I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I must apologise that it has taken me so long to supply my review. Severe chronic illnesses have affected my life in recent years and have left me unable to write reviews. I have still read the books, left myself notes, but can’t give the level of review I usually give. It is my hope to return to that level in the future, and will include posting detailed reviews here, to my blog, to Amazon Australia, and Goodreads.

Please accept my apologies, along with the following basic review:

This is book 4 in the Wrexford & Sloane mystery series. Another great addition! I'm always captured by the attention to detail Ms Penrose puts into her books. Well-paced, good balance of intrigue, red herrings, and a gloriously descriptive Regency England. Highly recommend.

In this story, you can feel the chill in this twisty and dark murder mystery. The world building is impressive and can easily get captured in. I felt like I was walking in the alleyways with the characters hearing the echoes and whispers. It's set in Regency England.
Missing siblings have Lady Charlotte and the Earl into a sleuthing game that has them questioning things and learning to trust each other.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wrexford and Sloane are going to need the services of Professor Sudler’s mechanical Computing Engine (modeled after Charles Babbage and his Difference Engine) to calculate whodunnit and particularly why it was done in this fourth entry in the Wrexford & Sloane Regency historical mystery series.

It all begins with a murder that the police hope to put down to footpads, and an overheard conversation between friends who might – possibly, probably, unfortunately – have something to do with the dead body found on the docks at Queen’s Landing.

The dead man was a shipping clerk for the seemingly all-powerful East India Company, Bow Street, in the person of lead Runner Griffin, want Wrex to look into the mess, and Charlotte Sloane is all too rightly fearful that the conversation she overheard at her grand re-entry back into Society between her friend Lady Cordelia and Cordelia’s rather disheveled brother Woodbridge has something to do with the death.

Both Wrex and Charlotte really, truly, seriously had hoped that they were through with investigating murders, because the last one (Murder at Kensington Palace) got way too close to being one of theirs.

Charlotte now has too many hostages to fortune, too many people that she can’t bear to lose, that she rightly fears that her investigations could lead to one or more of their deaths. Surprising himself most of all, Wrex is the same, even if neither can admit that at the top of that list is their unacknowledged feelings for each other.

At the same time, they understand each other well enough to know that neither of them is going to stop rushing in where angels quite rightly fear to tread.

This case is one whose rotten heart certainly lies where no one would want to investigate, because the wealthy, powerful and highly connected East India Company is very much a law unto themselves. A law that the company has proven to be willing to enforce with deadly weaponry all around the world.

Home soil definitely not excepted.

But Wrex and Sloane follow where the case leads. In this case that leads from a much too trusting friend to a protective sister and an engineering genius in fear of all of their lives. Then is passes into the labyrinthine web of machinations and calculations at the heart of the East India Company.

It’s up to Wrexford and Sloane to find the snake at the center of this conspiracy and cut off its head before their friends become the latest in a long line of victims. Or before they do.

Escape Rating A: You wouldn’t think that it would be possible to make what is ultimately a financial crime be all that fascinating, but the machinations of arbitrage that turn out to be the center of this criminal conspiracy are both easy enough to follow and absolutely deadly in their application.

If the love of money is the root of all evil, then this evil is rooted in a group of high-ranking criminals who love money to the exclusion of all else and don’t care who stands in their way of getting it.

But, because the crime itself is a bit bloodless – even if the covering up of that crime is not – it takes Wrexford and Sloane and all of their friends more than a bit of painstaking clue hunting to reach the endgame in one only slightly bloodied piece.

Along the way, it’s very much a lesson in the heights and the sacrifices that the best of friends will undertake in order to help and support each other. Which is quite a bit of a departure from where both Wrex and Charlotte Sloane began this series in Murder at Black Swan Lake.

Which means that a big part of the appeal of this series so far has been the gathering of the ‘Scooby Gang’ around Wrex and Charlotte, a gathering that continues apace in this entry in the series.

A second factor in that appeal that also continues is the way that this series displays the dark and gritty underbelly of the glittering Regency period with a focus that is very different from its marvelous readalike series featuring Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin.

Devlin is all up in the politics of the period, while Wrex’ focus is on the scientific foment occurring at the same time. Sudler’s engine is just a bit earlier than Charles Babbage’s on which it is modeled, but not by much. And Babbage did accomplish the goal that Sudler sets for himself merely a decade later. The steam engine that Wrex’ friend Sheffield invests in was equally real.

And, as we all observe every day in our own time, advances in technology bring vast amounts of change to the human condition, not all of it good, not all of it bad, but all of it capable of changing the status quo well past the point of society’s ability to contain or even mitigate its effects.

