. I recommend this series to historical mystery fans-especially those who enjoy learning about historical science and inventions

I received an ARC from the publisher but the opinion expressed is entirely my own.

This is the sixth book in the A Wrexford and Sloane mystery series. I am coming into this series late in the game, but I didn't feel lost and I had enough information on the background of the characters. Charlotte wants a peaceful summer and that comes to an end really quick when a body is found in the nearby lake. Wrexford and his two wards discover the body. Jeremiah is an engineer who has designed a Top-Secret weapon. Now, the weapon is missing. It is up the Charlotte and Wrexford to solve this case and find this dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands. A cozy regency romance story with a suspenseful plot. The characters are a joy to read and the story is charming. I have to read the rest of books because I am now invested in the storylines.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3 stars

After the end of the previous installment in the Wrexford and Sloane series, I was somewhat hoping that this book would give us a bit of Wrex and Charlotte’s wedding day (with the colorful assemblage of guests that must have involved), or the growing pains of a blended household. Instead, we slipped right back into business as usual with the eclectic clan and a new murder to solve.

One of the best parts of this series is the way that it plays with the cutting-edge science and technology of the day, and I think that this particular title did that well, the murdered man having been an inventor and the mystery hinging on his plans for a new invention of war. As there’s the Grand Peace celebrations going on, bringing international politics into the fray as representatives from various nations all seem to have something to gain from the murdered man’s work, which was a very nice touch.

I think at this point in the series our cast of characters is getting quite large, and I would have appreciated if we only touched on those peripheral members of the gang whose expertise would be most helpful in the case; however, Penrose seemed determined to make sure that everyone was included, and so a fair bit of the text is spent with side characters I had to remember from previous novels who would have been better suited by a brief cameo, for series super-fans, but who when squashed into the main plot felt rather superfluous, like too many cooks in the kitchen.

That said, I did absolutely love the newest addition to the cast, young Lord Lampson, an orphaned child of color despised by his well-to-do white relatives and unofficially adopted by the Wrexford/Sloane family; I hope that Falcon (Lord Lampson’s nickname) becomes a permanent addition to the household as an official ward alongside the Weasels.

I found the first three quarters or so of the novel to stand up fairly well against preceding titles, if moving a touch slow, but the climax, for me, fell apart. It involves a complicated choreography of pyrotechnics and watercraft that utterly lost me, and I didn’t really understand why things played out as they did. I’m unsure whether the ending was unsuccessful due to the author’s poor description of a complicated mapping-out of many moving parts or my own deficiency in reading that kind of action scene, but as far as I can tell the climax aimed for fast-paced suspense but in actuality took me, as a reader, out of the action and made me lose interest in what had up until then been a decent mystery.

So, thanks to the ending and the cluttered cast, this was not the most successful of Penrose’s novels, but I think it does hold up as a worthwhile read for anyone who’s made it this far in the series and is attached to the characters.

I love this series. It's rare to see a historical mystery centered on a couple where they are so evenly matched. Looking forward to the next one.

Another pleasant addition to the series. There were no earthshaking developments but it was well-written and highlighted all our favorite characters. Penrose continues to write rounded characters and hasn’t let them become caricatures which sometimes happens this far along in a series. There wasn’t as much romance as in previous books but I was glad Penrose let them be happy rather than inventing some drama that let them show how much they love each other.

This is one of my favorite series and this one was a hit as well!

Charlotte, Wrexford, Raven and Hawk are some of my favorite characters! In this one Charlotte has to meet some relatives that she doesn't know well and finds out that they have a ward too. This ward will be title when he grows up but for now his gaurdians take care of those things, but Charlotte could tell right away that his gaurdians (the man anyway) didn't like the kid because he was of mix race. I loved how when the adults needed to be somewhere Charlotte volunteered to take in the young man whom Raven and Hawk too to very quickly and nicknamed him Falcon.

This book has a lot of stuff going for it and was very interesting but I feel like if I was to talk about some of the things that went down it would be spoilery. What I found interesting about this is thinking about how it must have been back then to come up with a new invention like a weapon but then thinking maybe others shouldn't have such a thing, but then people want it (like governments) and the things that people will do to get it so they can sell it or gain favor.

Love this series and highly recommend it if you enjoy historical mysteries with some great characters!

