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    A Murderous Relation
    A Murderous Relation
    A Murderous Relation
    Audiobook11 hours

    A Murderous Relation

    Written by Deanna Raybourn

    Narrated by Angele Masters

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A royal scandal’s connection to a brutal serial killer threatens London in this new Veronica Speedwell adventure from New York Times bestselling and Edgar® Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

    Autumn 1888. Veronica Speedwell and her colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to stop a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, and the proprietress, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie would like Veronica and Stoker to retrieve it from the club before scandal can break.

    Worse yet, London is being terrorized by what would become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper—and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.
    Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Aurore's high-class brothel, where a body soon turns up. Secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family—and it is up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth, before it is too late for all of them.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 10, 2020
    ISBN9781501986185
    A Murderous Relation
    Author

    Deanna Raybourn

    New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist. Deanna makes her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter and is hard at work on her next novel.

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    Reviews for A Murderous Relation

    4.5/5

    199 ratings17 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Love this series!!!
      Seven more words to fill the requirement.
    • 5/5
      Full of suspense and I love the independent spirit of the Veronica Speedwell character and her rhetoric with Stoker. Looking forward to the last book of the series coming out March 2021.
    • 5/5
      These stories are the best of historical fiction! Deanna Raybourn combines sympathetically researched history, adventurous plots, and compelling romance. I’m going to need to read book one... again.
    • 5/5
      This is the fifth historical mystery starring Veronica Speedwell and Stoker Templeton-Vane. It takes place in the autumn of 1888 when London is being terrorized by a criminal called Jack the Ripper. Lady Wellie has asked them to assist the Princess of Wales whose son Prince Albert Victor has given a very expensive gift to a woman of very questionable virtue. Veronica isn't eager to do any favors for a family that won't acknowledge her but, after Lady Wellie suffers a medical emergency, she and Stoker decide to investigate.Their investigation takes them to Madame Aurore's very exclusive private club where they encounter the mysterious patroness, two decidedly dodgy servants, and the young prince himself. Mayhem ensues which leads to the kidnapping of Veronica, Stoker, and the prince. They seem to have gotten themselves into the middle of two separate plots with old enemies and new and it takes all their skills to get themselves out of danger.I really enjoy these historical mysteries which are told by Veronica who has a rather eccentric viewpoint. She is as much troubled by the idea of actually having a relationship with Stoker as she is with the troubles involving her younger half-brother. I liked the setting and the depictions of life for the poor at the time. I liked that Veronica can see how much her life could be like the Ripper's victims except for an accident of birth that puts her into a higher social class. Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this series with its intriguing characters.
    • 4/5
      I really love this series. It has been unfolding nicely. This installment wraps up some loose ends introduced in the first book. Unfortunately, it's been some time since I read the first book, but i think the author gave enough background for me to remember who was who.

