A Family Affair: A Novel [Paperback]

Caro Peacock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2010

At the request of Queen Victoria's prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli, Liberty Lane is dispatched to Brinkburn Hall in search of answers. The deranged aristocrat Lord Brinkburn is nearing death, with his elder son, Stephen, eagerly waiting to inherit his title—until Lady Brinkburn's startling announcement that the heir is illegitimate. Chaos ensues.

The rivalry between Stephen and his younger brother, Miles, heats up dangerously. Liberty's arrival only stirs an already volatile mix, and she is greeted soon after by the odd disappearance of one brother . . . and by a shocking murder within the family's circle. Secrets and scandal run rampant throughout the cold and loveless Buckinghamshire estate far from the polish of London's aristocracy—as the plucky young investigator races to separate truth from falsehood, villains from victims, before death takes up a more permanent residence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Peacock's spirited third early Victorian historical (after A Dangerous Affair), Benjamin Disraeli asks Liberty Lane, a young gentlewoman who supplements her meager means with some discreet private sleuthing, to investigate Lady Sophia Brinkburn, who is spreading word that her elder son is illegitimate as her mad husband nears death. With the succession of the family title in question and a major scandal brewing, Lane rents a cottage near the Brinkburn estate to do some undercover snooping. She finds Lady Brinkburn both likable and sane, making her ladyship's motives for ruining her own good name even more puzzling. The murder of an unsavory family retainer and, later, Lady Brinkburn's own death darken the mystery further. The novel's amiable voice, crisp pace, and deft plotting are enriched by well-chosen glimpses of 1830s Britain, from the gentry's sudden craze for jousting to the new railway system beginning to change the landscape forever. (July)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (June 22, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061447498
• ISBN-13: 978-0061447495
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,204,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Brinkburn Family Secret, March 31, 2011

By 

L. M Young (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Family Affair: A Novel (Paperback)

Once again Benjamin Disraeli summons Miss Liberty Lane to provide discreet information into a perplexing event: influential Lord Brinkburn is dying, and, inexplicably, his formerly retiring wife has circulated the shocking information that their eldest son Stephen is not legitimate; she claims she accidentally had sexual congress with a stranger in a hotel room in Italy and he was the result. Their younger son Miles, her favorite of the two boys, is the actual heir. Liberty, with a young urchin named Tabby in tow to play as her maid, poses as an artist who wishes to paint and sketch in a cottage on the Blackburn estate. In this way she hopes to gain the confidence of Lady Brinkburn and perhaps find out the truth behind this fantastical statement.

This third Liberty Lane adventure starts off at a gallop during the re-creation of a joust held by bored young aristocrats and never slackens its pace. Bit by bit, Liberty peels back the layers of the Brinkburn family, to come to some astounding revelations and an action-filled conclusion to the story. Yes, Liberty's manner still seems too modern for an early Victorian-era young woman--in one sequence she's actually running around the countryside in a robe and her underwear, and seems not very nonplussed by the fact--but our plucky heroine, the narrative, the interesting supporting characters, and even the medieval re-creations by the indolent young lords all add up to an appealing mystery-adventure.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jousting & Murder in Victorian Times, August 28, 2010

By 

Nicola Manning (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Family Affair: A Novel (Paperback)

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

I like to think of the Liberty Lane series as one of my guilty pleasures. I know I'm in for a quick dip immersion into the Victorian era with a light mystery and an easy read. I also know Liberty is not going to get into a romance with anyone, though someone will probably be trying to play matchmaker for her but Liberty has more important things to do as a "private intelligencer", a name coined for her line of work by her friend and politician Benjamin Disraeli. Disraeli also is in the habit of bringing work her way and that is how Liberty gets her case in this book.

A classic tale of the class system, the Lord is in a private asylum and close to death at which point the Lady announces that the eldest son is not the Lord's legal heir throwing doubt on his legitimacy and placing the younger son in line to inherit the estate. Thus, the Lady then retires from talking about it. Liberty is hired by the lawyer to find out if the Lady is lying or simply mad. He has no interest if she is telling the truth; it is simply not an option. But Liberty finds out much more than legitimate birthrights are being kept secret when she arrives on the scene and a servant is found dead packed away in a barrel and the eldest son has simply vanished. She takes it on her own initiative to solve the answers to the many questions, secrets and mysteries she encounters at Brinkburn Hall.

I have to say this has been my absolute favourite of the Liberty Lane mysteries by far! Liberty Lane is still written too far on the modern side to be entirely believable but having got to know the character through the three books, I don't really care anymore. She is a fun heroine, not afraid to go where the danger leads her and full of simple derring-do. I loved the mystery this time as well. I had all sorts of ideas wandering around in my mind; I did figure out one of the elements but so much was going on by the end it was a complete surprise when the shocking reveal came out. I read the first half of the book at a leisurely pace enjoying the new characters and setting which revolves around the Victorian love for all things medieval and includes the ill-fated joust, the Eglinton Tournament. Then the second half was quick paced as all the secrets started unraveling and danger threatened. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the series and eagerly await the next. Historical mystery fans and lovers of cozy mysteries alike will enjoy this romp with Liberty Lane.

4.0 out of 5 stars Love Liberty Lane!, May 8, 2011

By 

book lover in Honolulu (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Family Affair: A Novel (Paperback)

So happy to see another book in this series!! Liberty Lane is a great character. I thought some of the story line was predictable, but I love the setting and the language/writing sometimes makes me laugh out loud. Looking forward to the next book. If you've liked the previous books, I think you'll like this one too.