Wrexford and Sloane #6 sees Lord Wrexford and his now Lady Charlotte once again chasing villainy. Though married contentment permeates Penrose’s latest, the honeymoon is definitely over when Wrexford and the Weasels pull a body from the Serpentine. The publisher’s description lays out the mystery’s stakes for Charlotte, Wrexford (what the heck is his first name?), the Weasels, their friends, and a lovely new addition to their found family:

Charlotte, now the Countess of Wrexford, would like nothing more than a summer of peace and quiet with her new husband and their unconventional family and friends. Still, some social obligations must be honored, especially with the grand Peace Celebrations unfolding throughout London to honor victory over Napoleon.

But when Wrexford and their two young wards, Raven and Hawk, discover a body floating in Hyde Park’s famous lake, that newfound peace looks to be at risk. The late Jeremiah Willis was the engineering genius behind a new design for a top-secret weapon, and the prototype is missing from the Royal Armory’s laboratory. Wrexford is tasked with retrieving it before it falls into the wrong hands. But there are unsettling complications to the case—including a family connection.

Soon, old secrets are tangling with new betrayals, and as Charlotte and Wrexford spin through a web of international intrigue and sumptuous parties, they must race against time to save their loved ones from harm—and keep the weapon from igniting a new war . . .

The publisher’s blurb makes Wrexford and Sloane #6 sound fast-paced and exciting. Certainly there are scenes that are, but overall, Penrose’s series is one of labyrinthine schemes, constant foils against Charlotte and Wrexford and their intrepid friends’ sleuthing efforts, and rife with historical detail. The writing is consistently competent and the characters, from their introduction in book #1 to the present volume, likable and admirable, with ethical cores, care for the vulnerable, a primary insistence on justice to be served, and a deep love for each other. Who wouldn’t want to inhabit a world such as they’ve created?

Though I love Wrexford and Charlotte, Raven, Hawk, Lady Cordelia, and Kit Sheffield (as well as a new family addition, young Peregrine, dubbed “Falcon” by the Weasels), I grew impatient with the novel’s pacing and how Penrose structures the mystery plot. Penrose is in love with her research and cannot give up a single minute detail, to the detriment of her mystery. Her plotting gives way to adding character upon character and making connections among them until this reader grew dizzy with keeping any track of who was who and, more importantly, who was guilty. I suspect Penrose thinks this adds depth to historical context and the psychological intricacies of motivation and guilt. Um, not really. A strong mystery needs to be seamless, inexorable, surprising yes, but it shouldn’t leave you so confused, you don’t care.

Nevertheless, there are still strengths to Penrose’s series, though she doesn’t play to them as much as she should. There are touches of humour provided by the Weasels, Raven and Hawk, and Wrexford and Charlotte’s friend, Kit Sheffield. There is the genuine loyalty and love that bind them, touching and built beautifully over the series’ course. There are excellent scenes, such as the Weasels’ forays into the “stews”. There are scenes of lovely family dynamics, such as Charlotte’s growing sense of how the Weasels are growing up, how uncertain she feels about parenting them, and how she and Wrexford especially find the right thing to say and do that will help Raven and Hawk mature and yet still remain themselves. My one pet peeve is how flat the marriage between Charlotte and Wrexford is: yes, there seems to be affection…but a more sexless, boring newly-married couple I’ve yet to read. Penrose doesn’t want her mystery to deviate into romance (ooooh, tainting!), but I think of Raybourn’s Lady Jane and the mysterious Nicholas Brisbane and how fresh she kept them (and sexy), or how beautifully C. S. Harris manages to convey a compelling mystery, truly fast-paced, and the love and tenderness between Sebastian and Hero. I won’t abandon Wrexford and Sloane, I like them and their world too much for that, but I’ll yearn for a faster pace to the mystery and some revelations about Charlotte and her Lord Wrexford.

When reviewing the sixth book in a series, whether I recommend a particular volume or not becomes less important than telling readers that the series as a whole is a good read. This I can say quite heartily about Penrose’s Wrexford and Sloane. As for the present Murder At the Serpentine Bridge, it’s “almost pretty,” Northanger Abbey.

I’m grateful to Kensington Books for an e-ARC provided for this review, via Netgalley.

Just love love love this series and this cast of characters. Wow! I've been privileged to read all of the books in this series and having read this one, I couldn't help going back to read the others.

