Review: A Treacherous Curse

A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn

Berkeley, 2018.  Hardcover, 305 pages.

In January, the sequel to, A Perilous Undertaking, which I reviewed in 2017, debuted.  Like the first two books in the series, expect a fun romp with characters who do not fit the stereotypical Victorian image as they solve crimes.

In this investigation, Veronica Speedwell and Stoker Templeton-Vane must uncover a conspiracy surrounding an exhibit of Egyptology.  Further complicating matters is that the missing man is the person who stole Stoker’s wife from him several years before. Thus he must cope with a conniving ex-wife and the risk for being blamed for murder.  Thus Veronica takes the lead in this investigation instead of their usual equal-level pairing.

Enter the other key figures.  There is Sir Leicester Tiverton, the man who led the expedition to Egypt and brought back the artifacts for the exhibit.  Then there is the second wife, Lady Tiverton and his daughter, Figgy. The latter is attempting to run her own investigation.  Serving the Tivertons is Patrick Fairbrother, Sir Leicester’s right-hand man. In opposition is his scorned former partner, Horace Stihl and his son, Henry.  Lastly is Stoker’s ex-wife, Caroline de Morgan, who grieves for her lost husband as she expects their first child. How do each play into the overall mystery?  Who collaborated with whom as various schemes converge? That is what Veronica and Stoker aim to discover.

As hinted above, the entire Veronica Speedwell series has been fun to read.  Veronica and Stoker banter effortlessly and both are characters ahead of their era. Veronica is clearly a modern woman and Stoker supports that.  Both are afraid of nothing and that helps to drive them towards a solution to the mystery. Looking at the series as a whole now that I’ve read all three book available, each can be read independently.  While there is a continuous storyline, Raybourn provides just enough detail to help new readings discover the necessary past. And no part of the mystery is connected to a previous book. That said, to see the development of the relationship between the leading pair, it would still be beneficial to read the series from the start.

I was provided this book for review from NetGalley. It was released in January.

Have you read the other books in the Veronica Speedwell series yet?  If so, what did you think?  If not, do you think you may?

 

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