Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens

Wrexford & Sloane Mystery Series, Book 5

By: Andrea Penrose

Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart

The upcoming marriage of the earl of Wrexford and Lady Charlotte Sloane promises to be a highlight of the season, if they can first untangle - and survive - a web of intrigue and murder involving the most brilliant scientific minds in Regency London....

One advantage of being caught up in a whirl of dress fittings and decisions about flower arrangements is that Charlotte Sloane has little time for any pre-wedding qualms. Her love for Wrexford isn't in question. But will being a wife - and a countess - make it difficult for her to maintain her independence - not to mention, her secret identity as famed satirical artist A. J. Quill?

Despite those concerns, there are soon even more urgent matters to attend to during Charlotte and Wrexford's first public outing as an engaged couple. At a symposium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, a visiting botanist suffers a fatal collapse. The traces of white powder near his mouth reveal the dark truth - he was murdered. Drawn into the investigation, Charlotte and the Earl learn of the victim's involvement in a momentous medical discovery. With fame and immense fortune at stake, there's no shortage of suspects, including some whose ruthlessness is already known. But neither Charlotte nor her husband-to-be can realize how close the danger is about to get - or to what lengths this villain is prepared to go....

©2021 Andrea DaRif (P)2021 Tantor

The Series Has Great Characters

I have always liked this series. The characters are fun, the mysteries engaging and the author lets the characters tell the story…but this one was different. I don’t know if the author was caught up in the changes in the characters or not, but at times I found the author wordy without the banter contributing to the storyline. Granted, some major changes were coming, but the author at times seemed to be looking for “filler”. For such an entertaining series, I hope it’s just a blip and if the author writes more installments, we concentrate on the story and less on side issues. Love the series, I hope their are more installments.

Great series

It’s so refreshing to read a book that lifts high the values of friendship, family and love.

Plot twist!

I love the author's style of writing and the hint of romance sprinkled in.

One of the Best Stories I've read

this series was one of the best ive ever read. And i dont think i would have enjoyed it this much without such wonderful voice acting.
He cant do an american voice, so what? The scotish and English voices that make up the characters are amazing in their own right.
ill be listening to this book again soon to enjoy it all over again, no doubt!
this story contains murder, sloothing, and a slow burning love.
Its main characters go through so much development across the series that you get envested in their well being.
its great. 10/10 would recomend!

Another great Wrexford & Sloane murder mystery!

Somehow I’ve gotten hooked on these stories. The narration, the characters developing from book to book, the ragbag team of familiar players using all their specific talents.

Enjoyable story

Have grown fond of the characters so I enjoy the people as much as the plot. The narrator had difficulty doing American accents. It was painful to listen to.

Another great mystery solved, but ...

I still love this series - Audible's idea of giving out free listens got me hooked on the Wexford and Sloane mysteries! However, (for me) there were a couple of "cons" this time.
Main thing that bothered me: Mr. Stewart can't do a good "American" accent. If he concentrated on one region - i.e., Boston, New York, Virginian, etc., it would be better. His are muddled and some of the pronunciations of words like "terrible," or pronouncing Charlotte as "Charlot-tay" were just - terrible. Not sure where he got the idea of what an American accent is - but I still like his overall narration. Second, I worry that Mrs. Sloane is losing her edge. Sure, she always worried about the boys, but for some reason, she seems almost Aunt Alice like in her worry. Perhaps it's due to the fact that she now adopted the boys, but still. I hope the author isn't letting her get too soft. I liked that the main character (as a woman) had a few hard, streetwise edges to her.
Still loving that a woman is the main mystery solver, and that even though she is now a recognized Lady, she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. The author puts in small details that makes the story all the better - the fact that the boys don their urchin clothing that still reeks of the streets. One can look dirty, but to truly fit in, one has to not only look and act like a "gutter-snipe" but the smell is also important. lol

I understand what some of the other reviews have

said.

However, Charlotte not being herself is easily explained by the dramatic life change she is experiencing over a very short period of time. I feel like some people don't appreciate what a big deal it is to go through so many dramatic life changes in a short time, and because the author doesn't break it down in with Crayola crayons you have to have some discernment of your own.

overall it's a decent series, I agree that the love story between two main characters is lackluster, but I appreciate the lack of vulgar love scenes.

Enjoyable fiction-shame on ddw

A rebuke to the reviewer ddw who complains that this story is historically inaccurate. Read the book for the engaging characters with quirky traits. Even Shakespeare isn’t completely accurate. And DDW, don’t rely on Google as a reference.

Plots thicken, characters develop!

Lesser characters enjoy opportunities to shine, levering essential plot elements and cementing relationships. A more muscular entry in the series, but not without losing core values and heart.