Vanessa Riley involves Lady Worthing in Murder in Bekeley Square in her third venture to solve murders and mayhem. This time Lord Duncan, London's magistrate, is involved with an annual dinner with his neighbors which deal with regrets.. Lady Worthing and her escort Stapleton Henderson are marooned due to snow at Lord Duncan's home. There is a plot to murder some of the dinner guests. Why? How is Lady Worthing to find the perpetrators? Added to the plot is a rhyming tale from her home in the slave holding islands. Lots of twists and turns as Lord Duncan's neighbors prove less than upright. Great historical mystery.

Brisk conversation and murder join together in a fascinating study. Cogent interrogation of dinner guests yields clues to the identity of the killer who left the corpse of his first victim on a bench outside an annual dinner party to slowly freeze as he bled to death on a snowy evening. As always, Riley educates as she solves the crime about social and marital relations and the misogyny of the time. Most of the time the reader feels almost like a fly on the wall, observing and listening along with the main protagonists.

I dearly loved this book. Haven't read the other two, which I plan to do as I really enjoyed the chemistry between Abbie and Stapleton. But enough background is given here that I did not feel lost at any point for jumping late into the series. The mystery really had me guessing throughout - kept changing my mind as to who could be responsible. The incorporation of other cultures' beliefs - as well as how our heroine of color and her family struggled at times for acceptance in such a snobbish world as the ton - made this an even more interesting read. Even supporting characters were multidimensional and added significantly to the story. The author has a lovely way of giving vivid, rich detail to scenes, I really enjoy her writing style. Definitely recommend this book, I have read others by this author and as usual she did not disappoint!

This is book 3 in the series and is a trapped in a house during a snow storm mystery. Unusually the first murder happened very early in the read and held my interest from there on forward. The main characters are very likeable and are well written and developed. The plot was well thought out and although I did guess the murderer it didn't spoil the story for me which was very entertaining. I'm looking forward to more. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This has been my favorite Lady Worthing mystery so far! A group of frienemies trapped in a house and people start dying. It was such a beautiful ode to Agatha Christie, but even better because Riley never lets us forget that Lady Worthing is Black and concerned with what is happening in the world. Hati and news from Haiti are present throughout the story because Riley's heroine cares about Haiti.

The chemistry between Lady Worthing and Stapleton is at its peak. I really keep wishing this was a romance novel so that we could finally get these two to do something about the love and chemistry these two have.

The mystery was top-notch for me and kept me wanting to read without stopping. The thriller elements worked so well!

I would like to thank netgalley and Kensington books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really clever take on and then there were none. I love the main characters and can't wait to see what happens next.

This is book 3 in the series. This was a very different murder mystery. Even though the first murder happened very early in the read, I found it a little slow to start. But once I got into the story, I found it hard to put down. I loved the main characters, they well written and very likeable. The secondary characters set the scene well. The plot was well thought out and although I did guess the murder, it still had me guessing till the end. I very much enjoyable read and now I look forward to the next book. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and freely give my review.

It’s Christmas and Abigail Carrington Monroe, aka Lady Worthing, has just received a letter from her estranged, absent husband informing her that he won’t be coming home for the holidays. This is not a surprise to Abby, but the other contents of the letter are, and now she must make some decisions about her life and well-being going forward. As for Christmas, she has decided to brave the winter storm with her maid and cousin, and head over to her aunt’s house for the festivities. Their escort will be her neighbor, Stapleton Henderson.

Commander Stapleton Henderson has been invited to a men’s only dinner party hosted by Lord Duncan but intends to drop by and give his regrets on the way to Cheapside. Unfortunately, the snowstorm forces the travel party to stop and take shelter at Lord Duncan’s, interrupting his annual “Night of Regrets” planned for certain members of Berkley Square. Before Abby can even make it into the front door, she discovers body, bloody and frozen, in the snow. When more guests begin to die in strange ways, Abby realizes something sinister is going on, and every person trapped in the house is in danger.

I really enjoyed this installment in The Lady Worthing Mysteries. Readers will learn more about Lord Duncan’s backstory, and what led up to the annual “Night of Regrets” parties, there is finally some movement in Abby’s stagnant marriage to Lord Worthing, and it feels like she is finally ready to make some changes in her life. Her relationship with Stapleton continues to evolve, and their friendship seems to be more solid than ever, I think there is finally the realization that they both care for each other a great deal.

