You don’t have to read the entire Bow Street Duchess mystery series in order to relish Book 4 – Penance for the Dead. But seriously, why deprive yourself? If you want to begin at the beginning, Murder at the Seven Dials is a page-turner that whets the appetite for more. Book 2 was a good follow-up but but the series appeared to be running out of steam in Book 3. As luck would have it, Book 4 was exactly the shot-in-the-arm needed to keep me interested.

In the slow burn tradition of TV’s most watchable sleuth duos, Audrey Sinclair, the Duchess of Fournier, and Bow Street officer Hugh Marsden are a Regency Kate Beckett and Richard Castle, and hands-down the most engaging pair I’ve read in the last few years. Their chemistry infuses every book, keeping readers like me hungrily piling up the breadcrumbs of their intensifying attraction in expectation of a feast soon to be served. In Book 4, the dinner gong is finally sounded. Without spoilers, I’ll merely share a telling thought of Audrey’s, from late in the story:

“Touching him could be dangerous. He was sinfully handsome. There was no getting around that fact. Thick dark hair, a strong nose and chin, full mouth, and fathomless sable eyes that always seemed to hold some shadowy sadness.”

Oh, come on!

Audrey’s a lady, and married, so she can’t cave to her pent up yearning. Her platonic, strictly-for-appearances marriage is on life support. Husband Phillip’s gay lover Freddie has shown up and with his customary mix of emotional blackmail and hypocrisy, Phillip wants to have his cake and eat it, too. Somehow, Audrey still sees him as a dear friend who needs her support while he endures mercury treatment for syphilis. He, on the other hand, appears to see her as a useful but dispensable beard who cramps his style while securing his respectability. It’s a co-dependent mess and Ms. Devlin could do us all – and Audrey- a huge favor and have the selfish SOB whacked. Just sayin’

Of course, most series that keep their audience on the hook via a slow burn romance do not outlive the long-awaited consummation for long. The forthcoming Book 5 – Fatal by Design – will need to navigate the tricky reader demand to ‘stand and deliver’ without losing steam. We shall see how author Cara Devlin manages that balancing act.

Penance for the Dead tests the dynamic duo’s mettle and lifts their complex relationship to new levels of trust and respect. Having spent the series in the shadow of a murky, mysterious past, Hugh steps into the spotlight this time, accused of murdering his half-sister Eloisa, whom he was also accused of ‘ruining.’ The story kicks off in dramatic fashion with Audrey discovering her body. We know Hugh didn’t commit the crime, of course, as does Audrey. He sets out to prove his innocence and expose the real killer in a quest that will take him to the hornet’s nest of his dysfunctional family past, unearthing an explosive truth hidden from him for thirty years. As the story unfolds, we finally learn why he shot his half-brother in a duel and became persona non grata in the drawing rooms of the ton, and the tragic story of Eloisa.

Audrey is also determined to save the day, and gets herself into believable danger, culminating in some surprises and twists that made this story the strongest since Book 1. Penance for the Dead is a compelling page-turner that sets the stage for a Book 5 that may well deliver the HEA series fans are hanging out for.

One of the unexpected (for me) charms of this series is Audrey’s psychic powers. Her gift doesn’t get much of an outing this time, which may disappoint readers who value this element. I don’t know if Ms. Devlin is looking to re-tool her sub-genre mix to de-emphasize the paranormal in favor of a more conventional crime focus. I hope not. Audrey’s Spidey-senses have not been overused as a contrivance and are very much a part of her well-rounded character. Another small quibble I have with this series is the gratuitous use of expletives like the F-word, which jar in an otherwise well-handled Regency setting.  There are other modernisms in the vernacular and sensibility of the stories but in most instances these mesh well and simply function to make the narrative and characters more relatable to a 21st century reader.

A few unanswered question were left hanging, or perhaps set up for answers in Book 5. Comparing apples with apples, Penance for the Dead is as strong as Book 1 in the series, so our team awarded the same 4.25 star rating. For readers not familiar with Regency Chronicle ratings, 4 plus stars mean ‘excellent across multiple criteria.’

Our thanks to the author, First Cup Press, and BookSirens for providing a review copy.  Cover image courtesy of First Cup Press © 2023.  Review by Pam Baker © 2023 The Regency Chronicle.