Title: A Murderous Relation
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Series: Veronica Speedwell #5
I adore this series
My profuse thanks to Deanna Raybourn, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
No major spoilers, but I might have let a few minor ones slip through.
This book was awesome. If I hadn’t had a prior commitment last night, I’d have inhaled this book in one day. After reading the very first line—“‘What in the name of flaming Hades do you mean his lordship wants me to officiate at the wedding of a tortoise?’”—honest to god, my only thought was, “Oh yeah. This is gonna be good.”
It had its faults. Some might say it lolled a bit while Veronica was meandering through the halls of Club de l’Etoile, or while they were at the warehouse. I felt the pace dragging in those parts, but I was enjoying the quality time with the characters so much that I didn’t care.
I was disappointed regarding one particular event toward the end, though, for the opposite reason. I felt something happened too quickly and was lamentably glossed over. I wouldn’t have minded for the event to have been drawn out with more detail and suspense and drama.
Also, some readers might have two possible problems with the plot. One: Those who have read the other books in the series might feel that the plot is recycled. And it kind-of-sort-of is. I know my enthusiasm deflated a bit when a certain character entered the story. Two: Those who expected Jack the Ripper to be an actual character will be disappointed. He’s more of a shadow looming over the story than an actual presence within it. The threat of him is used to convey setting, set tone, and create some peripheral tension.
Lastly, and it’s arguable whether this is a flaw on the book’s part or mine—there were so many unfamiliar words. I think I had to look up more words in this book than any other since studying literature in high school.
But again, I was enjoying myself too much to care about any of those things. Every character, from the mains to the most secondary, came to life and jumped right off the page. Mornaday and Butterworth continue to grow on me, and I look forward to seeing more of them. The devious Lady Rose somehow carved out a place in my heart. I adored all the pets, even the poor frustrated Patricia. And to my surprise, I fell a little in love with sweet, hapless Eddy.
And of course, I fell deeper in love with both Veronica and Stoker, not to mention their beautiful relationship, which is finally openly romantic, thank fucking god. And that’s not a spoiler, because if you’ve read the other books you’ve been expecting it, and if you haven’t, Veronica speaks of it almost immediately.
On that topic, Raybourn expressed a sentiment that I’ve been struggling to put into words for years. “He was not another half, for I was whole unto myself. But he was my mirror, and in him I saw reflected all that I liked best in me.” That line and so many others were so eloquently and intelligently written that I simply marveled at Raybourn’s talent for prose.
Along with her talent for creative cursing. Every time Stoker curses, I smile. I wonder if there’s a list of them somewhere. The most notable in this book was: “‘What in the name of the oozing wounds of Christ is happening?’”
I should mention there’s a lot of frank discussion about sex in this book, even more than in A Perilous Undertaking. From Patricia’s frustration to Veronica and Stoker’s frustration to Tiberius’s predilections to the necessities of poor women to the illicit escapades of the royals and to, most prominently, the Club de l’Etoile—you either get comfortable with it quickly or not at all.
Looking to the future, I don’t have my hopes up for babies or further commitment any time soon, if ever, because it’s been made more than clear that neither of them are keen on the idea of marriage or children of their own, and it would make sleuthing difficult, anyway. But Veronica finally admitted there’s been a change in her attitude and allowed herself to commit her heart to Stoker, plus I have a feeling it would be easier for Stoker to settle down than he thinks, so I’ll continue to believe it’s possible to see them start a family one day when they’ve gotten more wanderlust out of their systems. I would be fascinated—and no doubt amused—to watch how they handle a baby. I can already hear their frank and scientific discussion of the biology at work. And I can see big, muscular Stoker being more maternal than Veronica.
I still don’t completely understand what happened with Lady Cordelia between books three and four. I mean, I know she had a baby out of wedlock, but what happened to it? Who was the father? I have a hard time believing Raybourn would have something like that happen for no reason, so perhaps that tidbit will become a plot later on.
Overall, I loved this book and will no doubt be revisiting it. I’m already bursting with excitement for the next one. I want so badly to get into her Julia Grey mysteries, but they’re not available on audiobook at my library for some reason. I can borrow the ebooks, but audiobook is a much easier—and sometimes more fun—way for me to consume them. I think it might be because they’re exclusive to Audible, which, if that’s the case, fucking sucks. I come up against that problem more and more, and it’s a pain the goddamn ass. I loathe Audible to the depths of my soul, have for years, and loathe it all the more because someday I’ll be forced to subscribe to them—when I can fucking afford it. I feel the same about Brilliance Audio, who also refuse to share downloadable audiobooks with libraries. Grr. Just grr.
*brightens* But anyway, to end on a better note, A Murderous Relation was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend the series.