The mystery is well done. The investigation takes place almost entirely in Lord Duncan’s home, while a blizzard is raging outside. The other guests, all suspects, are a mix of important people, who all seem to be terrible in one way or another. There is a sense of danger to Abby’s small party, that lends a feeling of urgency to the solving of the mystery. An old nursery rhyme appears to be what Abby needs to piece together the clues and find the killer, and I was right there with her trying to figure out which lines pertained to which guests. Abby continues to be involved in the abolitionist movement and talk of the recent events in Haiti and Martinique is a theme that runs throughout the novel.

All in all, another satisfying entry into the series. I really enjoy the character and relationship development with each new release. I love the diversity. The ending left me on the edge of my seat, ready for the next installment.

A lady feeling neglected by her seafaring husband husband uses her abilities to help solve murders. This is not a popular for a lady of the time. The twists and turns of the story will keep you with the story.
I received and ARC from NetGalley and the Publisher and leaving a review by my own accord.

Reading the first few chapters of 'Murder in Berkeley Square' reminded me of my experience reading Vanessa Riley's 'Island Queen'. A hard slog that I refused to give up on because I prided myself on always finishing the books I start reading. Now I take the approach that life is too short to finish books I am not enjoying so I put this ARC aside and maybe one day I will return to it.

I very much struggle with the author's writing style. Especially in the first two-three chapters I found myself getting halfway through a paragraph and stopping as I realised the narrative wasn't flowing naturally. I would read one sentence and wonder how it connected to the previous sentence.
A good books carries you along through the narrative. This book left me blinded in the middle of the snow storm with no incentive to continue on.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to try this book.

Shades of Bridgerton here adding the beginnings of mixed race and black origin people in society, and the somewhat grudging acceptance of these folks in the community.

Lady Worthing and her cousin are visiting family over the Christmas holidays and accompanied by their friend Stapleton get stranded in Berkeley square due to a huge snowstorm. They did not expect to get embroiled in a series of murders meticulously planned and enumerated in a sequence decimating the eight members of the group one by one. The murders set in rhymes is detailing the manner in which each person will die.

Set in Regency England with its own strictures on what women could and couldn’t do, Lady Worthing has to work as speedily and surreptitiously as possible to save herself and her friend.

There are plenty of stories behind each character - the abolitionist movement, the lucrative slave trade, the revolt in Haiti all add interest to the book.

4.5
I highly recommend this series. Read the books in publication order. Abigail grows as a character and you'll find her more likeable with each book. Rich in historical details. Diverse characters and strong developmental arcs. A fantastic historical mystery series.

Set in Regency England, this intriguing mystery will engage you from the first.

Lady Worthing is trying to keep herself entertained since her husband seems to be absent from her life. Luckily she can entertain herself at her box at Drury Lane, but never expects to get involved in a murder investigation that occurs during the performance.

Great world building and characters, you will be pulled in until the end! I read this through NetGallery

This was a very engaging read. The main character is Abbie, Lady Worthing and to some extent, her neighbour, Stapleton Henderson. Abbie is quite a determined character and has a knack for solving murders. She also feels passionately about racism and slavery. Abbie is a lover of lists and they play a part in her in investigation. This is a complex case to solve and old grievances play a part. There is also the ongoing relationship between Abbie and Stapleton, platonic at the moment but could it be more in the future and how does Abbie’s adventure seeking husband fit into her life? I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance reader copy of “Murder in Berkeley Square.” All opinions and comments are my own.

News of the assassination of the Emperor of Hayti (or it’s called in modern times, Haiti), discussion of the racial issues that we know about from previous books (because Abigail, Lady Worthing is of mixed race), and the miserable confessions emerging from an annual dinner party titled the Night of Regrets (is that why the man in the prologue is dead?) confront Lady Worthing, her cousin Florentina and helpful neighbor Commander Henderson in “Murder in Berkeley Square,” the latest in the Regency-era series by Vanessa Riley. And while the assassination and its implications may be of importance to only a few beside Abigail and Florentina, it is the consequences of the events at the party, and earlier occurrences that happened in this house on Berkeley Square that will see Lady Worthing using all her skills of deduction to solve several crimes, both present and past.

I enjoyed “Murder in Berkeley Square,” for all its complicated and somewhat confusing twists and turns and thus what at times seemed like two steps forward and three steps back. I enjoy the character of Lady Worthing, and can appreciate (and abhor) her dilemma, given the temper of the times (and now that ending is going to open a whole new set of problems). In this, her third outing, she must fight misogyny (unsurprising) and her personal complications to ensure that no one escapes the consequences of their actions.

