Blood for Blood (Poisoned Pen Press Mysteries (Paperback)) [Paperback]

S K Rizzolo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Poisoned Pen Press Mysteries (Paperback) | Publication Date: February 15, 2008

In the spring of 1812, the Luddites are on the march, Lord Byron is taking London drawing rooms by storm, and Penelope Wolfe has become a lady's companion. When one of the footmen turns up dead with a knife to the heart, Penelope and Bow Street Runner John Chase are entangled in a web of family secrets and political conspiracy that stretches far beyond luxurious St. James's Square. With the help of barrister Edward Buckler, Chase follows the trail of a mysterious mad woman caught peeping in the window at the corpse. Penelope struggles to fit into the fashionable world, encountering people who hide resentment and deceit under smooth smiles. Set against a backdrop of millennial fervor with thousands awaiting the end of the world, BLOOD FOR BLOOD explores the simple truth that every drop of blood spilled will be avenged.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this engrossing sequel to Rizzolo's well-received Regency debut, The Rose in the Wheel (2002), John Chase, a Bow Street Runner (a pre-Victorian constable), and Penelope Wolfe, his accomplished assistant, investigate the fatal stabbing of a footman. Found in the back garden of the luxurious London home where Wolfe is serving as a lady's companion, the victim uses his last breath to quote an apocalyptic passage from the biblical Book of Joel. Rumors that the footman led a double life enmesh the pair in political intrigue surrounding the rise of the Luddite movement and the concomitant weakening of the Crown in the face of increasing class conflict and economic hardship. This tense atmosphere is only exacerbated by the cult surrounding pregnant Rebecca Barnwell, a self-proclaimed prophetess, whose followers believe is bearing the Messiah, and who has shown a mysterious interest in the servant's murder. The different circles in which Chase and Wolfe move afford Rizzolo an opportunity to depict the disparities in London society of 1812, and she makes the most of it. Engaging and three-dimensional lead characters match her evocative place descriptions. The killer's motivation may be a little underdeveloped, but that doesn't detract from a thoroughly entertaining effort that deserves many sequels.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Rizzolo's sequel to The Rose in the Wheel [BKL Ja 1 & 15 02] takes readers back to London in 1812. Lord Byron is thrilling people with his poems and defending the Luddites in the House of Lords. Penelope Wolfe, now a lady's companion, is living in a mansion on St. James' Square with her daughter, Sarah. When a servant turns up dead in the garden, she contacts Bow Street Runner John Chase. Their investigation has them chasing a mysterious woman who was caught staring at the corpse through a window. Like the best historical mystery authors, Rizzolo is scrupulously accurate and uses her setting as much more than window dressing. The class-conscious society of Regency London acts almost as a foil to the sleuthing efforts of Chase and Wolfe, who uncover a web of family secrets and political conspiracies that extends from sophisticated St. James' Square to the wilds of Dorset, where Druid rituals may reveal the truth. A natural for fans of Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen series (see review on p.1531). Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (February 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590585070
• ISBN-13: 978-1590585078
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,752,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Historical Mystery, January 31, 2006

By 

A. E Maloney "Lochthyme" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood for Blood (Hardcover)

In the spring of 1812, the Luddites are on the march, Lord Byron is taking London drawing rooms by storm, and Penelope Wolf has become a lady's companion. When one of the footmen turns up dead with a knife to the heart, Penelope and Bow Street Runner John Chase with the help of barrister Edward Buckler, are entangled in a web of family secrets and political conspiracy that stretches far beyond luxurious St. James's Square. This is one heck of a good book! Well written with a terrific plot that pulls you in from the beginning and never lets go until the very end. Tightly woven into the plot is wonderful historical detail about how the
classes interacted, how the police operated, the plight of unwed mothers during this time and the millennial fervor occurring in Regency London when thousands were waiting for the end of the world. A gripping mystery that is a must read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating historical mystery, May 12, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood for Blood (Hardcover)

Estranged from her father, who lives in Sicily and her husband, residing in Ireland, Penelope Wolfe takes a job as companion to Lady Julia Ashe in order to feed herself and her daughter. Living with the Ashes is Julia's father and other eccentric individuals. There are dark undercurrents surrounding Julia and her husband whose marriage was a business arrangement that turned into a battlefield.

One night Penelope is awakened by a strange cry. She goes out to the garden only to find the murdered body of Dick, an Ashe's footman. She has the family procure the services of Bow Street Runner John Chase who actively pursues the case until a government informant warns him off. They believe Dick was a Jacobin, who wanted to topple the monarchy, the aristocracy and the government. The government wants to round up all his co-conspirators but John, with the help of barrister Edward Buckler, makes certain they can help the fair Penelope if she needs it.

In 1812, the gulf between the rich and the poor was wider than ever and some radical elements of the population, including the Luddites, advocated violence to level the playing field. Penelope senses something is wrong in the Ashe household but she doesn't know the family history or how it relates to a pregnant prophetess who is supposed to give birth to the Messiah. By the time she discovers the truth another murder is committed and Penelope can only seek justice for the dead. Her need turns BLOOD FOR BLOOD into a fascinating historic mystery that shows the dark side of Regency England.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars Regency England - 1812, August 23, 2009

By 

Lyn Reese (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood for Blood (Poisoned Pen Press Mysteries (Paperback)) (Paperback)

With a young daughter to support and an absent struggling artist for a husband, affluence-raised Penelope Wolfe is forced to seek a living as genteel companion to Lady Ashe. When the Ashe household's footman is murdered, Penelope can't resist turning her sharp mind to ferret out the cause. Together with her friend, Bow Street Runner John Chase, clues are uncovered, revealing dark family secrets, political conspiracies, and a prophetess who has attracted a large following on the eve of the Millennium.

The sights, sounds, and smells of Regency London streets, markets, parks, famous buildings and neighborhoods are vividly illustrated. The period speech patterns ring true. Notable is Rizzolo's portrayal of the wide gulf between the rich and poor, the powerful and the weak. The views of "treasonous" Jacobins become important plot points. The unrest of the Luddites, smashing new machinery in the Northern mills, is highlighted in a stirring speech by Lord Byron in the House of Lords: "Never under the most despotic of infidel governments did I behold such squalid wretchedness as I have seen since my return in the very heart of a Christian country." The action segues somewhat abruptly between past and present, however, leaving the reader to wonder what is going on, when and where.

Short Author's Note explaining historical accuracy is included. This is the second book in this series featuring Penelope Wolfe.