As Charlotte is navigating her return to polite society, her family wanting to reconnect, and her and Wrexford’s recent admission of romantic feelings for one another, the pair are drawn into a new investigation. Their new friend Lady Cordelia seems to be caught up in a dubious scheme and may have dragged Kit into it as well. When a murder at the docks happens and Cordelia’s brother becomes a likely suspect, Wrexford and Charlotte start looking into things, but it becomes clear that their foe is a powerful one and the wrong step could destroy more than just their two lives.
I really love how this novel takes plot threads and characters from the last book and builds on them. Last book we were told that Cordelia is a brilliant mathematician, but this book we get to see that in action. Charlotte is still struggling with the changes in her life, but she does seem to be on a slightly more even keel. I also approve of making the East India Company one of the villains of the book, but then I have strong personal feelings about that particular institution and the harm it did. This book also put a conflict between the group doing in investigating with both Raven and Kit certain that Cordelia is innocent and Wrexford and Charlotte more pragmatic and wanting to find proof of that. The conflict doesn’t exactly cause problems, but it definitely adds tension and is a change from what had previously been a pretty cohesive group.
Wrexford and Charlotte aren’t exactly the grumpy/sunshine dynamic as you really can’t call Charlotte sunshine, but Wrexford is definitely grumpy. Throughout the books, but especially this one, his actions say much more about his character than his words whether it’s the way that he quietly makes arrangements for a better future for the urchins that have been helping him and Charlotte or the way they interact. I also really like how the romantic turn of their relationship doesn’t dim the strength of Wrexford and Charlotte’s friendship or the way they treat one another, though it’s clear that some of the life threatening situations they’ve been in lately have caused them to be more active in perusing what they want with one another. It’s been a really fun relationship to watch develop, especially since I didn’t pick up on the fact that there was a romance building until late in the second book in the series. While the mysteries in these books are complex and engaging, the meat and bones of what draws me into the books are these characters and seeing how they grow and develop. Five out of five stars.
