A Gentleman in Pursuit of Truth

Absolutely wonderful characters & the author had me chasing all over following clues, just like the sleuth. I usually solve mysteries long before the end, but not this one. I had to wait until all was revealed, along with the people in the story. And then sheer delight at realizing the clues were there all along, in plain sight, & I let myself be distracted, just like Lord Julian. Wow! While this is a stand alone mystery, be prepared to find yourself buying & binging the rest in the series. I was lucky enough to be given an advance reader copy by the author & now I’m well & truly hooked. No one is who you think they are, from the villain of the piece to the body. I was completely sucked in by writing so vivid I could almost taste the food, smell the kennel or feel the horse straining under me to take the jumps.

Lord Julian takes on a search for a missing hunting dog at the request of his brother the Duke’s close friend, Osgood Banter. Just as Julian begins to piece the puzzle together, he is summarily ordered to abandon the case, which only serves to encourage him to pursue it, albeit quietly. When he finds that the dog’s owner is essentially blackmailing the entire village, Julian is determined to expose the scoundrel and return the village to the bucolic hamlet it once was. The writing in Ms. Burrowes latest novel is, as always, beautifully descriptive and period appropriate. The mystery seems to be completely unsolvable, with the permutations of that scandal affecting the entire village, along with Julian’s brother. And yet, by the end of the book, all has come right. The Lord Julian Mysteries are beautifully constructed so the reader is kept in suspense until the last, which makes for wonderful reading. This book was provided by the author without any requirement for a review, positive or otherwise. All opinions are 100% my own.