Another excellent book in the Lady Darby Mystery series. I love this time period, and the characters are so realistic. This is a page-turner that you won't want to miss. I enjoy the interaction, and how Kiera deals with her daughter and can still sleuth, too. A great addition to this wonderful series!

Set on the Cornish coast, this 12th book in the Lady Darby Mystery series does not disappoint. In the Fall of 1832, Keira and Sebastian Gage are enjoying their infant daughter Emma while they visit Sebastian's father, Lord Gage. While recuperating from a recent attempt on his life, Lord Gage is summoned to solve a murder in his Roscarrock relatives - a family of infamous Cornish smugglers. Keira and Gage, along with little Emma, have little choice when Lord Gage is reluctantly pulled into his painful past. Evocative descriptions, captivating settings, and well-drawn characters complement this beautifully written period piece.

Kiera and her husband join her father-in-law in visiting relatives he has not seen in 50 years. They have been invited because it is possible the head of the family has been murdered. But secrets abound and the mysteries escalate.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as others in the series. For a lot of the book, it just seemed like nothing was happening. The investigation is so stymied that it can't really get going until about two thirds of the way through the book -- Keira et al are just having conversations that go around and around in circles. And for a story featuring Cornish smuggling, so much of that action happens "off-screen"! Felt like some missed opportunities and strange pacing.

When I started reading, I was actually really confused about who I was (first person present tense) and what was happening, which is never really fun. Then we shifted into some pretty heavy exposition. Not the book for me, and I stopped after chapter 1 (5%).

I’m not a huge reader of historical romance but it seems like it will be a middle-of-the-road three stars, four for the right reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.