Things are often much more complicated than they appear- and that's the case when Mrs. Pike is murdered. Atlas Catesby, our intrepid sleuth, is so hoping that her lover, the Marquess of Vessey, is the guilty party. The Marquess, you see, was married to Catesby's beloved sister Phoebe and Atlas has always held him responsible for her death. Catesby finds himself, along with Lady Lilliana, investigating this recent death. He learns more than he ever expected about the opera but worse, about his nephew Nicolas. Quincy has created a complex mystery with engaging characters. I do think it helps to have read the earlier novels to fully appreciate Catesby and Lilliana in particular. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a very well-written, well-plotted, page-turning, adventurous romance and mystery with wonderfully well-developed characters. There are twists and turns aplenty and you are always wondering – right to the end. You will think you know who the villain is – but, you can’t be sure. My only complaint is that is has been over a year-and-a-half since the last book. I definitely hope we don’t have to wait that long for the next book.

Solving the murder of Mrs. Wendela Pike turns out to be bittersweet for Atlas Catesby. If you read the earlier books, you are aware that Atlas has been haunted by the murder of his sister, Phoebe. Twenty years ago, her husband pushed her down the stairs and eleven-year-old Atlas, who was in the house at the time, was sure it was a deliberate act. Now, that same husband, Malcolm Lennox, the Marquess of Vessey, is involved in another murder. You see, Mrs. Pike is the long-time mistress of the Marquess. Atlas would love for the Marquess to be guilty – but – that would hurt his nephew Nicholas, and Atlas is only just getting to know him – so – bittersweet.

There are actually several suspects – the Marquess had several children with Mrs. Pike, could it be one of them? Then, there is the vicar who says he was betrothed to Mrs. Pike – could he have done it? Was she involved with someone besides the Marquess? Could it be Atlas’ nephew, Nicholas, who murdered her? Then, of course, there is the Marquess himself. Yes, there are lots of twists and turns and more suspects than you can shake a stick at. Just buckle your seatbelt and hang on for the ride.

Atlas is still, of course, besotted with Lilliana and their romance is softly and unobtrusively woven within the mystery. As always, Lilliana helps with the solutions and constantly confounds Atlas by insisting on going places he doesn’t want her to be. It is too bad Atlas is still feeling that he, the fourth son of a baron, isn’t good enough for the daughter and sister of a duke. He probably just needs a big shock to get him moving – maybe he’ll get it.

It was fun visiting with all of the returning characters. I thoroughly enjoyed Jaimie and it was nice to see how he’s growing and adapting as Atlas’s Valet. Of course, we couldn’t have a book without Atlas’s best friend, the Earl of Charlton and Lilliana’s brother, the Duke of Somerville.

I can definitely recommend this book and this series. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review; 4.25 stars rounded down to 4. Murder at the Opera is the third title to feature Atlas Catsby; if you haven't read the previous titles, I highly recommend reading them first to get the most out of this book. While leaving an opera performance he had attended with Lady Lilliana Warwick, Atlas responds to a cry of murder and discovers a woman who had been shot. Atlas is shocked to find out the dead woman, Mrs. Pike, is the mistress of his former brother-in-law, the Marquess of Vessey, who killed Atlas's elder sister Phoebe years ago when he was just a young boy. Unable to obtain justice for his sister, Atlas is determined to prove that Vessey was behind Mrs. Pike's death after being asked by a Samuel Brown to look into the death. Atlas soon discovers that Mrs. Pike may have been Vessey's mistress, but there was more to her than that. A talented singer, Vessey took her as a mistress when she was just 16 and had been her only lover in the many years since. The two even shared two daughters together that Vessey was caring for. Things get even more complicated when Atlas's nephew, Nicholas asks Atlas to help prove his father's innocence. Will Atlas be able to put aside his feelings about Vessey in pursuit of justice, or will he allow them to cloud his vision?

The writing is top notch and the mystery is very well done with a number of plausible suspects and twists to keep the reader guessing as to the killer's identity and motive until close to the end. I love the secondary characters in this book and they are given some nice developments - his friend Charlton and his sister in particular. Lilianna and Atlas are at a crossroads in their blossoming relationship; will Atlas put aside his past and be willing to move forward, or will his wonderlust prevent him from being able to give Lilianna and her children the stability they need given her first husband? I really love this series and hope that we get many more books featuring Atlas and crew.

This is a very enjoyable historical mystery set in 1815 involving the murder of the mistress of a Marquess, right outside of the opera house in Covent Garden. An added twist for the sleuth, Atlas Catesby, is that the Marquess is his former brother in law and the man Catesby has blamed for his sister's death.

This outstanding mystery featured an intriguing plot and a top-notch cast of supporting characters, particular the love of Atlas's life, Lady Lilliana.

As I started this book, I thought this was the first book in the series but, alas, I've discovered that it is not (to my delight, I might add) and so I immediately picked up the first two books in the Atlas Catesby series. I hope there are many more to come in this highly recommended series.

I absolutely love this series and the third book is just as good as the first two! In this one, Set in Regency London, Atlas is investigating the death of Wendy Pike who is the longtime mistress of the Marquess of Vessey whose history with Atlas goes back years. There's many twists and turns regarding the whodunit and I really didn't guess who the murderer was until it was revealed. I also particularly liked how some threads of previous books regarding Phoebe, Atlas's late sister, were resolved as this story unfolded.

I've loved the relationship between Lilliana and Atlas since the first book, with realistic hesitation from the both, but with a happy outcome in this! I absolutely love the secondary characters, Charlton and Thea is parthcular.

I love Regency mysteries and this series has become a favorite and I absolutely hope there's a fourth book!