All of which is reflected in the changes in Wrex’ and Sloane’s lives and in the crimes that they solve. This series is its own kind of historical mystery magic, and this entry in the series is absolutely no exception!

Two final notes before I leave you to pick up the Wrexford & Sloane series for yourself. First, there was a bit in the middle where I thought I’d read this book before because something was a bit too familiar. That was the result of a combination of resemblances. The tea/silver/opium triangle at the heart of the financial shenanigans was not only real history, but it was also part of the skullduggery in R.F. Kuang’s recent Babel. Combine that with the surreptitious search of Professor Sudler’s country retreat, whose setup and result resembles a similar scene inCandace Camp’s A Rogue at Stonecliffe, and I had a minute there where I thought I’d forgotten an entire book. If your reading tastes are similar to mine, I hope I’ve saved you that same minute of consternation.

But speaking of bookish resemblances, Murder at Queen’s Landing ends on a proposal signifying great changes to come, very much like the endings of Laurie R. King’s A Monstrous Regiment of Women and Dorothy L. Sayers’ classic Gaudy Night.

Which means that I’ll be picking up the next entry in this series, Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens, to learn exactly what those great changes will be, the next time I’m in search of a comfortingly murderous read!

While I have loved the others in this series, this one left me underwhelmed. I kept getting lost in how they were making money. I get what the author was trying to say about them skimming off the difference in the exchange rates and pocketing it, but it felt so convoluted the way it was explained. The introduction of the computing machine was a nice touch, but I felt it became an unnecessary addition. The villains of the story didn't seem to go after the machine or its creator, but were more interested in Woodbridge because he was the fall guy. I was left feeling very confused anytime they talked about the plot to steal the skimmed money and the technical terms, when a down and dirty explanation would have been easier to grasp and more accessible to the reader. The part that I enjoyed the most was that the main characters FINALLY got together!!!! That was worth all the confusion that led up to it.
I'll definitely keep reading their further adventures.

If you're looking for a dark and twisty murder mystery, this might just be what you need. The world created by the writing is immersive and impressive. I really felt like that scene was set and every detail added to the experience. The characters' relationships were intense and felt authentic to the time period. I really felt like I was there alongside them, walking in the back alleys and water-laden streets. I felt the chill. I heard the echoes and whispers. The writing impressed me, and I will certainly go back to read more of the adventures of the Wrexford and Sloan series.

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. It didn't seem fair for me to review a book that I didn't finish.

This is a well done mystery with good characters and best of all- it's set in Regency England. Most Regency books are romances so this felt very fresh. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical mysteries.

Though I’ve only recently started to read Penrose’s Wrexford and Sloane Regency-set mysteries, they quickly became favourites, with anticipation for the next book to drop into my e-reader. Though beset by the clean-up/book orders/final reports weeks of another school-year end, I joyfully crawled into Charlotte and Lord Wrexford’s world (whose first name still eludes, by the way, but a strong hint in this volume) during my meagre leisure time.

Wrexford and Sloane #4 is as reader-sigh-worthy satisfying as were the previous ones. In this case, I admit to muddle-headedness concerning the financial machinations surrounding the murder (never a head for the numbers, that’s me). The publisher’s blurb will elucidate way better than I:

When Lady Cordelia, a brilliant mathematician, and her brother, Lord Woodbridge, disappear from London, rumors swirl concerning fraudulent bank loans and a secret consortium engaged in an illicit—and highly profitable—trading scheme that threatens the entire British economy. The incriminating evidence mounts, but for Charlotte and Wrexford, it’s a question of loyalty and friendship. And so they begin a new investigation to clear the siblings’ names, uncover their whereabouts, and unravel the truth behind the whispers.

As they delve into the murky world of banking and international arbitrage, Charlotte and Wrexford also struggle to navigate their increasingly complex feelings for each other. But the clock is ticking—a cunning mastermind has emerged . . . along with some unexpected allies—and Charlotte and Wrexford must race to prevent disasters both economic and personal as they are forced into a dangerous match of wits in an attempt to beat the enemy at his own game.

Hmmm, all is correct, except for “Charlotte and Wrexford also struggle to navigate their increasingly complex feelings for each other” … um, nope, it’s obvious they’re in love. With Charlotte’s past of a if-not-failed-then-disappointing marriage and Wrexford’s emotional reticence, maybe they have a tad trouble admitting their feelings, but what they are and who they’re for, clear as a lake on a windless day.

