Death at Gallows Green (Victorian Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

A fan of the Anne Perry mysteries set in Victorian England, I was skeptical when a friend told me she thought the Robin Paige books were on an equal par. Reading "Death at Gallows Green" convinced me! Feisty (Kate) Kathryn Ardleigh, author-in-secret of a number of "penny-dreadfuls," is a fascinating heroine. Although she is an outspoken "recently rich" American with sometimes scandalous behavior in the eyes of the British ton, she has obviously won the heart of amateur detective and scientist Sir Charles Sheridan. They make not only a delightful sleuthing team, but an "unsyrupy," real opposite-attraction romantic mix!

The husband/wife writing team (Robin Paige) of "Death at Gallows Green" are well-versed in the nuances of life in Victorian England. For the most part, they do a fine job of providing the reader with historic relevance without bogging down the plot. I was particularly fascinated at their spell-binding weaving of fictional plot with factual characters. They did a wonderful job of bringing the children's author, Beatrix Potter, to life. From the discovery of the body of a local constable in Mr. McGregor's garden to the mystery of a lost child (along with Beatrix' soon-to-be-famous "Jemima Puddle-Duck"), the reader is drawn along a path of twists and turns in plot. In putting the book down at the end, I found myself thinking that if were to pick up "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," I might just meet some of the characters out of "Death at Gallow's Green!" -- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING!

In this, the 2nd of the Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries, the reader will find Kathryn Ardleigh firmly established as the mistress of Bishop's Keep after she inherited the Ardleigh estate following the death of her Aunts in the last book. She is still upsetting the local gentry with her clothing and behavior and she still could care less. In this book she picks up a friend in Beatrix Potter who along with her menagerie of animals pays a visit to Bishop's Keep. Kate and Bea decide to have an adventure and proceed to do just that, maybe getting just a little more adventure than they bargained for.

The adventure starts when a young couple out for a walk finds the local Constable who has been shot to death. It turns out that the deceased, Sergeant Arthur Oliver, is a childhood friend of both Constable Edward Laken and Sir Charles Sheridan an amateur photographer and budding criminologist. Laken and Sheridan are soon deeply involved in the investigation of this grisly murder despite a mysterious degree of interference form the Chief Constable in the area. As in the last book, Kate also begins to snoop around and despite repeated warnings about the danger she is putting herself in, Kate and Bea make several important discoveries. In the end, mostly through the efforts of Kate and Sir Charles, the mystery is solved and the guilty are jailed.

Running along with and as part of the story is the romance that is building between Kate and Sir Charles. Kate is not sure how to handle her feelings for Sir Charles because she has always valued her independence over any possible romantic involvement. Sir Charles who many consider to be a confirmed bachelor is very taken with Kate but believes that two of his close friends are also interested in her so he keeps his distance. Bea, who has been aquatinted with Charles for some time due to their shared interest in science is not long in seeing through his façade of indifference but is sworn to silence and cannot speak with Kate about her discovery. In the end, we are left with the distinct impression that in a book not too far down the road the two amateur detectives will form a partnership that is based on much more than bringing criminals to justice.

I found that this book was even more engaging than the first and I liked the first book quite a bit. This story draws the reader in more and more as it goes along, like a good mystery should and I found that I couldn't wait to find out what had happened to various characters who at one time or another were in grave danger. The husband and wife team who write these mysteries under the name of Robin Paige have also done a wonderful job of bringing Victorian England to life, so much so that I found myself craving tea as I read about all of the tea these people were drinking. The introduction of Beatrix Potter into the story added a great deal to it's charm as did her animals and those of young Betsy Oliver. I promise that you will come to think of Betsy Oliver as a very real child and you will worry about her as if she were a child that you have known for years. The writing in this book is just that good. And if you pay close attention, you may just figure out the mystery even before Sir Charles and Kate do.

Death at Gallows Green is the second installment in the Victorian Mysteries by Robin Paige. It is even more delightful than the first. Kate Ardleigh meets Beatrix Potter at a house party and invites her to Bishop's Keep for a visit and adventure. They certainly have an adventure when a police constable is found murdered, and subsequent inquiries try to blacken his name which would deny his young wife and daughter a pension. The daughter, Betsy, is a remarkable little girl and a delight, as is the characterization of Beatrix Potter. Bea knows Sir Charles Sheridan, who arrives to help solve the murder, and she realizes that Kate and Charles have strong feelings for each other. Sir Charles believes Kate has two other suitors whom she prefers, and Kate is unsure of Charles' regard, or the advisability of becoming involved with a man at all when she wants to remain a mystery author. The two do a much better job of solving the mystery; Sir Charles with new forensic science (very well depicted by the authors) and Kate with her keen intellect and ability to sense motivations. They are a perfect partnering, and Paige handles there characterizations with a loving and light touch that are a pleasure to read. As mentioned above, the advent of forensic science is a major theme in the Victorian Mystery series, and the authors (Paige is a husband-wife writing duo) have researched the field well. They present not only the the implementation of these new techniques but the dubious responses they received by the general public and juries. All in all, a delightful and engaging mystery.