Customer Reviews

A Family Affair: A Novel

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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.

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.

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.

In 1839 Conservative MP Benjamin Disraeli asks private sleuth Liberty Lane for some assistance. He wants to hire her to investigate the claims of Lady Sophia Brinkburn. The aristocratic lady's husband is dying while she insists the heir to the Brinkburn title Stephen is illegitimate so cannot claim the estate; if true the younger brother Miles will inherit all.

Lane goes undercover, renting a cottage near the Brinkburn estate. She meets Lady Brinkburn, but is stunned as the woman is amiable and obviously mentally competent. Thus the motive to destroy her family's reputation including her own with this scandal remains out of reach. However, the situation takes an odd twist when someone appears to have murdered the family retainer and Lady Brinkburn.

The latest Lane historical mystery (see A Foreign Affair and A Dangerous Affair) is an enjoyable brisk thriller that starts off with a jousting between the Brinkburn siblings and never slows down. Even with the fast pace and a delightful surprising twist, readers also obtain a deep look at the early Victorian era when mass transportation changes society. However, this strong nineteenth century thriller belongs to Ms. Lane who's in her top sleuthing form as her inquiry turns from legitimacy to homicide.

Harriet Klausner

In 1839 known as Victoria's England a woman was still consider part of a man's personal possessions. However, there were women of distinction who made their own way in life alone despite the whispers, rumors and poor treatment by others. Miss Liberty Lane was one such woman while keeping a low profile as a music instructor she also made a descent living as a Private Investigator by using a talent she possessed to solve problems and put pieces of human puzzled lives together especially those too delicate to go to the police.

Liberty's latest case is a strange one indeed and is creating quite the stir with proper London society as it involves one of society's own families. She is hired to determine the true heir to the Brinkburn estate. Is it Stephen the eldest son and most like his father or Miles the one beloved by his mother? With their father dying, their mother claiming that Stephen is illegitimate Liberty must determine what is fact from fiction, truth from lies and motherly love from female vengeance.

Along the way an unexpected issue shows up in the form of a murdered man encased in a crate holding the family armor. This was not a trick or accidental occurrence but a man who worked as a valet viciously murdered for no apparent reason...or was there? The deceased man it turns out was a family servant for the elder Brinkburn with more enemies and few friends. But what could have happened to cause this turn of events, well the search for those answers and many more lie on Liberty's shoulders.

Liberty goes to the apparent source of the rumors, innuendos and fabricated stories Sophia Brinkburn wife and mother to the Brinkburn men. She has raised the legitimacy question and Liberty knows she is the only one that can answer it. So off Liberty goes with her "maid" a flea ridden street urchin she decides to clean up and save. Yet the more she uncovers the less she knows and with only limited resources Liberty does her best to solve the mysteries one at a time. The longer she stays with Lady Brinkburn the more she knows that there are few people to trust and more information being kept from her than revealed.

This book may start slow for some readers but the reason for that is to lay out the details carefully and set the stage for each adventure Liberty is taken on. You see the world through her eyes and discover a life that is expanding and a world that is awakening to a new life with the revolution of the locomotive train creating a new way to give the appearance that you are in two places at the same time. Keep reading to get the full depth of the Liberty's character and enjoy how well rounded she has been written and developed.

Mary Gramlich is The Reading Reviewer located at [...]