Two reasons dominate my love for Penrose’s series: the merry-band who work together, with Charlotte and Wrexford at their core, for justice and the relationships among them. Oh, there’s no doubt I adore Charlotte and the handsome, raven-haired, green-eyed Wrexford, but for sheer aplomp and delight, nothing matches Charlotte’s adopted sons, former-street-urchins, “The Weasels,” so-called by Wrexford. Penrose added a pet hound, Harper, to the two and they are now perfection, especially when this volume adds MOAR street urchins, Alice the Eel Girl, Skinny, et al. Street urchins are Wrexford and Charlotte’s project, collecting waifs along their investigations’ ways, giving them a better life and enriching their own by adding to the people they love. That is the series’s glue: bringing justice in a swashbuckling Scarlet-Pimpernel and merry-band way and taking care of each other, bonded in friendship and love. Is it idealized, YES, thank the reading gods who look after those formerly lost in litfic’s murky lugubriousness.

Penrose’s series contains myriad strengths. Reading the author’s note, her research and historical knowledge are impressive. The financial “havey-cavey,” as The Weasels are fond of saying, is brought to light and comes alive for the reader. (The other series equalling this strength would be C. S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr.) Moreover, Penrose immerses the reader in a good mystery yarn and doesn’t neglect her characters’ emotional depth. Charlotte and Wrexford start the series solitary and near-friendless, emotionally inhibited; therefore, one of the series’s pleasures is to watch them with an ever-expanding circle of friends, a community of the like-minded, children to care for, to love and who love them, and to find each other, initially as allies and friends, eventually, romantic partners. There are faithful servants whose lives are enriched by their employers instead of exploited; in this volume, animals join the fray and circle and ever-present are McClellan’s (Charlotte’s lady’s maid/cook/friend) ginger biscuits, The Weasels’ favourite. In this particular volume, I especially loved Penrose moving the merry band to Wrexford’s country estate, which added barn-puppies and beautiful country-side descriptions. As for the final scene, long time coming and thoroughly misty-eyes- and sigh-worthy.

I recommend you start the series with book one, Murder on Black Swan Lane while I wait, fingers drumming impatiently, for Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens, coming in September. In the meanwhile, consulting Miss Austen, we deem Murder at Queen’s Landing “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Andrea Penrose’s Murder at Queen’s Landing is published by Kensington Books. It released in September of 2020 and may be found at your preferred vendor. I am grateful to Kensington Books for an e-galley, via Netgalley, for the purpose of writing this review.

Missing siblings lead Lady Charlotte and the Earl into a sleuthing game they might not know enough about. Business improprieties could shake the economy up if they don't get to the bottom of things.

I love this series and I'm always happy to catch up with the interesting and well written characters.
This is a gripping and highly entertaining story that kept me hooked.
The historical background is vivid, the character fleshed out and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
I can't wait to read the next installment, this one is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was very interested in reading this book since I had read the previous novels with the same characters. I felt that the story draws you in and keeps you in suspense so you cannot put it down. I feel that there could be a little more romance between Charlotte and the Earl but I overall enjoyed the story.

Charlotte Sloane and the Earl of Wrexford are back in action in this newest Regency mystery by the talented Andrea Penrose. When their friend and mathematician Lady Cordelia and her brother, Lord Woodbridge, vanish from London, there are plenty of rumors about their departure. Are they mixed up in fraud and illegal trading? Charlotte and Wrexford do not believe their friends are part of this kind of activity and set out to discover exactly what has been going on, find their friends and end the speculation.

There are nefarious forces at work in this plot that could affect Britain’s economy, tied to arbitrage and trade, and the strands to be unwound to find the truth are many and linked in unusual ways.

It is great to connect again with these two as they slowly dance closer and trust one another more and more, even as they take on fraud, murder and the disappearance of their friends. And of course, you’ll be delighted to be reunited with their terrific supporting cast as well, who help Wrexford and Charlotte as they race to save Lady Cordelia and Lord Woodbridge while preventing a potential economic collapse.

If you want a great read, pour out a big cuppa and curl up with Murder at Queen’s Landing.

I enjoyed this next installment in the series. The relationship b/t Charlotte and Wrexford is verrry slowly heating up (with what feels like unnatural delays and avoidance of discussion). I adore Charlotte's wards, and I like seeing characters like Kit Sheffield grow and develop throughout the series. The mystery was enjoyable, as usual, but I could not get over the hilarious use (and extreme overuse) of the word "dastards." The characters in the book took to calling the mysterious villains "the dastards," and every time I read it, I laughed, cringed, or both. I'm looking forward to the next one!