      Turtle weddings, everyone's relations, masquerades, jewels, death, kidnapping, Stoker eating desert. Pretty much checks all the boxes.
    • 3/5
      Returned from Cornwall, Veronica and Stoker have plans to face the new realities of their relationship. However, they've barely settled back into their lives in London when their services are engaged to retrieve a gem foolishly handed out by one of the heirs to the throne. However, a bit of digging reveals that darker things may be afoot and as London cowers in fear of Jack the Ripper, Veronica and Stoker have other evils to face.Not a bad entry in the series but not fantastic either. There are some great set piece moments in the novel but all of them feel as though they drag on too long. Veronica also does a few internal mental circles that retrace the same ground, which felt unnecessary. That said, the book was entertaining enough for what it was trying to do, some big relationship stuff happens for Veronica and Stoker, and I'm still enjoying the series enough to continue.
    • 5/5
      Great story, with several pulse-pounding moments. Always a delight to listen to Veronica's next adventure, in all it's loud and bossy glory. Loved that she has believable respect for gender pronouns, loved the creepy and dreadful tie-in with the Ripper case, and especially the respect for the victims. Loved the ongoing romance and how it plays out against the background of an up-scale bawdy house and yet another kidnapping. Cameos by several great previous characters, developments on several new ones that I like as well. Delicious and spirited, just like Veronica.
    • 4/5
      A fan from the start of the series, I always thought the mc being based on a real historical figure gave the books that little extra something, but when I finished this one, as much as I enjoyed it, I thought ‘the author certainly took some creative liberties in this one’. Which shows how much I know about history; every part I found fantastical turned out to be based on true events. So all I can say now is, poor Prince Albert Victor; even if some of the more spurious speculations about him took place long after his death, his memory seems unfairly tarnished. Veronica and Stoker's story was a good time though. The plot was well crafted, though not a mystery, really. This was much more about foiling a two-pronged conspiracy, and while murder was done, there was no mystery as to who did it. Raybourn also used the storyline's backdrop of Whitechapel and the Jack the Ripper murders to spotlight the social inequities of the Victorian age. And finally, after 5 books, there is finally some advancement between Veronica and Stoker, which, while the romance isn't the thing for me, is a relief, because I find tension of any kind, too long strung out, to be tedious in the extreme. It took me too long to get this book because of the pandemic, but the upside is the next one has already been announced, so I know I'll have another to look forward to soon.
    • 4/5
      1888. Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk needs the help of Veronica Speedwell and Stoker, to help solve a problem. Actually two problems, both involving Prince Albert Victor, known as Eddy. He the foolish man has given his l'amour a distinguish piece of jewellery, and now is the time of the Ripper.
      An enjoyable and well-written historical story, with its entertaining interactions, not just between the main pair.
      A NetGalley Book
    • 4/5
      Resting from their previous and very strenuous case, Veronica and Stoker engage min delivering the stuffed ass that he has just completed.
    • 5/5
      Ooh! Such a delicious addition to the Veronica Speedwell mystery series from the pen of gifted and imaginative writer, Deanna Raybourn. The year is 1888; the setting - an anxious London, as Jack the Ripper runs unchecked through its streets. Our derring-do protagonist, Veronica, along with her protective and magnificent specimen of the male species, Stoker, have been called back to London by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerc, after their recent harrowing adventure down in Cornwall. Lady Wellie believes there to be mischief afoot, which may well involve a member of the royal family. She implores Veronica and Stoker to investigate which leads them to a private club often frequented by said royal, (who just happens to be related to Veronica). It doesn't take long for plans to go awry and a corpse to come to light. And so, the adventure begins.Ms. Raybourn has done an excellent job of weaving current historical events into the continuing storyline of our undaunted Veronica and her beloved Stoker. The dialogue is spectacular and witty. The mise en scène is superb as it formulates a world drawing on all of the reader's senses. The tension runs high, the pacing is excellent and just when you think all is tied up in a pretty bow, there's a new twist which heightens the tension a bit further. In the end, all is drawn to a successful conclusion leaving any armchair sleuth fully satisfied.As much as I thoroughly enjoyed this story, I would be remiss if I did not mention the adult nature of some of the material contained within it. Although never graphic, there is dialogue and innuendo of a sexual nature and a bit of gore. It is tastefully proferred and at times, quite amusing.Can you read this as a stand alone book? Certainly, by why would you want to when the entire series is fabulous and there are four other adventures which lead up to this one. I recommend them all.Synopsis (from publisher's website):Autumn 1888. Veronica Speedwell and her colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to stop a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Prince Albert Victor is a regular visitor to the most exclusive private club in London, and the proprietress, Madame Aurore, has received an expensive gift that can be traced back to the prince. Lady Wellie would like Veronica and Stoker to retrieve it from the club before scandal can break. Worse yet, London is being terrorized by what would become the most notorious and elusive serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper—and Lady Wellie suspects the prince may be responsible.Veronica and Stoker reluctantly agree to go undercover at Madame Auroreʼs high-class brothel, where a body soon turns up. Secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family—and it is up to Veronica and Stoker to find the truth, before it is too late for all of them.
