Another excellent book about Lord Wrexford, Lady Charlotte and the family. Aunt Alison, the weasels, Raven and Hawk, peregrine, Kit Sheffield, Lady Cordelia, Henning, Tyler and Mac. And a newcomer, Horatio, nephew to Dowager Alison.

An intriguing mystery which includes interesting information about a life changing invention. ( )

Another good story in the series. I like the characters and the growing menagerie of friends. The stories are well done and captivating. ( )

Not my favorite of the series. I like the characters but all the descriptions of steam engines, paddle boats, turn screws, etc. had me skipping through pages. Charlotte and Wrex’s friends, Cordelia and Skip arguing about an investment opportunity (scam) and postponing their engagement highlighted the inequality of women in the Regency era. It did have an exciting ending with Charlotte and her aunt kidnapped and all the characters coming together to save them. ( )

Murder At The Merton Library is the seventh book in the Wrexford And Sloane Historical Mystery series by Andrea Penrose.

Lord Wrexford receives a short note from the librarian, Neville Greely, at Merton Library imploring him to come to Oxford as he has some vital information. Greely had served with Wrexford’s late brother in Portugal during the war. Wrexford immediately sets off for Oxford, but when he arrives, Wrexford finds that Greely has been murdered and a valuable manuscript has been stolen. Wrexford will soon learn that Greely had an argument with someone shortly before his death, and Wrexford’s name comes up; this leads Wrexford to want to learn more about Greely’s death and gain an understanding of his brother’s death.

In the meantime, Charlotte also has a mystery to look into also. Two consortiums are racing to develop a steam engine and propeller to make travel on the ocean faster and more economical. When a fire occurs at a warehouse of one of the consortiums, which appears to be arson, Charlotte is on the scene wondering if the fire was arson. Important drawings were stolen before the fire started. Charlotte also wonders what Wrexford’s close friend, Kit Sheffield, was doing at the fire scene. Raven, Falcon, and Peregrine will provide important information about one of the consortium's works.

Charlotte’s Aunt Alison has a more important role in this book. The introduction of her nephew, Horatio, Raven, and Falcon, nicknamed his Osprey, is essential in solving the mystery. The story is well-written and plotted with an exciting cast of well-developed characters. There were enough twists and turns that I kept guessing who the killer was until the end of the book. The weaving of scientific events into the story is always enjoyable. The author provides an informative Author Note at the end of the book.

I will be looking forward to the next book in this enjoyable series. ( )

Another great Regency era historical mystery featuring the now marriedteam of Wrexford and Sloane. I skipped a few installments and was pleasantly surprised to see their partnership had gone in the direction I hoped it would. What I am enjoying about this series is that it adds to the things that make Regency novels so fascinating, such as the elaborate social conventions and etiquette, by working the industrial advances of the period into the plots. This one has a slightly steampunk quality to it except that it’s all based on actual scientific experiments and inventions. My thanks to Goodreads Giveaways and the publisher for an advance copy to review and a new series for my must-read mysteries list. ( )