Author: Cara Devlin
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Romance
Publisher: Cara Devlin
Release Date: 2023
Pages: 304
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: The romantic historical mystery series readers are devouring begins with Murder at the Seven Dials...
A murdered opera singer. A duke drenched in her blood. For Bow Street Officer Hugh Marsden, the brutal killing is a straightforward case. Ever since his own exile from polite society, Hugh’s distaste for the ton has grown. Now, an opportunity to take down a peer of the realm has practically fallen into his lap. The only thing standing in his way? Audrey Sinclair, the Duchess of Fournier.
Audrey is certain her husband is wrongly accused, and she’s determined to prove it to the arrogant Bow Street officer, even if she must employ her most peculiar ability—or perhaps curse—to guide her investigation. After all, a duchess can do as she pleases.
Though Hugh is exasperated with the meddling duchess, when her discoveries reveal the true killer is still at large, he has no choice but to join her in the hunt—if only to prevent her from becoming the next victim.
Murder at the Seven Dials is the first book in the addictive Bow Street Duchess Mystery series. Perfect for fans of Lady Sherlock mysteries, the Veronica Speedwell mysteries, and the BBC's "Miss Scarlet & the Duke".
My Review: The Duke of Fournier has been accused of murdering an opera singer. However, his wife, Duchess Audrey Sinclair, believes in his innocence. When the police refuse to believe her, Audrey decides to prove her husband’s innocence herself. She eventually teams up with a reluctant police officer named Hugh Marsden. As they continue to investigate, Audrey quickly becomes the next target of the real killer.
I initially liked Audrey Sinclair. She strongly believes in her husband’s innocence, especially when all signs pointed towards him. I also found her psychic ability to be very intriguing. As the novel continued, I began to strongly dislike her. She was very impulsive and made very rash decisions. She was also not very observant or clever. Therefore, I found Audrey Sinclair to be a very annoying heroine. I no longer thought of her as charming.
Hugh is the stereotypical brooding male lead. He did not have much character development. He was not very appealing to me. He was very arrogant and prejudiced which made him blind to the case. I also did not care for the potential romance between Hugh and Audrey. There was barely any chemistry so they were not really enjoyable.
Overall, this novel is about secrets, love, and justice. I did not really care for the flat characters. I thought that the novel tended to drag and was a bit repetitive. I also did not like how the mystery was solved and thought how it was handled was lazy. I did like the setting and the paranormal element. Murder at Seven Dials had potential but was not executed well. Even though it did not captivate me enough to read the sequel, I might pick it up sometime in the future! I am hoping Hugh and Audrey improve as the series progresses. I recommend this novel for fans of Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark, A Most Agreeable Murder, and A Useful Woman!
Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 stars
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