Liberty Lane, the heroine of Peacock's A Foreign Affair and A Dangerous Affair is back with a new mystery to solve.
The elderly Lord Brinkburn has been in an asylum for the mentally insane for several years and is now near death. His elder son, Stephen, would inherit the family title and great wealth, but a rumor is going around London society that Stephen is not legitimate and that younger brother Miles must inherit. Strangely, the rumor seems to have been started by the boys' mother, Lady Brinkburn.
In an effort to quietly and without scandal discover the truth, sometimes sleuth Liberty Lane is hired by the Brinkburn family lawyer. Liberty is able to befriend one son, gain the confidence of the lady, and be on hand when a family servant is found murdered. More complications are introduced when Stephen goes missing, and, a little later, so does Liberty's new maid, Tabby. The novel is filled with a host of likable and unlikeable characters, none of whom the reader can wholly trust.
Peacock's London is a mixture of stable dust, apricot silk gowns, and a bit of mutton; her subtle use of Victorian minutiae brings to life the setting, while keeping the focus of the story on the Brinkburn family secrets and the escapades of Liberty Lane. Liberty is a clever and independent detective, and A Family Affair is a fun and entertaining mystery novel. ( )

I love Miss Liberty Lane. This adventure begins with Miss Lane being asked to look into whether a woman is mad or not. There is a question of the next heir in the family and the mother is saying the eldest is not the legitimate heir because she was visited by a dark knight and not her husband. Of course, this turns into a long investigation along with Miss Lane becoming entangled in her own drama. It was a good story and I can't wait to see if she has more adventures. I love her character. She never acts like she knows everything, but sort of stumbles through the investigation and still finding out the correct result in the end. ( )

The third novel in Caro Peacock's Liberty Lane series, about a Victorian lady detective in London. Although A Corpse in Shining Armour is another solid mystery with a surprising twist in the final chapters, the narrative is slower paced than in the previous book, and Liberty seems to have transformed over the space of a year from a curious young woman into a seasoned private intelligencer. Still satisfying, but lacking the personal angle of the first two books.

Disraeli asks Liberty to investigate an aristocratic family squabble involving a mother who allegedly wants to disown her eldest son. The Brinkburns are almost gothic in their dysfunctional antics - Lord Brinkburn, estranged from his wife and sons, is slowly dying from third stage syphilis in a private asylum; Lady Brinkburn fancies herself as a romantic heroine, abused by her husband and locked away in the family home; and the two sons are fighting over the inheritance. When Lady Brinkburn claims that eldest son Stephen is not the legitimate heir to his father's title and estate, all hell breaks loose, and Liberty must try and make sense of their tangled schemes. The tension increases when a dead body is unpacked instead of the family suit of armour.

I enjoyed the mystery, even though we never really get a chance to connect with any of the characters. And yet Caro Peacock somehow manages to avoid the usual cliches and stereotypes of detective fiction - the cockney urchin, the garrulous socialite, the kindly lady of the manor - by weaving personality and subtle detail into the narrative. Flighty Celia, Liberty's former student from the first novel, provides delightful comic relief, and Tabby is sure to make a suitable sidekick for the lady detective. I was hoping for a closing line about Daniel and Jenny's baby, just because I like Mr Suter, but I wasn't too disappointed with how everything turned out! Another entertaining and well written historical mystery. ( )

The latest Liberty Lane mystery is rich in historic detail and intrigue. Looking forward to more in the series. ( )

I decided to read the third in the series shortly after the second before I forgot about it again. Disappointed to find no sign of a fourth book in the series yet.

Early Victorian London; jousting is the latest craze among young aristocrats & a paternity question arises between the two sons of a dying Lord. Liberty Lane steps in to investigate. Fun. I guessed one of the twists but it's well plotted and that didn't matter. Occassional anachronous-ish foresight by the characters - as when they think it would be nice to have a test for paternity like scientists test for acids & alkalis - just adds to the entertainment. ( )