there are more to come is a great joy for me!  Author Deanna Raybourn has truly developed some fantastic characters with this series, and the world of Veronica Speedwell is one that I enjoy visiting again and again and again.  And while I'm not much of a romance fan at all, even I have to admit that following along as the relationship between Veronica and Lord Revelstoke Templeton-Vane (otherwise known simply as Stoker) has grown from reluctant allies to fierce friends to more than just partners in crime-solving mysteries.  In the last book, Veronica and Stoker finally admitted their true feelings to one another, and now, in this fifth adventure, the question is - will they or won't they?

A Murderous Relation is definitely the most provocative book in the series, and Rayburn certainly doesn't hold back (although I give her credit for keeping all of the sexuality referenced in 19th century terms!).  As those who have been reading this series already know, Veronica is an illegitimate child of the current royalty, and should her lineage come to light, it could create a great scandal!  Well, this book delves more into that part of Veronica's heritage, as she and Stoker are called to aid the monarchy by rescuing young Prince Albert Victor ("Eddy") from himself.  It seems he has gotten himself in quite a pickle by having his mother's jeweler craft a diamond start that he has given to the madame who runs a very exclusive and very private club in London (i.e., a polite way of saying "brothel" for the rich and famous!).  Should it be known that the prince frequents a club of this type, it could give those who oppose the monarchy just the ammunition they need to bring down the current government in the Empire!  Veronica turns down the job at first, but before you know it, she and Stoker are pulled into the thick of things and wind up in the middle of another murder mystery.

Veronica and Stoker's foray into the world of sexual deviants is definitely a whole new adventure for these two sleuths.  Raybourn puts her two protagonists into the most unusual and uncomfortable situation when they have to go undercover to try and find the prince's diamond, while at the same time, maintain their cover by pretending to be super-wealthy aristocrats who like to dabble in various sexual extracurricular activities!  And considering the sexual tension that has been brewing between Veronica and Stoker for some time now, one can only imagine how the two of them manage to make it through the night without giving in to their own impulses!  Of course, finding a dead body, having to save the prince from unwanted attention, and getting kidnapped as they make their escape might very well put a damper on those feelings.

The mystery this time is not so much "whodunnit," but more along the lines of how in the world Veronica, Stoker, and Eddy will escape their captors (who, as it turns out, have a very personal connection to Veronica!) and how they will manage to keep all of this from tarnishing the royal family.  Veronica's own secret connection to the royals manages to become known by Eddy, and Veronica surprisingly finds a friend in the young man, who bares his own insecurities to his newly discovered relative.  Of course, time is of the essence, as heir kidnappers have their own agenda to play out - but Veronica is never one to give in, and she plots a scheme to set the kidnappers against one another for a chance that they will be too busy distrusting each other to notice her and Stoker escape with the prince!  And Raybourn doesn't hold back with the suspense, as there are several tense moments during their escape that will nearly make the reader hold his or her breath waiting to see what will happen next!

Oh, and did I mention that all of this is going on while Jack the Ripper is on the loose?

Yes, there is a bit more romance in this novel than in previous ones; however, Raybourn manages to fit it in nicely with the actual mystery - so the reader never actually feels like there is any forced or unnecessary scenes.  And while he definitely writes some rather tantalizing scenes, she keeps it within the 19th century decorum so that the reader is not forced with "in-your-face" sex scenes (and one can imagine how difficult that is to do with a good one-third of the book takes place at a sex party!).  And one top of all of this, Raybourn keeps Veronica and Stoker very much in character, with Stoker's own stoic nature and Veronica's biting sarcasm ("Hello, Uncle ... The last time I saw you, you were on fire.  I see you have been extinguished." [p. 152]).  It's lines like that which make me smile and keep me coming back for more adventures of Veronica Speedwell and friends.

Can hardly wait for Veronica and Stoker's "unexpected peril" in the next book!

RATING:  10 full masks of dark blue velvet out of 10 for daring to take these detectives into a seedy yet sensual brothel all for the sake of saving the monarchy!