A Perilous Undertaking is a fantastic follow-up to the first Veronica Speedwell book, A Curious Beginning. I got the first during an Audible sale in the fall (my review here)- I was amazed at how good it is and surprised that it hadn't come up in a recommendation for me somewhere online.

This series features Veronica, a spinster lepidopterist in her mid-twenties, and Stoker, the black sheep in a noble family. Literally. In this book they are approached by a member of the royal family to solve a murder in which the accused will be hanging in one week but is believed by some to be innocent. Since their planned expedition was cancelled due to their benefactor tripping over his giant tortoise and being injured, Veronica accepts the case and eventually convinces Stoker to do the same.

This book had the same laugh-out-loud humor that the first one did and I can't think of any other book that has ever made me laugh as much as these.

I half held my breath while reading in the hopes that Veronica and Stoker admitted their love for each other, and you'll just have to read to find out if it happens or not. Their developing relationship (largely based on friendship) is one of the great qualities of this book. I can't wait for the next in the series!

5/5 Stars

A Perilous Undertaking will be out on January 10th, 2017.

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Disappointing. I remember really liking A Curious Beginning, the previous novel in this mystery series, but this second installment had me slogging through it like mud. I would have to read and reread sections because I would realize that I hadn't paid attention the first go-round.

I liked Stoker, and I think Veronica is very intelligent, but her arrogance became very annoying. Not a series I will continue.

A Perilous Undertaking is the second installment in the Veronica Speedwell Mystery series. The books are set in the late 1800s, and involve some extremely unique characters: Veronica Speedwell is an independent, brazen, adventuress as well as a butterfly hunter. Her partner and friend, Stoker, who is a natural historian is a part of the English aristocracy, but shuns it. When Veronica is invited to visit the Curiosity Club, a ladies only establishment, she is met by a woman who turns out to be one of the daughters of the Queen and is asked by her to find the murderer of Artemesia, an artist and mistress to several, because the man who has been accused, Miles Ramsforth, is innocent and is scheduled to be executed the next week.

Veronica gets her partner, Stoker, involved, and together they follow the clues to find who really murdered Artemesia. This novel takes readers into a new realm involving the art in early England mixed with royalty and the mores of the time. It seems Raybourne has done her research – at least things are believable – and the book is a fascinating read.

Veronica Speedwell is one of the most distinctive and interesting characters in the genre, and makes the book hard to put down. Her methods of detecting are a bit peculiar, but her conclusions come out right in the end. As the story goes on, the suspense builds, and there is danger for not only Veronica and Stoker, but other characters.

Much of the storyline involves adult situations – nothing graphic, but plenty of innuendo, so the book is probably not suitable for young adults; however, there is no graphic violence or language.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

A Perilous Undertaking” is Deanna Raybourn’s second in her series featuring lepidopterist Veronica Speedwell, a champion of women's rights who speaks her mind at the most inconvenient times, and natural historian, former naval surgeon, and taxidermist Revelstoke Templeton-Vane (Stoker). In “A Curious Beginning,” the two teamed up to solve a murder. Now, it is 1887, and a figure in the royal family asks the pair to investigate the killing of a gifted artist, Maud Eresby, who renamed herself Artemisia. The victim's married lover, Miles Ramsforth, has already been convicted of the crime. Unless Victoria and Stoker can prove that Miles is innocent, he will be hanged.

Raybourn' s writing is witty, literate, sassy, vividly descriptive, and a bit naughty. She cheerfully pokes fun at the affectations and and haughtiness of individuals who believe that their social inferiors exist to serve them. Although they are close friends and colleagues, Veronica and Stoker are sarcastic, ill tempered, and impatient with one another. They carry heavy emotional baggage; both had difficult childhoods and were saddled with cruel relatives who treated them contemptuously.

The mystery, alas, is not as compelling. The investigators interviews witnesses and risk bodily harm searching for clues behind locked doors and in hidden compartments. Since we never meet either Miles or Artemisia, they remain ciphers, gossiped about but never becoming quite real in our minds. Raybourn's characters are, by turns, hilarious, peculiar, obnoxious, and deceitful. One scene has a self-important female sculptor posing a nude Stoker as Perseus holding the head of the Gorgon. Red herrings abound, and after much fuss and bother, our sleuths close in on the culprit. One inducement to read this book is what it reveals about Stoker’s past (undoubtedly there will be additional surprises to come); the poor man has suffered greatly and has good reason to walk around with a permanent scowl on his face. “A Perilous Undertaking” stands out for its amusing and literate dialogue and the ways in which the author exposes the hypocrisy of Victorians who feigned respectability in public, but behaved scandalously in private.

A Curious Beginning is the first book in this Veronica Speedwell Series and while A Perilous Undertaking does not give too many clues or back flashes to the first book I do recommend going back and starting with that one. Not only is it that good, it was great getting to know Veronica and Stokers from the start.

There are so many things I loved about this book, with the first one being Veronica, she is not your average heroine but rather someone who has spunk, is witty, rather feisty and loves her butterflies, she brings this story to life. While there is definite sexual tension in the air her relationship with Stoker played out with its witty bantering giving this book a humorous and engaging tone. At times I found myself forgetting about the mystery and just enjoyed their relationship. They both have haunting pasts creating stumbling blocks that I hope resolves in the not to distant future.

Deanna Raybourn has a writing style that I love. How everything in this mystery wove together and was revealed kept me guessing. There was enough action to keep the story moving right along and and it wasn't hard to feel the elements along the way. I am not sure how many books will be in this series, but I know I am looking forward to the next installment.

Thanks to Berkley Books (via Netgalley) for arc.