Carol K. Carr India Black and the Widow of Windsor (2011)
Ah the miracle that is a pre-ordered book, about which one has entirely forgotten, popping onto the Kindle on its day of release. I really enjoyed the first India Black mystery {REVIEW} and the second proved to be a pretty good follow up.
India - the brothel madam with a secret past - and the mysterious French are dispatched by Disraeli to Balmoral where Queen Victoria has been persuaded to spend Christmas. She was persuaded by a spirit message from the dead Albert, which is the first hint that Carr's Queen Victoria is going to be characterised by most of her least attractive traits - "In any other family, Her Majesty’s eccentricities would have meant a locked room in the attic and a lifetime of meals on trays" - such as gluttony and her ill-considered relationship with Mr Brown.
But the Queen has other problems than mere eccentricity: Scottish nationalists are plotting to assassinate her in Scotland, and India and French must go undercover to discover the assassins. In India's case, she must pretend to be a lady's maid to a wildly eccentric Marchioness with a snuff habit and - more worryingly - a habit of sniffing out India's secrets. This "snuff-dipping, narcoleptic bibliophile" makes for some of the funniest moments in the book.
India Black & the Widow of Windsor is a satisfying 'cosy' mystery with an acceptably historical enough set of trappings (I frowned at the housekeeper being a 'Miss': aren't Victorian housekeepers granted an honorary 'Mrs'? Or have I got that wrong?). The sexual tension between India and French continues to grow, albeit slowly, and the little hints at India's past tantalise the reader. Some of the minor characters are also very amusing, notably 'Bertie', Queen Vicky's naughty heir.
Rating: 7/10. An easy frolic. There were a couple of odd typos: wretch (for 'retch'); broach (for 'brooch'). Eek.
If you liked this... the Lady Julia Grey mysteries by Deanna Raybourn are an obvious parallel.
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