    • 4/5
      This is a good one! Lady Wellingtonia orchestrates a meeting for Veronica and her step-mother Princess of Wales and Inspector Archibond. They are concerned about Prince Albert Victor’s (Eddy) behavior while trying to arrange a marriage. Eddy has been visiting a sex club and it would be disastrous for the monarchy. He has given the madam an expensive piece of jewelry. Veronica doesn’t want to be involved with that side of her family but Lady Wellie convinces her to help after receiving information that Eddy could be Ripper. Stoker won’t let Veronica do this on her own and they start on a wild adventure that sends them to a sex club, involved in a political plot, gets them kidnapped along with Eddy, an adventurous escape through Whitechapel, involved in the madam’s murder where her body later turns up in their home.
    • 4/5
      Veronica Speedwell and Revelstoke Templeton-Vane are still recovering from their latest adventure, and continuing to hesitate about taking their relationship in the obvious direction, when Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk summons them with an alarming note making reference to the Jack the Ripper killings currently terrifying London. When they arrive, though, Lady Wellie is also receiving a visit from the Princess of Wales (who is, technically, Veronica's stepmother), and Inspector Archibond, of Special Branch.It seems Prince Albert Victor, family name "Eddy," eldest son of the Prince of Wales, is involved in a bit of scandal, right at the time the royal family is attempting to arrange a marriage for him with Princess Alix of Hesse. Eddy is in love with her, but she is a young lady of strict morals, and learning that Eddy has been carrying on at the most exclusive sex club in London will end the negotiations. The Princess of Wales even fears the scandal could rock the monarchy. It's really unfortunate that Eddy has given the proprietress of the establishment an expensive jewel, with his initials on it.This fear seems far over the top to Veronica and Stoker, and Veronica is not at all inclined to help the family that doesn't acknowledge her with such a petty scandal. She is firm; the Princess understands, more or less.Lady Wellie is very, very distressed. So distressed that she is soon unconscious, due to angina or apoplexy, and Archibond tells them of how distressed Lady Wellie has seemed for some days now. Once he's taken his leave, and the doctor has made Lady Wellie as comfortable as possible, Veronica and Stoker talk themselves into searching her desk.They find evidence that Lady Wellie has received notes hinting that Eddy is the Ripper, and that she's been trying determine if he has a convincing alibi. Based on this, the two further talk themselves into retrieving the jewel after all, and attempting to determine for themselves if Eddy is the Ripper.This is the start of another harrowing adventure, and they find that they are contending with not one but two plots against the monarchy. It is, as always, complicated, intriguing, and balances Veronica's independent adventures and the reality of both the practical limitations on women in the Victorian ere and the ways women like Veronica Speedwell got around them. The relationship between Veronica and Stoker is mutually respectful as well as mutually devoted, and we get more glimpses of Stoker's owned strained place in the Templeton-Vane family, as well and Veronica's reluctantly growing knowledge of her royal relatives.It's a lot of fun. Enjoy!I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley
    • 5/5
      This was a fantastic installment in a much-loved series! This is the fifth book in the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries series which is a series that is best read in order. I have been with Veronica since the beginning and am finding that I like this series more and more with each installment. I read this book in just a couple of days and found it to be incredibly entertaining. I really had a great time with this book.I have grown to love Veronica, Stoker, and some of the other recurring characters in this series. Veronica and Stoker work very well together and obviously are quite good at solving mysteries. They also have a lot of chemistry. We have been gradually watching the heat grow between these two since the beginning of the series and while I do sometimes wish things would move a bit faster, it is obvious how much they care about each other.The mystery in this book was a bit unexpected. Veronica's heritage is a well-kept secret. Because of her connections, she is asked to look into some of the dealings of the prince. He has given a piece of jewelry that can be traced back to him to a woman who runs a scandalous club and his family wants it back before anyone can find out about it. Of course, things are never easy and Veronica and Stoker must navigate a pretty dangerous situation before everything is settled. Throw in the famous Jack the Ripper murders which are happening and you have quite an exciting story on your hands. This book had everything that I hoped it would have. There were some rather light-hearted moments and some pretty intense scenes. I loved the chemistry between the characters and am loving the way Veronica and Stoker are slowly working their way towards each other. There were a few surprises in this book and I really enjoyed the fact that the Jack the Ripper murders were a part of this story. I thought that the pacing of the story was very well done and I found the book hard to put down.I would highly recommend this book to others. This is a smartly written mystery series with incredibly wonderful characters. I cannot wait to read more of Veronica and Stoker's adventures!I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