The dialogue between the main characters, Earl of Wrexford and Lady Charlotte Sloane, is engaging as well as it expressing the tension, love and respect for one another. Their commitment to and relationship with the youngsters, Raven and Hawk added to this. In fact, the ensemble cast was put together in a way that they all had significant roles, both within the story and amounts them personally. They continue to add to the richness and enjoyment of the story.

Five stars are just not enough for this one! Can't wait for the next one, Well done Andrea Penrose.

With thanks to #Netgalley, Kensington Books and the author for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had two things I loved and a mystery that was so confusing, I struggled.

The two things I loved involved the fabulous secondary characters. First, the Weasels get a third member to their merry band and he's a great addition (they need a girl cohort now though!). I can see a bird themed spin-off series with a grown-up band of Weasel spies and their mystery-love adventures, and I am HERE FOR IT!

The second thing I liked was Kit's side love story. I have always been drawn to the love story above the mysteries in these books and it's good to see Sheffield's character maturing and growing. I can't wait to see how his romance plays out.

Then there was the mystery, which hampered my reading progress. I began struggling to finish at about the 50% mark. I really only care about the characters and not the mysteries. There were so many different men involved in this one I forgot who everyone was and just pushed through.

I really wanted more tender scenes between the main characters, Wrexford and Charlotte too. I love it when they let their guard down and show their love for each other. I need them to have a sweet love scene and a daughter soon! Can't wait!

The Earl and Countess of Wrexford are newlyweds but are currently in London instead of honeymooning at the earl’s country seat. It’s a matter of duty calls because of his elevated rank, as Wrexford and his bride are expected to be present during high-profile events. The visit of the Russian tsar certainly applies, “especially with the grand Peace Celebrations unfolding throughout London to honor victory over Napoleon.” It’s both a political and social obligation, so they decamp to London, bringing their household with them.

For readers unfamiliar with the backstory of Wrexford and the former Charlotte Sloane, the earl is a well-known patron of the sciences. His wife’s occupation is a closely held secret.

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.

Wrexford and the Weasels, an affectionate sobriquet for his and Charlotte’s wards Raven and Hawk, are out for a nocturnal stroll. Wrexford can think of things he’d rather be doing—a good book and a snifter of fine brandy come to mind—but the Weasels are ripe for adventure. He warns them against “wreaking any havoc,” although he doesn’t expect trouble. Harper, their fearsome-looking “iron-grey hound” accompanies them.

However, he had sensed that the boys wanted to feel they were having a slightly risky adventure. They were used to having unfettered freedom to roam the city as they pleased. However, their lives had recently undergone a momentous change.



As has mine . . .

Harper spots something in the water and plunges in. It’s a body. What are the odds of Wrexford’s party stumbling over a watery corpse? Wrexford pulls the body out of the water and is surprised by what he sees.

One didn’t often encounter a person of African descent in the exclusive environs of Mayfair.



His brow creased in thought as he fingered the fine linen of the man’s shirt and cravat. Especially one dressed as a gentleman. But he quickly pushed aside his initial shock. Whatever reason had brought the poor fellow to the park at this hour, it had cost him his life.

The poor fellow’s name is Jeremiah Willis, and he didn’t die a natural death. The Crown—in the person of the sinister Lord Grentham, a gentleman who exerts his will incognito—is adamant that Wrexford investigate the death. Apparently, the late Jeremiah Willis was engineering a new, top-secret weapon that is now missing from the Royal Armory’s lab. What Great Britain wants—along with the United States, France, and Germany—is to be first with Willis’s design.

Wrexford is not a man easily forced to do anything, but in a dark corner of a forgettable bar, Grentham, aka Dogsbody, alludes to Charlotte’s secret career.

“We have no interest in your wife’s hobbies, Lord Wrexford.” Dogsbody ran his finger around the rim of his tankard. “Or should we?”



Wrexford schooled his face to betray nothing, but he felt his innards turn to ice. If anyone had the tentacles to dig out the deepest, darkest secrets in London, it was Lord Grentham.

Charlotte’s profession as a caricaturist is a necessary secret because she makes some very powerful people exceedingly uncomfortable. However, it seems someone may have divined her identity. The pair ponders why they are constantly encased in murder investigations.

“We seem to be like magnets, inexorably drawing the iron filings of trouble.”



“Hmmm, that’s a wonderful visual metaphor—I must keep it in mind for a future drawing,” she said.



