Charlotte, Wrex, and the Weasels are looking forward to spending some quiet and peaceful time in the country after they host the wedding of their friends Christopher (Kit) Sheffield and Cordelia Mansfield. Alas, it was not to be as the ink had hardly dried on the registry page before the coroner and magistrate from a nearby area arrived and announced they’d found a body with no identification other than an invitation to Kit and Cordelia’s wedding. Once they determine who it must be – and that he had been murdered – nothing would do but except for them to investigate. All clues point in one direction – but – surely he isn’t the murderer. Or is he?

It is all hands on deck to identify the murderer and to find Oliver, Cordelia’s missing cousin. The deceased, Jasper Milton, is a brilliant engineer whose brain grasps abstract concepts and designs that will improve the lives of everyone and is the best friend of Oliver, Cordelia’s missing cousin. Is Oliver also deceased? Or, is Oliver the murderer?

As more bodies turn up, the investigation becomes more and more intense. Then, if you add in shadowy government figures, you have no idea what to expect. The plot is delightfully twisted and leaves your head spinning as you wonder what happens next. Never fear, Wrexford, Charlotte, the Weasels, and the rest of the characters will tease out the clues – and even invade Eton before they finally have the solution. WOW! What a ride.

One of the things I love about this author’s books is the amount of research she does to truly understand the period in which the story is set and the scientific developments at the time. Those things are seamlessly woven into a story that will intrigue you and improve your mind at the same time. The characters have all grown and developed throughout the series and have become one big family. As always, I started wishing for the next book in the series as soon as I finished this one.

You will probably like this book if you love complex characters solving an intricately woven, nuanced, exciting, and interesting mystery. This can be read as a standalone story, but you should read at least one or two of the earlier books to truly understand the characters, their growth, their relationships, etc. This author always includes a lengthy Author’s Note section and it is always excellent reading if you are interested in learning more about the author’s research. Happy Reading!

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Murder at King’s Crossing is the eighth installment of Andrea Penrose’s Wrexford & Sloane historical mystery series. It is a unique blend of historical fiction and thrilling mystery. The overall series focuses on scientific advances occurring during the industrial revolution. The series explored an aspect of technological innovation while incorporating a murder(s) to resolve. It was lovely to visit Wrexford and Charlotte, the Weasels and their eclectic group of family and friends once again.

Our story began at Wrex and Charlotte’s country home where the couple played host to Cordelia and Sheffield’s nuptials. As friends and family celebrated, a murder was in progress. The victim was a brilliant mathematician and bridge designer, and a childhood friend of Cordelia. He developed a revolutionary method for building stronger bridges which had the potential to be transformational in the area transportation. Cordelia's cousin comes under suspicion along with a variety of individuals, ranging from competing governments to rival businesses and even envious colleagues, setting the stage for an absorbing investigation.

I found the story engrossing from start to finish. The narrative is compelling and well-written. There were numerous twists and turns, as well as real life historical references. The reader is drawn into the novel by the appealing characters, lively interactions, and the intriguing plot that keeps the reader interested. I adored the characters and their development throughout the series. I also enjoyed learning about the technological innovations of the period and the impact on society.

Murder at King’s Crossing is an excellent read and a terrific addition to the series. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, each book in the series builds on the other and you would have a better understanding of the characters and their back stories. I highly recommend this book and the entire series. I am so looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and Andrea Penrose for providing a copy of the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I have read every book in this series & really enjoy it and the characters. It's different than other cozy mysteries I read in a good way. This was a solid entry in the series. I admit that some of the math & science in this one made me glaze over a bit, but that is more my own problem than any issue with the writing. I always enjoy the appearances of historical figures of the time & learn something new with each book. I did feel that the villain wasn't considered as seriously as a potential suspect as they should have been, which took away some of the enjoyment of the mystery for me. While this is definitely an interesting plot, I'm not sure it's the strongest mystery in the series. Overall I enjoyed this one & will continue to read this series.

