The Duke's Agent

First in a new series of Regency-era mysteries, The Duke’s Agent is a fascinating whodunnit set in the northern county of Durham, featuring Frederick “Raif” Jarrett, a distant relative of the Duke of Penrith (the nature of their relationship isn’t precisely defined, but there are definite hints Raif was born illegitimate) and now acting as an agent for said Duke. Sent to investigate the duke’s affairs following the death of a steward, Raif soon discovers something foul simmering beneath the quiet surface of Woolbridge, something certain people would do anything to conceal. Including attempting to pin the death of a young woman on Raif to stop his investigation.

What struck me about the story, and Raif’s investigation, was just how impossible it was to gather any sort of evidence in those days. A bootprint was about the only piece of tangible evidence found which could possibly be used as any sort of identification, and even then a powerful and determined opponent could override justice if the defendant has no one to stand up for them.

As an Australian, living in a country settled by convicts many of whom had the misfortune to be transported merely for offending the wrong person, it was something which really hit home, and I was relieved Raif had powerful allies on his side who were able to clear his name.

Though this isn’t a romance, I found myself hoping for one between Raif and Henrietta, a lady who offers some assistance in the case. This is the kind of series which could run on over any number of books, and I definitely hope Raif and Henrietta get together in the end. Duffin the poacher and his dog Bob were my other favourite characters, and I really hope we get a lot more of them as the series continues.

This was such an intriguing read and I found myself really invested in the outcome of the story. Five stars, and I hope to read more of Raif’s adventures soon!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.

Jarrett, a captain in the British army in 1811, becomes agent for his Duke, Jarrett is a member of the Duke's family and is asked to perform an audit on the county of the Duke, with the demise of the previous Steward. Jerrett discovers something is amiss. I enjoyed the historical detail.

First Sentence: It was an early evening in late July.”

Raif Jarrett has been sent by the Duke of Penrith to the town of Durham. The Duke’s agent has died and Raif has been asked to look over the records and the state of the Duke’s what should be, lucrative holding.

Raif arrives to find the Agent’s house in terrible condition, his dog killed and the ledger books missing. Raif meets a poacher, Duffin, a sharp-minded old lady, Miss Catherine, and sees a lovely local girl, Sal.

When Sal is found dead near the Folly where Raif has been staying, Justice Raistrick, the powerful and hitherto uncooperative magistrate, has Raif arrested for murder.

I love finding new authors of great, new historical mysteries, and Ms. Jenkins is definitely one. Her extensive research and attention to detail of the period are wonderful. The sense of place is so strong, it’s visual. Her characters are fully developed and people you want to know or avoid.

We learn much about Raif, but there is more for us to know. He is a man accustomed to the ballroom and the drawing, as well as living rough and being on a battlefield. It is a very good plot with plenty of action and suspense. The inquiry scene, where Raif is accused of murder, is as good as any legal thriller.

There is humor, swordfights, friendships, old and new, murder and a hint of romance. All the elements needed for a wonderful story are here. I can only hope there will be more to come.

ADDENDUM: Although there was a second book, which I also enjoyed, I'm am sorry there weren't more books in this series.

THE DUKE’S AGENT (Hist. Mys-Raif Jarrett-England-1811/Georgian/Regency) – VG+
Jenkins, Rebecca – 1st in series
Quercus, 1997

When the Duke of Penrith's provincial steward dies, Raif Jarrett comes north as the duke's agent to sort out the tangle of mismanagement and malfeasance on the duke's estate. Raif's own military background is some preparation for the assortment of bullies and blackguards that he meets, but when he crosses a powerful man in town, he finds himself thrown in gaol for murder. With the help of the enigmatic Miss Henrietta, Raif manages to extricate himself from accusations and begins his own investigation into the dastardly deeds occurring in the town of Woolbridge. 

This book was a slow starter. The prose was dense and there were lots of mysteries surrounding the main character that felt overdone. With that said, the main character himself was a memorable one--a gentleman (possibly the illegitimate son of the duke?), a soldier, an artist, and a fisherman. I also enjoyed several of the minor characters--the friendly poacher, the hunchbacked dowager, the benevolent innkeeper's wife. The ending did not wrap up cleanly enough for my tastes, but I suppose that one positive of that is that I'm very interested in reading the next book in the series. 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opnions expressed in this review are my own.

Jarrett has long been a soldier and intelligence-collector, but was injured and had to come back to England to recover. Following the death of the duke's agent for the Duke of Penrith, Jarrett heads north to investigate the death and to take over as the new agent. But soon after his arrival a girl is found dead near his front door, and he finds himself in the lockup under suspicion of having murdered her - carefully arranged by the local magistrate, Mr. Justice Raistrick. But what is Raistrick's agenda in all this? And who is really responsible for the girl's death?

I enjoyed the book overall, with the writing being good, the setting done well, the mystery enjoyable, and the characters and their relationships well drawn. However, a couple of things stopped this from being a five-star book in my mind: (1) I found the number of characters introduced a bit overwhelming, so that at times with the more background characters I was confused who was who. The main characters were fine, but some of the background characters lost me a bit. (2) The ending was somewhat unsatisfying in that the Raistrick thread in particular (as well as the hint of possible romance) felt like a loose end. This will hopefully be something that is tidied up in future books in the series, but it did detract from my enjoyment of the ending. However, the book still rated 4 stars in my opinion, and I hope to read more by the author in future.

Characters: Main characters well drawn, though many of the background characters not particularly.
Storyline: Not too convoluted, but not particularly predictable either.
Content and language: Clean overall, occasional language I could have done without, but rare.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

Set in 1811 in the town of Woolbridge Jarrett is looking for some peace and quiet and to act as the Agent for the Duke of Penrith. He has returned from a turbulent period of service and expects the countryside to be peaceful and kind to him. Anything but. Uncovering a network of crimes and being made to be the scapegoat for a murder on a property nearby, kept in jail by the local Magistrate is not what was expected in this very countryside area.

One death follows another and this time around the people want blood. It is upto him to clear his name and also sort out the mess that is apparent alive and kicking in this sleepy town.

A Regency era mystery this was not lacking in gore and violence! A very nice change from modern mystery murders though.

Historical mystery story with good characters,storyline and lots of twists. This story was very different from the norm and made me want to read more.

The Duke's Agent is a fantastic historical mystery with great characters. Very well written and I hope to read more from this author.