How I love these adventures of Veronica Speedwell! In this installment, Ms. Raybourn is channeling her inner Arthur Conan Doyle, including lonely moors with dangerous bogs, sparkling jewels of uncertain provenance, and the mysterious return of a long lost relative.
Someone from Veronica's past reappears unexpectedly, throwing a wrench into the inner workings of her life. She must face the fact that she has not been completely honest with her beloved Stoker and that it may damage their relationship irreparably. But in the meanwhile, there are mysteries to be solved and Veronica distracts herself from her troubles by applying herself to the work at hand. This is a shrewd strategy to maintain the romantic suspense which is often sucked out of a storyline when the couple actually declare their attachment.
In the course of the investigation, Stoker is delighted to discover a taxidermied thylacine, that extinct predatory marsupial. Trust this author to insert such an eccentric item in such a charming way and to give Stoker such enthusiasm for it. Of course, Patricia, the Galapagos tortoise, still wanders the earl’s garden, and Veronica and Stoker have acquired quite the canine retinue. I love all the natural history details that Raybourn seeds through the novel.
Although there is not yet a listing of an eighth book, the ending of this one leaves me in no doubt that it is in the works. For this, I am incredibly grateful. I will mourn when this lovely series comes to an end.
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