A Grave Robbery

Raybourn dedicates her latest to series narrator Angèle Masters, who artfully brings to life the ninth installment in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series (following A Sinister Revenge). Lady Rose, the precocious daughter of Lord Rosemorran, has asked for a rather unusual birthday gift this year—her very own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud. What luck that her father, in purchasing yet more items for Veronica and taxidermist Stoker to catalog, stumbles upon a wax figure in storage. The earl asks Stoker to insert a clockwork mechanism to bring the figure to life, but they are horrified to discover that the beautiful figure is actually a corpse. Veronica and Stoker set out to find out who this young lady was and how she ended up encased in wax. The investigative duo soon encounter all sorts of bizarre happenings, from comically finding themselves as part of a display to discovering unsettling, Frankenstein-like science experiments. Masters nails her depiction of Veronica, imbuing her character with vivacity while capturing the delicious tension of Veronica and Stoker’s blossoming relationship.