MURDER AT THE MERTON LIBRARY

Regency aristocrats take an unusual interest in scientific inventions, social issues, and murder.

Charlotte, Countess of Wrexford, is known to a select few people as satirical cartoonist A.J. Quill, a thorn in the side of the powers that be. With her husband, Wrexford, their friend Christopher “Kit” Sheffield, and Kit’s fiancee and business partner, Lady Cordelia Mansfield, a mathematician, she’s solved many a mystery with a scientific bent. The Wrexfords’ clever wards, former street urchins Raven and Hawk, can easily help them by slipping back into their old roles if need be. A fire in a warehouse housing the research lab of brilliant engineer Henry Maudslay kicks off an investigation that will uncover dangerous secrets. Maudslay is one of many people striving to invent a steam engine powerful enough to propel a ship across the ocean by a method yet to be perfected. Then Wrex gets a letter from Neville Greeley, head librarian at Oxford’s Merton College Library and his late brother’s best friend, asking him to visit as soon as possible; when he arrives, he finds that Greeley has been murdered, prompting him to investigate. Did a British traitor set up the French ambush that killed Wrex’s brother, Thomas? One likely clue is a stolen manuscript that may be involved in the struggle between monied interests and foreign powers to bring the steamship to life. Despite their different paths of investigation, all the sleuths come together to solve a case with surprising ramifications.

An excellent mystery bolstered by fascinating information about a life-changing invention.