“You’re skirting the subject.”



“That’s because I’m not sure there is any intrigue.” A pause. “Though I did discover several things that stir some questions.”

Charlotte and Wrexford, with the aid of their closest friends, find out the secret of Willis’s design. As Tyler explains, “Imagine an army equipped with long guns that could fire multiple shots in the time it takes to load one single shot in a traditional musket or rifle.” Today’s readers can imagine the horror of such a weapon, but Andrea Penrose has a gift for bringing the past to life. Her stories demonstrate the potential dangers of scientific discovery even 200 years ago.

No one seems to miss or mourn Jeremiah Willis except his closest kin, Peregrine, 12-year-old Lord Lampson. Peregrine’s presence is an affront to his English relatives, as is his skin color (his mother was black). They’re not very kind to him, as Charlotte learns when they unburden themselves.

“I confess, Belmont and I were quite surprised when we learned Declan had named us as guardians for the child. Our two sons are grown and we hadn’t . . . We hadn’t expected to raise another.”



From the stiffness of Louisa’s voice, Charlotte guessed that the tension ran far deeper than that.

Follow the money. Louisa and her husband “likely thought that he, and his sons after him, would inherit the title and lands.” They didn’t anticipate Belmont’s older brother fathering a son and heir in his later years. Inevitably, Hawk and Raven take Peregrine under their wing. That Peregrine is madly intelligent is a bonus.

The young men are brimming with curiosity, courage, and intrepid decisions—it comes with the territory of living with two skillful and persistent detectives. Tracking down Willis’s valuable design and keeping it out of the clutches of unscrupulous agents is a challenge that is tailor-made for the Wrexfords and their loyal coterie. Another ingenious historical mystery from Andrea Penrose.

One of my favorite series, I appreciate the amount of effort the author puts into continuing the stories and character arcs of the previous books. It's a perfect blend of continuing story and new mystery. This one included great historical details that I hadn't known about and I love the inclusion of diverse characters. It wasn't just white people back then! I feel fully invested in these characters and i look forward to more of their adventures.

I really love this series and I’m looking forward to
More adventures now that Charlotte and Wrexford are married.

It’s 1814 and Napoleon has just been defeated (at least for now, as anyone who is familiar with this time period knows). Charlotte would really just love to enjoy their unconventional family, but she has obligations now that she’s a countess. Things aren’t calm and quiet for long when their wards Raven and Hawk (aka the weasels) discover a man’s body. What happens next isn’t just a murder whodunit, it’s a mystery surrounding an invention that many countries and their powers are interested in.

This is the sixth book in Wrexford and Sloane series and it’s always wonderful to read more of their adventures with their quirky, lovable family that they’ve made. There’s a new addition to the family in the form of Falcon, I won’t spoil that, but it’s fun to watch how their group of characters changes and grows while also reading an entertaining mystery. I recommend the entire series!

The newest book in this historical mystery series takes us back to London in the summer of 1814 when the nation was celebrating the signing of the Treaty of Paris of the years-long Napoleonic Wars. The celebrations center on the grand Parks of London, with the staging of the replica Battle of Waterloo on the Serpentine River in Hyde Park. Lord Wrexford and his new wife Charlotte will inevitably be at the center of the celebrations due to their high positions. Complications arise when Wrexford's two wards, Raven and Hawk, discover a man's body floating in the Serpentine. The man, identified as Jeremiah Willis, a well-known engineer, and inventor, was thought to be set upon by criminals hoping for loot. The oddity was that Willis was plainly dressed and a black man. More pressing are Charlotte's family obligations. Her brother Hartley has invited them to his in-laws' estate. Belmont. When they arrive, they see all is not well. Belmont is distracted, his wife Louisa is stiff, and there are signs of economic stress. A visitor from London arrives, demanding to see Wrexford. It seems that Jeremiah Willis was far from unimportant. He was designing a repeater gun whose use would revolutionize warfare. The plans have not been found, and the government wants them back. So do all the major European government representatives present for the celebrations. There are rumors of an auction of the plans. To gain Wrexford's cooperation, the man insinuates that he knows Charlotte's alter ego, A. J. Quill, a notorious satirical artist.