Thanks to NetGalley & Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Murder at King’s Crossing is book eight in the regency-set Wrexford and Sloane series. Unlike most similar series, writer Andrea Penrose uses the emerging science of the era as a hook: in this volume, a murdered man is discovered at the bridge over King’s Crossing with only an invitation to a wedding being held at the Earl of Wrexford’s estate to help identify him. The victim turns out to be Jasper Milton, an engineer who has discovered an innovative bridge design. Milton is a member of the Revolutions-Per-Minute Society, a group that wants to improve the speed and lower the cost of moving people and goods across Britain. Wexford and Sloane (along with their wards, the boys known as the Weasels) investigate the murder. They are caught up in scientific competition, intellectual property rights, greed, and ambition. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Another great addition to the series! I so enjoy the family dynamic of Charlotte, Wrexford and the Weasels, along with their extended group of close friends, like Cordelia and Sheffield, who finally get married in this book! As with all the books in this series, this book focuses on a scientific innovation that is integral to the mystery. In this particular book, the innovation has to do with mathematics that equate the various amounts of stress that a bridge can withstand in an effort to make longer and stronger spans. The brilliant mind behind the innovation is highly coveted by multiple countries as they see the economic and labor related benefits but he is murdered before he can give his ideas to anyone. The investigation in this one is a little slow to begin but it picks up and was thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommend!

Wrexford and Charlotte's country estate wedding is disrupted when a murdered man—Jasper Milton, Lady Cordelia's childhood friend and a brilliant engineer rumored to have revolutionary bridge designs—is found. Suspicions mount as Cordelia’s cousin does not appear. Suspecting a plot to steal Milton's innovations tied to the Revolutions-Per-Minute Society, Wrexford, Charlotte, and their unconventional circle join Lady Cordelia in investigating a treacherous web of greed, ambition, and dangerous secrets. As the mystery deepens, they must decide how far they are willing to go to bring the culprits to justice while protecting their family.

It is always a delight to return to the mystery solving duo of Wrexford and Sloane. Each mystery seems to enlarge their ‘family’, but I do like that they make use of the resources and friends they know to learn what they need. I do feel as though Charlotte’s secret is perilously close to being unveiled by now.

The science and math of the story was interesting, even if it went over my head most of the time. I had my suspicions behind the murders early on, but it took until Wrexford put it together for me to understand the motivation.

This is definitely a series that I think needs to be read in order, and I think fans of the series will enjoy this latest addition.

I am an admirer of Andrea Penrose’s series , but this particular novel disappointed me.

The characters have evolved, and lives of changed and some of the tension in the story disappeared with too much domestic bliss. I dont want squabbling spouses, but the “ happy family saga” seemed to overtake much of the book.

And, it felt like some of the domestic scenes were played over and over and over again. ( If the cook prepared one more batch of ginger biscuits I was going to scream).

Penrose created two compelling protagonists for this series, and I love the auxiliary characters too. But this book felt less original and a bit formulaic, which disappointed me.

Netgalley provided me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for a candid review.

Just when they thought they could enjoy some quite time together, Wrexford and Charlotte find themselves trying solve another murder. This time it involves plans on how to make bridges stronger and longer to accommodate those new railroads. With the help of their friends, and the Weasels, they embark on solving this mystery. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for my honest review.

Another well researched book by Andrea Penrose.I love how she delves into the new inventions of the time in her books.The gang is all here for this new mystery .Some of it was a bit too much of technological information but she makes we’ve through the plot very successfully.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

5 stars

A return of the family of sleuths. We have the earl: Wexford, Charlotte his wife and is a secret cartoonist, the weasels: their adopted boys, their friends Cordelia and her husband Sheffield, the doctor, the policeman and then there's the victim : a friend of Cordelia and her cousin Oliver is a possible suspect and missing. There was a lot of action and it was reasonably easy to keep the threads in play. I suppose I miss the romance of Wexford and Charlotte but then Raven, Hawk and Falcon are being more fleshed out. Some good historical content on Bridge building.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This was a great story. What I enjoy about Andrea Penrose’s novels is the amount of research she does. She finds a great theme and creates a great story around it.

I highly recommend this novel - I also suggest you start with the first in the series - “Murder on Black Swan Lane” and read in order.

This was probably one of my favorites in this series - Wrexford & Sloane. The gang is all back for this mystery.

Even better - we are set up for the next story in the series!

Thank you Kensington for this ARC copy.

I love getting to visit Charlotte, Wrexford, the Weasels, et al, but I have to admit that this mystery was a struggle to get through. The item for which the first murder occurs was over intellectual property, nothing physical to hold. And the having so much of the drama relate to mathematics and civil engineering… well, I think I was simply out of my depth. But long time readers will appreciate how the Wrexford “family” continues to grow and evolve.