    • 3/5
      I have followed Veronica and Stoker since the beginning. I really have enjoyed this time period mystery series. Although, the real reason that I really like this series is because of Veronica and Stoker. Their love for one another is great but they also have a witty banter between them. When I read the words "Jack the Ripper", I got very excited. Yet, I found myself struggling to connect with this story. Even with the appearance of Veronica and Stoker and their witty banter, it could not keep me fully embraced in the story. Yet, I did like getting to know more about Veronica's little brother, Eddie.
    • 5/5
      Ah! The tension of it all! Oh My! That unresolved attraction between Veronica and Stoker. I can hardly bear the tension. Veronica shares that. Moments of seething awareness has appeared between them constantly, only to be shelved as something or someone rudely interrupts. Even here Veronica complains to herself at a key moment, "This was not the time for erotic pursuits, I told myself severely. We had a mystery to solve and would need all of our wits about us. There would be ample opportunity later for the amatory arts."By now Veronica Speedwell and Revelstoke Templeton-Vane, have become deeply involved in mysteries involving the ton, and the unacknowledged Veronica's royal relations.Veronica and Stoker are called to Lady Wellie's (Wellingtonia Beauclerk) as a pretext for a direct request from the Princess of Wales, wife to Veronica's father, to recover an ill advised jewellery item, a distinctive diamond star badge, gifted by Prince Albert Victor or Eddy, Veronica's half brother, to a renowned courtesan.What begins as a refusal to bow to unlooked for and unappreciated family entanglements by Veronica ends in a plot to wrest kingship away from the Prince of Wales, and a deeper motive, that of leaving Britain in the throes of anarchy.An on the edge of your seat adventure with my two favorite characters Veronica and Stoker, that encompasses unrest in 1880 Britain, the public's Jack the Ripper fears and suspicions, the idiosyncrasies of the Royals, the legality of Veronica's mother relationship with the Prince, murder and mystery, and the magical tie that lies between Veronica and Stocker.Friends and enemies appear from unlooked places, upping the ante and occasionally levelling the playing field. There's a host of interesting side characters including the audacious lady journalist J. J. Butterworth and Special Branch policeman, Mornaday.Let's not forget Lady Rose, youngest daughter of their delightfully eccentric, and very British patron, Earl of Rosemorran. Lady Rose is a wonderful inclusion who when we first meet is organizing a marriage for the Galapagos Tortoise Honoria. So quirky!I felt the same sort of euphoria I remember when the issue of the Phantom Comic hit the shelves in the 1970's headed 'Married at last.' (No, that is not Veronica and Stocker's relationship, I'm just expressing my emotions about them.)I adored every minute! A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
    • 5/5
      I am enjoying this fun, thrilling, intense, and even romantic series so very much. The writing is intelligent, the plots are excellently done, and the romantic tension between the two main characters will leave you panting for breath. I have to admit, I couldn’t put the book down and inhaled it from beginning to end – in one sitting. I mean – honestly – when the first line in a book is “What in the name of flaming Hades do you mean his lordship wants me to officiate at the wedding of a tortoise?” – you just know you are going to love it! BTW – you’ll absolutely giggle every time Stoker curses – he is so very inventive – luckily, he curses often. You can read this as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading at least the first book of the series, A Curious Beginning, so you become familiar with the characters and their backgrounds, how they meet, etc. – you’ll love the book and it will give you a good foundation for the rest of the series.Victorian London is in an uproar because of a series of grisly, horrific murders in the Whitechapel area. News sheets are calling for those in power to resign because they cannot apprehend the perpetrator. Those same news sheets are sensationalizing the murders. One lone reporter, J. J. Butterworth, is featuring the actual victims in her column – humanizing them, telling their stories rather than just calling them prostitutes. You’ll love J. J. as a recurring character.Stoker and Veronica are called to see the formidable Lady Wellingtonia (Wellie) Beauclerk (a recurring character). They are asked to see about retrieving an expensive and inappropriate gift that Prince Albert Edward has given to a very exclusive courtesan. That gift is readily traceable back to the prince and should it become known; it would cause a scandal that could bring the monarchy down – especially in these times with a horrendous murderer about. When they refuse to do Wellie’s bidding, she has a heart seizure and they quickly come to realize that there is more to the story than they originally thought.The mystery is filled with many twists and turns and not everyone is who they appear to be – and some returning from the dead. With murders, kidnappings, rescues, plots, and plots-within-plots, you’ll be on the edge of your seat throughout the entire read. I certainly recommend the read and hope you will love it as much as I did.I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.