I like this series. It has great characters, a bit of history and a lot of mystery and action. When Lady Cordelia, a brilliant mathematician, and her brother, Lord Woodbridge, disappear from London, rumors swirl concerning fraudulent bank loans and a secret consortium engaged in an illicit—and highly profitable—trading scheme that threatens the entire British economy. The incriminating evidence mounts, but for Charlotte and Wrexford, it’s a question of loyalty and friendship. And so they begin a new investigation to clear the siblings’ names, uncover their whereabouts, and unravel the truth behind the whispers.

As they delve into the murky world of banking and international arbitrage, Charlotte and Wrexford also struggle to navigate their increasingly complex feelings for each other. But the clock is ticking—a cunning mastermind has emerged . . . along with some unexpected allies—and Charlotte and Wrexford must race to prevent disasters both economic and personal as they are forced into a dangerous match of wits in an attempt to beat the enemy at his own game.

Lady Cordelia and her brother just disappear overnight amongst rumours of treachery and questions over money. At the same time a murder of a shipping clerk near the docks seems just another random murder. How these two can get connected and lead to suspicion on one of the biggest companies of the time - one whose downfall would lead to the downfall of the British economy as well is this story.

Charlotte and Wrexford have to go behind the scenes using their positions of authority amongst the aristocracy to find out information on the East India Company, information which will not be available to the Bow Street runners and those in charge of murder investigations. Investigations against the aristocracy are hushed up and swept under the carpet and Charlotte and Wrexford must do the best they can to clear Cordelia and her brother's names if justice is to be served.


Adding a further dimension is the relationship building between Charlotte and Lord Wrexford (which bodes well for the next story that I hope will follow).

I have not had the pleasure of reading books written by Andrea Penrose before and Murder at Queen's Landing will definitely not be the last. I thought this book was a great. Five stars.

Murder at Queen’s Landing marks a sea-change for the series. Much has changed since readers first met the Earl of Wrexford and Charlotte Sloane. Charlotte’s secretive livelihood is no longer front and center, as it was in the first three mysteries.

Charlotte Sloane’s secret persona as the “controversial satirical cartoonist A.J. Quill” is known to her partner in crime detection, the Earl of Wrexford. Understandably, a creator of “scathing political cartoons” works behind a pseudonym. Furthermore, the haut ton would never recover if it became known that Quill, that skillful skewer of hypocrisy, is a woman.

Charlotte, an earl’s daughter, left her aristocratic life behind when she eloped with an impecunious artist. After her husband’s death, she assumed the mantle of A.J. Quill, her husband’s creation, in order to support herself. For reasons that are explained in Murder at Kensington Palace, Charlotte makes the momentous decision to allow her great-aunt Alison to sponsor her belated debut. What could be more high profile than a society ball? The Earl of Wrexford, her first dance partner, senses Lady Charlotte’s anxiety.

Charlotte didn’t need to look around to know all eyes were upon her. It felt as if dagger points were dancing over every inch of exposed skin.



“Just imagine they’re all naked,” he murmured.



“Must I?” She let out a ragged exhale, and the knot in her belly suddenly loosened. Leave it to Wrexford to say something so spectacularly outrageous that she couldn’t help but smile.

Of course life isn’t all beer and skittles, or in the case of a society soiree, champagne and lobster patties. Desperate for a respite, Charlotte leaves the ballroom in search of a quiet anteroom and unexpectedly stumbles upon a disheveled Lord Woodbridge and his sister Lady Cordelia. Unbeknownst to the siblings, who she knows well, Charlotte overhears their heated conversation.

Through her street contacts, Charlotte learns a clerk at the East India Shipping Company has been found murdered at Queen’s Landing. Street-smart Skinny says, “Word is, his throat was sliced open from ear to ear.” Who was he?

Oiy, Alice the Eel Girl heard from Pudge that he was a . . . a clerk.” His voice scrunched in thought. “Wot’s a clerk?”



“A man who keeps all the records organized for a company. He writes down all the business information and makes copies of all the letters sent and received,” explained Charlotte.



“Sounds boring.” Skinny rubbed at a gob of mud on his sleeve. “Are you and His Nibs gonna solve the murder?”



Charlotte felt a twinge of guilt. Much as she mourned the passing of any living being, she couldn’t find justice for all of them.



London was a large city, and murders were a grim reality of its everyday life. The heartless truth was, only those that involved a prominent person or touched on a juicy scandal were of interest to the public who purchased her prints.

Striving for justice is a theme that consumes Charlotte and Wrexford. It turns out the clerk’s death is just the tip of the iceberg to a convoluted plot involving corrupt insiders with no compunction at involving and blackmailing naïve outsiders to help them achieve their goal.

