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Veronica’s natural-historian beau, Stoker, has been away in Bavaria for months and their relationship is at an impasse. But when Veronica shows up before him with his brother, Tiberius, Lord Templeton-Vane, he is lured back home by an intriguing job offer: preparing an iguanodon for a very special dinner party.
Tiberius has received a cryptic message—along with the obituaries of two recently deceased members of his old group of friends, the Seven Sinners—that he too should get his affairs in order. Realizing he is in grave danger but not knowing why, he plans a reunion party for the remaining Sinners at his family estate to lure the killer out while Veronica and Stoker investigate.
As the guests arrive and settle in, the evening’s events turn deadly. More clues come to light, leading Veronica, Stoker, and Tiberius to uncover a shared past among the Sinners that has led to the fatal present. But the truth might be far more sinister than what they were prepared for.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
March 7, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593675502
- File size: 347438 KB
- Duration: 12:03:49
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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January 30, 2023
Set in 1889, Raybourn’s tantalizing eighth mystery featuring lepidopterist Veronica Speedwell (after 2022’s An Impossible Impostor) takes her to Bavaria, where she hopes to reconnect with her estranged lover, Revelstoke “Stoker” Templeton-Vane. Veronica is joined by Stoker’s brother, Tiberius, who has recently received two newspaper clippings in the mail describing the deaths of a German fossil hunter and a French bon vivant; in the margin of the second, someone has written: “You will be next. Prepare your soul. VENGEANCE FOR LORENZO.” The dead men were part of a group, the Seven Sinners, that Tiberius belonged to at Cambridge University, and Lorenzo d’Ambrogio, another member, died in a storm after uncovering the complete fossilized skeleton of a new species of dinosaur. Though Tiberius believed the death an accident, the deaths of his colleagues, and the threat, have led him to reconsider. Veronica and Stoker return with Tiberius to England to protect him and uncover the truth behind the three deaths. Superior prose matches the clever plot. Fans of Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series will be pleased. Agent: Pamela Hopkins, Hopkins Literary Assoc. -
May 1, 2023
Raybourn's eighth entry in the Veronica Speedwell series finds Veronica at the country estate of the Templeton-Vane family, along with various Templeton-Vane brothers and a house party full of potential murderers. Twenty years ago, a member of Tiberius Templeton-Vane's close group of friends died on the estate, and now members of their friend group are being murdered. Certain that his own life is in danger, Tiberius has invited back everyone who was on the estate at that time, ostensibly to commemorate the anniversary of their friend's death, but really in the hopes of unmasking the killer. Stoker, the brother who has been Veronica's colleague, lover, and constant companion, is not ready to move beyond their romantic problems and agrees to join the house party only when made an offer that's too good to refuse. Without Stoker as her partner in this investigation, Veronica has to adapt her sleuthing strategy and make use of help from unlikely sources. Series narrator Ang�le Masters deftly voices the novel's large cast of international characters. VERDICT Raybourn has infused this mystery with wit, humor, and a core of genuine emotion that should make this novel popular, especially where historical mysteries circulate well. Highly recommended for all collections.--Nicole Williams
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Veronica, a lepidopterist, and her love-hate soulmate, Stoker, a paleontologist, have bigger concerns than butterflies and fossils on their plates when Stoker's brother, Tiberius, invites them to attend a dinner party at his English country estate. Tiberius needs their help because someone has threatened to kill him and his guests. Ang�le Masters captures Veronica's sarcasm and wit with elegance and poise. The potential suspects include a Scottish lord, an English lady, and an Italian count and countess. All their accents sound perfectly accurate. Masters subtly evokes Veronica's suppression of her love for Stoker amid the searches for butterflies, artifacts, and a murderer, but listeners will be rooting for her to net him in the end. B.J.P. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
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