It was nice seeing Wrex, Charlotte and the gang. Finally Cordelia and Sheffield are getting married. Seems like it took them forever to just come out and tell each other they have feelings for one another. Just like Wrex and Charlotte. It was great seeing the Weasels as well. Love how they brought their little street gang together and the "adults" see them as people and not some low life living on the streets. They never have done that period.
Great mystery is upon them. This one kind of hits close to home for Cordelia as her cousin is in the mix. A great lot of detail as well.
One thing is for certain, you can count one the gang to put their lives on the line to find out the truth.
Again a lot of drama, some was kind of hart to keep up, so when you read this book. Be sure you don't skip a beat.
I love how Andrea puts in a lot of time researching for her books. She doesn't just put in what she thinks things would be like. She takes her time and looks into each invention and who has done what and where. Awesome job Andrea.
Great read, you don't need to read the others to read this book.

I love this series. Each one, in addition to a compelling mystery and engaging characters, features a scientific innovation. In this case, the plot involved bridges, and was interesting and illuminating as always. .

One can never go wrong when picking up a Andrea Penrose, so I knew I was in for a great read - but even I was blown away by how good this was! Unputdownable and lovely are the two words I would use to describe this!. Fantastic and utterly addictive would also suffice :) Either way, you are in for a treat!

I was so happy to be able to read the next installment of the Wrexford and Sloane mysteries. This book was very enjoyable to read and I had no idea who the murderer was until the very end. Ms. Penrose's research and writing regarding scientific inventions of the era is in depth and fascinating to read and adds a whole new level of interest to the mysteries. But the whole heart of these mysteries are the characters and the family they have created. I love every chance to revisit Wrex and Charlotte and the Ravens and their quirky, lovely group of family and friends! The mystery in this book was very complex and well written and the characters have lots of depth and are well developed and very enjoyable to read about. I hope this series will continue for a long time!

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this book. All opinions are my own.

I like to call the Wrexford & Sloane series my STEM reads. Each book dives into the inventions and tech shifts that happened during the Industrial Revolution, and they’re really well-researched. In Murder at King's Crossing, you’ll get a fascinating peek into innovations in bridge building and how transportation improvements can reshape society. Now, I know that might sound a bit dry (and I’ll admit, I skimmed some of the math bits), but Penrose brings it all to life with a fun cast of characters and a solid mystery. This time, it’s all about the murder of a genius mathematician/bridge architect and the theft of his groundbreaking designs. Was it a foreign power, a shady business owner, someone against progress, or maybe some jealous colleagues?

These books really build on each other, so it’s best to read them in order. And don’t skip the author’s note at the end! Murder at King's Crossing drops on September 24. Big thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC!

Fans of the series will like this one. New readers probably won’t appreciate these characters and should start at the beginning. Well researched as always, this one is perhaps heavier in the science, politics, and real life inventors than is typical for even this series. Our ensemble cast of likable characters has filled out, but I’m always hoping for more of those snippets of intense emotion and intellectual banter between Wrexford and Charlotte. That’s the heart of this series. Sometimes there are too many points of view, but I was glad to see more of Wrex’s background unfold and a future mystery set up.

3.75 stars

This historical series features Lord and Lady Wrexford and their unusual blended family and friends. They are not the typical titled society couple they appear to be. Charlotte has an alter ego that dresses like a street ruffian and scopes out stories for her to publish as what we now would call a political cartoonist. That identity is a carefully guarded secret. And Wrex is a defender of justice and a man of integrity, even if it means putting himself in harm's way. Their three adopted wards, teenage type boys, grew up rough but are being educated and slightly civilized in the Wrexford household.

The meat of these books is the interplay among all these characters which also include a maid who is more of a supremely competent Woman Friday, a valet who is also a highly regarded second in command, and a Scottish physician/coroner, as well as a a friend/colleague who is a Bow Street Runner. All in all, quite a varied and lively crew.

The mysteries center around actual historical scientific issues. In this one, the spotlight is on the importance of transportation to ease the lives and open opportunities for the lower/working classes. There are scientific breakthroughs which sadly are being exploited for personal gain via corruption and fraud. And the bad guys aren't afraid to kill to protect their interests.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wrexford and Charlotte host the wedding of Cordelia and Sheffield at their country home. However, shortly thereafter there is an intruder in the house who runs out. A little after that two men arrive to say they found a murdered man under a bridge with no ID, but he had a wedding invitation in his pocket. When he is identified as Jasper Milton, Cordelia is upset because he was a brilliant childhood friend who had been working on building stronger and longer bridges. The plot becomes quite complicated with several factions involved, including some scientists from France.

However, with the help of all three weasels along with Wrexford, Sheffield, Charlotte, Cordelia, Griffin and others, and a visit to Eton, all is solved at the end.

I thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC so I could read the book before publication.