A Sinister Revenge

Raybourn’s eighth entry in the Veronica Speedwell series finds Veronica at the country estate of the Templeton-Vane family, along with various Templeton-Vane brothers and a house party full of potential murderers. Twenty years ago, a member of Tiberius Templeton-Vane’s close group of friends died on the estate, and now members of their friend group are being murdered. Certain that his own life is in danger, Tiberius has invited back everyone who was on the estate at that time, ostensibly to commemorate the anniversary of their friend’s death, but really in the hopes of unmasking the killer. Stoker, the brother who has been Veronica’s colleague, lover, and constant companion, is not ready to move beyond their romantic problems and agrees to join the house party only when made an offer that’s too good to refuse. Without Stoker as her partner in this investigation, Veronica has to adapt her sleuthing strategy and make use of help from unlikely sources. Series narrator Angèle Masters deftly voices the novel’s large cast of international characters.