The Wrexford and Sloane novels are favorites of mine. They never displease, full of action, historical detail, and color. The characters are well-rounded and believable. My favorites are the former street urchins, Raven and Hawk, who are maturing into intelligent and gifted young men. A welcome addition is Peregrine, the future Lord Belmont. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

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

I really enjoy how Ms. Penrose researches the setting for her plots. She sets each of her mysteries against the backdrop of real events. Another wonderful cozy mystery!! Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest opinion of #MurderattheSerpentineBridge..

This is one of my favorite historical mystery series and this one was the best instalment so far.
It's well plotted, full of twists and I appreciated the vivid and well researched historical background.
I learned something new and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Another winner, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Charlotte and Wrexford, now married, are looking forward to time together as a brand new family with their two wards, Raven and Hawk. But in London it’s a summer of commemorating the victory over Napoleon with the Peace Celebrations attracting heads of state from across Europe.

Wrexford, Raven and Hawk discover a body in the lake in Hyde Park. The victim of foul play was renowned engineer Jeremiah Willis who was designing a weapon that could forever change the face of war. Now Jeremiah is dead and the prototype is missing from the Royal Armory. The government asks Wrexford to assist in the recovery of the weapon and its plans before it’s auctioned off in a super-secret bidding war among nations.

It’s always a pleasure to join Ms. Penrose’s eclectic collection of Regency characters in her novels featuring Charlotte and Wrexford. Their wards add a real flavor of the streets and “stews” of Regency London to every story, and the rest of the cast including friends, associates and staff really bring the time period to life.

I thoroughly enjoyed book 6 in Ms. Penrose’s Wrexford & Sloan series of historical mysteries. In addition to an intriguing story, you’ll learn more about this fascinating time period and how people lived. The characters are multi-dimensional, the mysteries complex and the writing superb. Grab a cozy corner and curl up with Murder at the Serpentine Bridge.

Ms. Penrose is at her best with these characters that you enjoy spending time with. Lady Charlotte is a believable independant and strong woman for the era and Wrexford, Wrex for short, turns out to be a great romantic match. Charlotte's adopted sons, Raven and Hawk, are rescued street waifs that she loves dearly and in this book they make close friends with another boy that they bestoy the name Falcon. Falcon is a heart-tuging addition to the characters and I already adore him. A subplot involves Wrex's best friend, Kit Sheffield, and his conflicted feelings over his business partner, Lady Cordelia. This has been developing for a few books and gets a little resolution in this book.

The interactions and undercurrents between all the characters is rich and layered. The plot is two fold again: find the weapon, but be wary of who could be the killer before they strike at Charlotte and Wrex. Combined with the spot-on pacing makes this a page turner. This series has a high bar of exciting climaxs and this new book keeps that record in tact. I was swept up in the tense save-the-day culmination. Perfection!

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

I keep thinking I'm going to quit this series.... and I think I actually will. Soon. I swear. (Yep, I know, I'm 6 books in)

The writing is just so clunky sometimes. So.... many.... periods............ The summarizing of info from one character to another lacks skill. Charlotte is a superior and self-righteous do-gooder. She lives the life of a countess but internally constantly turns up her nose at everything/everyone. Her mental musings drive me crazy - along the lines of "this was so so lame or pointless but Charlotte knew she had to hold her nose and tolerate it." The spoken dialogue wasn't much better either. Too many random coincidences, people popping up in unlikely places (London is about one square mile, apparently), etc. Dunno, friends.... I think I'm going to have to walk away from the Weasels (noooooo). Besides them, the only things I did enjoy were the mystery (the only reason I keep coming back to these) and the racial diversity (pretty rare for this time period but I'll take it).

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my first novel from this series. It features Lady Charlotte Sloane who was born to the aristocracy and is a satirical cartoonist. The Earl of Wrexford is a reclusive chap with a reputation as someone never to cross and the couple has recently married. Wrexford and Charlotte's wards, the Weasels, (two street urchins for whom Charlotte and Wrexford have taken guardianship) out walking their dog, Harper have come upon a body floating in a pond. It transpires that the man was working on a top-secret government project, and Wrexford must find out what happened.

Murder at the Serpentine Bridge, set in 1814 is book six in the series. An appealing cast and a very good mystery have given me the inclination to read the other instalments sometime.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Kensington via NetGalley.

I love this series. Wrexford and Charlotte figuring out their little family dynamic and the boys growing older are so good. Kit is growing up too. The mystery was so cool, love the interwoven real life stuff. I just really love this series