Nights of terror!

Based on Agatha Christie’s novel of Ten Little Indians, Riley has once again given us a mystery that literally chills some of the victims and the reader to the backbone. Instead of the guests marooned on an island they’re snowed in at Berkley Square just before Christmas Eve due to a punishing blizzard.
Lady Abigail Worthing, her cousin Miss Flo (Florentina) Sewell and Commander Stapleton Henderson are enroute to a family Christmas in Cheapside. The Commander stops by Berkley Square to give his apologies for not attending the Magistrate of London, Lord Duncan Flower’s annual dinner, Night of Regrets, in honor of his dead first wife Anna Violet.
The group attending are all men, neighbours of Berkley Square.
At the Square Abigail spies someone sitting on a seat in the square, a very dead someone. By now they’re snowed in and have to stay at Lord Duncan’s house.
Abigail has gained a reputation of being a highly intelligent sleuth. Here however, she and her cousin Flo feel the need to act as hapless women, the very thing the men all expect. Hard for both of them.
The next days are terror filled as guests keep being murdered. Prior to their death each of the men has a riddle from a Martinique rhyme sung by slaves as they were about to attack their masters. One of the guests had introduced the rhymes to make the dinner more memorable, maybe not as memorable as this.
The tension is high. Abigail and Henderson draw closer to each other in this latest murder inquiry.
We are left with Abigail coming to a decision that will change her life, or will she?
I’m hooked I’ve read all the titles in the series, and have high expectations for the next.

A Kensington ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Step into the intriguing world of The Lady Worthing Mysteries Series 🕵️🏾‍♀️, where a Regency-era dinner party sets the stage for a thrilling murder mystery. Immerse yourself in this well-crafted historical Regency mystery that seamlessly weaves together a compelling plot and rich historical context. If you love Regency books with a touch of mystery, this is a must-read! While this is book 3 in the series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. As an early reader by copy, I received this book and these thoughts are entirely my own.

This is an original and solid historical mystery series. Tense, fast paced, and full of twists.
I loved the character and how it deals with the role of women and BIPOC people during Regency
Abigail is a clever and strong women I loved. The solid and twisty mystery kept me hooked and guessing.
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In this third installment of Vanessa Riley’s Lady Worthing mysteries, Abigail Worthing spends Christmas unwillingly isolated in the Berkeley Square home of her mentor, Lord Duncan. Snow traps her with a surprisingly hate-filled assembly of Lord Duncan’s neighbors—and then the dinner guests begin dying.

Throughout the book, I was reminded of Agatha Christie’s many country house mysteries. As Riley explains in the author’s note, the Christie novel with the famously racist title (now known as And Then There Were None) did provide part of the inspiration for this mystery, which centers political events in the Caribbean along with Abigail’s commitment to Abolition. Although the publisher's blurbs sometimes compare this series to Netflix's "Bridgerton," Riley's work is not a fantasy but the real deal, presenting a historically-grounded depiction of Black Britons living and thriving during the Regency.

As with the best of Agatha Christie’s novels, the mystery here kept me guessing, never certain which character to blame. I also enjoyed the developing relationships between Abigail, her neighbor/friend Stapleton, and her cousin.

Riley grounds her plot in historical research (some of which is addressed in the author’s note), but the narrative voice is fairly modern, with Abigail using expressions like “humblebrag” or referring to her dog as “my little guy.” This is clearly a deliberate style choice rather than an error, so historical purists should not fault the book on that account.

3.5 Stars
A marriage of convenience saved Lady Abigail Worthing’s family from disgrace, but she’s finding her absent husband's endless conditions increasingly repressive. Unable to stay at their London home during the oncoming winter, she accepts a ride to the country from her neighbour, Stapleton Henderson. Then an unexpected blizzard strands them at Lord Duncan’s with his houseguests. Suddenly, an evening of fine dining, fine brandy, and insightful debate becomes an inescapable and deadly ordeal. One of the dinner guests is found dead in front of the Berkley Square mansion. And when another party is murdered,
The third book in the series & it’s easily read on its own. I like Abigail & I’m finding I’m growing to like her more as the series progresses & we get to know her better.There are twists, turns & red herrings, also there’s Abigail’s relationship with Stapleton which I have reservations about where it’s heading as although she’s in a unhappy marriage of convenience she’s still married. I enjoyed this cosy murder mystery
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own