Murder at the Opera
An Atlas Catesby Mystery
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4.0 • 16 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
When a nobleman's mistress is gunned down on the steps of the Covent Garden opera house, brilliant adventurer Atlas Catesby discovers a sinister family connection that compels him to investigate.
London, 1815. Amateur sleuth Atlas Catesby is about to discover the dark side of the bright lights. His long-awaited night at the opera with Lady Lilliana ends abruptly when a notorious courtesan is shot to death in Covent Garden.
The infamous victim was the mistress of the powerful Marquess of Vessey. Atlas believes that the marquess--his former brother in law--is responsible for the long-ago death of Atlas's sister, Phoebe. Atlas seizes the opportunity to potentially avenge his sister's death. But his inquiry is complicated when Phoebe's grown son implores Atlas to help prove Vessey's innocence.
Plunging into the cutthroat backstage life of the theatre community, the adventurer and the noblewoman soon discover that ruthless professional rivalries can escalate into violence, setting the stage for death in Murder at the Opera, D. M. Quincy's third riveting Atlas Catesby mystery set in Regency England.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the outset of Quincy's superior third Regency mystery (after 2018's Murder in Bloomsbury), Atlas Catesby is helping Lady Roslyn Lilliana Warwick into a carriage after a Covent Garden opera performance when they hear screams amid the crowd. Rushing to help, Atlas finds a woman dead from a pistol shot. The victim is Wendela Pike, the longtime mistress of Atlas's former brother-in-law, the Marquess of Vessey. Long suspecting Vessey of causing his sister Phoebe's fatal fall down a staircase 20 years earlier, Atlas sees the marquess as the likely culprit. But Vessey has an alibi, and other suspects abound. With Lilliana's help, Atlas investigates the turbulent lives of Wendela's illegitimate son, clergyman Samuel Brown, and her jealous rival at Covent Garden, Juliet Jennings. Meanwhile, Atlas's love for Lilliana deepens, though her status as the daughter of a duke makes him afraid to declare his feelings. With its well-plotted mystery, nuanced depiction of London society, and appealing characters, this entry is the series' strongest to date. Regency fans will be rewarded.