When Lady Cordelia, a brilliant mathematician, and her brother, Lord Woodbridge, disappear from London, rumors swirl concerning fraudulent bank loans and a secret consortium engaged in an illicit—and highly profitable—trading scheme that threatens the entire British economy. The incriminating evidence mounts, but for Charlotte and Wrexford, it’s a question of loyalty and friendship.

It’s also a question of loyalty for her adopted sons, Hawk and Raven, aka The Weasels. Lady Cordelia is Raven’s math tutor and Charlotte shares that Lady Cordelia didn’t show up for her tutoring session, which seems quite odd.

Although Wrexford and Charlotte are the heart of the series, their world has expanded over time. They have employees who are also forthright friends, like Charlotte’s housekeeper and friend McClellan, with her uncanny ability to judge when ginger biscuits might be needed. Where pray tell is that recipe? Wrexford’s valet and laboratory assistant Tyler never hesitates to speak honestly to the earl. Charlotte’s relationship with her great-aunt Alison reminds me very much of the bond between Lady Charlotte Pitt and her great-aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould (see the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series by Anne Perry). During Murder at Queens Landing, Charlotte divulges her secrets to her great-aunt. And then there are the Weasels, Charlotte’s adopted sons. Elizabethan Francis Bacon wrote, “He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune, for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief.” It’s too late for Charlotte and Wrexford, they have crossed that Rubicon. Fortunately, their “hostages to fortune” are skilled and intelligent crime-solvers.

Wrexford is so self-contained it’s hard to see cracks in his carapace. But they’re there. Sleeplessness. Whiskey. Worries. It’s the same with Charlotte. The East India Company is a formidable foe. It’s almost comical how they have each other’s back. Almost every time they venture out in the dark of night—to investigate, to meet with a source—the other is there in the shadows, sometimes joined by the stealthy Weasels. The Weasels are growing by leaps and bounds in maturity, wisdom, and knowledge, but they haven’t lost their street-smart skills.

Murder at Queen’s Landing has an intricate, fascinating plot (thank you Andrea Penrose for an enlightening afterword that marries the plot with the scientific discoveries of the time). It also explores free-will, risk-taking versus possible consequences, and how life, if we’re open to change, can surprise and delight us.

Murder At Queen's Landing begins with the murder of a young man in the dark of night on the infamous Thames River docks. That in itself would not be unusual, as the docks are notorious. This particular young man was a shipping clerk at the powerful British East India Company. Rumors of some sort of malfeasance begin to swirl but are not of immediate interest to the Earl of Wrexford and Lady Charlotte Sloane. However, when their friend Lady Cordelia, and her brother, Earl of Woodbridge, go missing, they are afraid there is a connection. Wrexford's friend, Sheffield, is frantic about Cordelia and enlists Wrexford to help find her.

An element of this series is the new technology emerging in the Regency Era. Many titled (and common) gentlemen pursue interests in chemistry, mathematics, botany, and biology. All of this will lead to the Industrial Revolution and its sweeping social change. As a gifted mathematician, Lady Cordelia has her part to play and might be in danger. Another element is the powerful British East India Company, an entity that I have always found fascinating. How a trading company was allowed to become so powerful and rich, even having a huge private army is a puzzle. There are many financial terms like arbitrage and bills of exchange floating around that generally make my eyes cross, but it's abundantly clear that all is not above-board at the Company. But who is at the bottom of it all?

All of the favorite characters are back, Wrexford and Charlotte, the "Weasels," two small street urchins who she adopted and is educating, and Charlotte's Great-Allison, who facilitated her re-entry into society. Everything is solved by the novel's end and wrapped up with a much-wished for happy development for our two main characters. This could be the series end, but I understand the author has plans for more books.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.


RATING 4.5 Stars rounded up to 5

A delightful addition to the series. I didn’t anticipate the final twist —though I should have. And the characters remain some of my favorite. An interesting mystery. Richly drawn setting and characters. All in all a wonderful read.

A lot has happened since the very first book when Lord Wrexford first met Charlotte Sloane (who because of some things that happened in the previous book has to act more of her station in life which is actually Lady Sloane) though she still does her news satire drawing under the name of AJ Quill.

In the previous book Wrexford and Sloane made the acquaintance of Lady Cordelia during an investigation and they have become good friends. So when some rumors start about concerning fraudulent bank loans and some other secret trades that could threaten the  British empire and at the same time their friend and her brother go missing, it doesn't look good for them.

When your friends reputations are on the line sometimes it can get a little tense as Wrexford and Sloane each have their own ideas of what happened. I really enjoyed this one especially because we are seeing Wrexford and Sloane getting closer together which made a for a great ending!

If you like historical mysteries you should try this series but do start at the beginning!