Murder Mystery on Black Swan Lane: A Wrexford & Sloane Detective Story

Amazon Customer: Totally enjoyed this book and it's cast of characters. I am looking forward to seeing how the next book plays out, could there be some romance in the air.?

Canada on Oct 29, 2023

Carolyn Phillips: I spent a great deal of time looking up outdated words and historical background. However, it was a good read. I hope the next installment is easier to read.

United States on Oct 22, 2023

Mary K.: I liked this book very much. I found it suspenseful and I enjoyed learning things throughout the book. The author really must have researched for a very long time, to write this.

United States on Oct 19, 2023

Alice Franklin: I've just finished this for the third time, re-reading the series in anticipation of reading the next new book, and its still as enjoyable as the first time. Its been wonderful watching Charlotte and Wrexford challenging each other and slowly letting down their various defences; meeting the delightful Weasels, irrascible Henning, unflappable Tyler and mercurial Kit - as well as a complex plot with plenty of action - and all rooted in a wealth of historical detail. Fabulous.

United Kingdom on Sep 27, 2023

C. Trussell: Reading this historical mystery set in the Regency period in England caused me to build new rooms in my head for a setting yet frequented. The Earl of Wrexford is a bit of a rake who’d exchanged verbal jousts with a clergyman. When the clergyman was found murdered, it was easy to consider the Earl the culprit. But a secretive artist found the body first and had her own discoveries about the crime. But her satirical cartoons skewered Wrexford and the details within them made him question her source information. Using his vast resources, Wrexford tracked down the artist known as Quill—Mrs. Sloane—and the two form a wary alliance to find the murderer. Sloane and Wrexford seem to represent opposites in society of the time, but neither is truly representative and Sloane has mysteries in her past to which the reader isn’t privy. Chemistry is key to the mystery, as in alchemy and in the relationship between the two. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and appreciated the humor in the dialogue.

United States on Aug 24, 2023

Kindle Customer: An excellent start for what promises to be a gripping series. Not quite fast paced enough for five stars, but with many faceted and interesting characters you are soon rooting for. The dynamic between Wrexford and Mrs Sloane promises more fireworks socially and collaboratively. A fine list of supporting characters too in a resourceful valet , Kit Sheffield and likeable brothers Hawk and Raven.

United Kingdom on Oct 23, 2022

Fritzie White: Murder on Black Swan Lane, published in 2018, is the first of six novels to date in the Wrexford & Sloane Mystery series, by Andrea Penrose. It’s got 2,059 ratings (aka reviews) so far, with only 8% being 3-star or less, so does it really need another one?

Well, for those people who choose to read a book based on its reviews, you can never have too many reviews.

I’ll be giving it a 3-star review, as I explain below. It’s got a few flaws, but still worth reading if you like period mysteries.

It’s a Regency mystery, set in England. What is the Regency period, you ask?

King George III (king during the American Revolution (1775-1783)) succumbed to mental illness in late 1810. He had intermittent periods of sanity and refused to abdicate, so Parliament passed the Regency Act – his son, George, Prince of Wales is appointed as Prince Regent. (Hence, the “Regency,” which lasts from 1811 to 1820, when George III passes away and the son becomes King.)

I deduce, from clues in the text, that the story is set between 1812 and early 1814. In an early chapter of the book, a character mentions the war against Napoleon (1803 – 1814, with the...

United States on Jun 30, 2022

erinaf: I really enjoyed this book. Its somewhat gothic feel set in regency times, focussing on the who dunnit of a violent murder, ticked a lot of boxes for me, including the macabre start. I tend to lean towards books heavier in the romance department, but the author splashed in enough possibilities for the main couple's future built upon a solid friendship for me to be satisfied. Be warned, though, it's definitely a super slow burn regarding romantic entanglements. The book's two main characters, the Earl of Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane, were opposites in a multitude of ways which gave the novel an excellent opportunity to cover a wider range of creative elements that the author took advantage of. Wrexford, being from the aristocracy, is wealthy, scientifically-minded and resides in Mayfair. Charlotte, on the other hand, lives at the edges of the Slews, is dancing close to extreme poverty and makes her living from selling satirical cartoons under the penname A. J. Quill, therefore keeping her actual identity a secret. When Wrexford's ongoing verbal battle with a well-known reverend is highlighted once again in the public's eye by the latter's death, the Earl is the main suspect with a...

United States on Aug 29, 2021

Maria H: One of my favorite genres are historical mysteries, so that I was more than keen to start the Wrexford and Sloane series, even more so after reading the publisher's blurb and seeing the 4.5 star rating.

I must say that everything started with most satisfying drama - and then, what happened?? The dialog became stilted, explanations wordy and repetitive, and the style that of a historical romance. I became tired of the repeated innuendo alluding obscurely to the protagonists' (Wrexford and Sloane's) past, and didn't care, because I could not get a feel for the characters as persons in the first place. I noticed that I put down the book more and more often and did not return to it with relish. What a pity, since the plot could have been captivating. It was, in principle, well thought out and well carried through. Some of the characters, such as Raven and Hawk, made for some touching scenes - strangely, I could feel them far more keenly than either Wrexford or Sloane. Henning, as well, was a clever inclusion, who contributed an important role, but also a certain ambience to the setting.

Although the ending was as satisfyingly dramatic as the beginning, it was too little...

Canada on Jul 08, 2021

La veneziana: L'omicidio di Black Swan Lane è il classico mystery ambientato nella Londra della Reggenza con tutti gli elementi tipici del caso e la cui soluzione non sarà difficile da indovinare ai lettori più affezionati del genere.
La vicenda si apre subito con l'omicidio efferato del Reverendo Josiah Holworthy sulla cui scena del delitto si presenta, prima dei poliziotti, la giovane Charlotte Sloane che, sotto lo pseudonimo di A.J. Quill, realizza e pubblica con successo disegni satirici che mettono alla berlina la classe aristocratica e politica inglese.
Charlotte è la vedova di un pittore di modesto talento e, ritrovandosi dopo la morte di quest'ultimo in ristrettezze economiche, ed essendo più dotata artisticamente, ha scelto la strada della denuncia illustrata per riuscire molto concretamente a mantenersi e a mantenere anche due giovani fratelli, figli dei bassifondi londinesi, cui si è affezionata.
I due ragazzini ricambiano, riportando alla donna tutte le informazioni relative a scandali o vicende poco chiare che essi riescono a carpire ascoltando i pettegolezzi nelle taverne e nelle strade di Londra.
Di recente i disegni di Charlotte si erano soffermati a commentare...

Italy on Dec 10, 2019