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

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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!

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

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.