Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Murder at Somerset House by Andrea Penrose

 

Murder at Somerset House (Kensington, 30 September 2025) is the ninth book in the Regency historical mystery series by Andrea Penrose. Set in late March 1815, England is enjoying a spell of peace now that Napoleon is sequestered on the island of Elba off the coast of Italy. Charlotte Sloane is hopeful that her household can focus on family matters for awhile. Her hopes are doomed, as her husband the Earl of Wrexford is asked to assist in the investigation of the death of a scientist who was killed outside the headquarters of the Royal Society in Somerset House a few hours after a presentation that claimed that electricity and magnetism were related forces. His ideas were met with open anger and Scotland Yard first assumed the murder was personal.

Wrexford declines at first and then is pulled into the larger puzzle surrounding the homicide when England learns that Napoleon has escaped and is marching on Paris, pitching the nation back into war. Spies report that the French are also looking into the practical uses of electromagnetism and were believed to have developed an early form of the telegraph, which would give them advanced communications capability on the battlefield. Suddenly the death of the scientist takes on broader potential meaning.

Fact is woven invisibly into the investigation. During their inquiries Charlotte and Wrexford meet the young Michael Faraday who established the principles of electromagnetism. The budding stock market and the financial equations that explain the impact of stock profits and losses on the overall economy are explored. The early use of messenger pigeons as a communications device also is examined.

Like the St. Cyr series by C. S. Harris, these books are as much history as they are mystery. The Regency was a fascinating time, socially, politically, and scientifically. Fans of historical mysteries will want to look at this latest adventure.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Kensington

·         Publication date: September 30, 2025

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎368 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎149673999X

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1496739995

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nRVi5G

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025

 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.