A Covent Garden Mystery

A Covent Garden Mystery by Ashley Gardner is the sixth book (and possibly last) book in the Captain Lacey series. We've seen Lacey mature amazingly since book one when he was a friendless, alcoholic fighting physical pain and personal demons. Now Lacey has just met his daughter Gabriella after a separation of over fifteen years, but she quickly disappears, and Lacey suspects that it may have something to do with the disappearances of two prostitutes from Covent Garden. He marshalls all of the resources he's acquired in the previous several books from Grenville's friends in society, Marianne's in the demimonde, and Denis' in the lowest classes of the city. They all join together to rescue one innocent girl, and two not so innocent, hopefully before it's too late. Gardner's books are vibrant with Regency detail, and because Lacey moves through all levels of society, the reader gets to experience them as well. If this does end up being the final book in the series, Gardner has provided closure for several story lines, but I hope she's able to find a publisher for more titles in this series; there is so many more stories to be told!

It was as expected - a good novel by Ashley Gardner - Great to keep up with Captain Lacey and his exploits! Looking forward to the next one!

First Sentence: "The young woman buying peaches in Covent Garden has honey brown hair, clear white skin, deep brown eyes, and a faint French accent." Captain Gabriel Lacey is finally reunited with the daughter his wife took from him 13 years ago. But just as he finds her, she disappears, as have two "game girls." Lacey pulls out all the stops and, with the help and support of his lover, Lady Breckenridge, friends and colleagues, is determined to find the missing girls. Gardner has created a thoroughly engaging set of characters, set them in a time of elegance and poverty and provide a suspenseful mystery to tie it all together. The characters may all be a bit too nice, but the book is such a pleasure to read, I didn't care. Lacey is the most developed and complex of the characters. He is a former soldier, quick to anger but with a strong moral core. You feel his elation at finding his daughter, his fear she might have been killed and his pain when he realizes another man has been a father in her life. The story is primarily character driven with many of the characters having come to a resolution of the past and being ready to move on to the future. The sense of place is so well done you become part of the environment. For those who love well done Historical/Regency-period mysteries, I recommend you start at the beginning and thoroughly enjoy this very well done series.

Ashley Gardner has produced a five book series featuring Capt. Gabriel Lacey that is extraordinary in its scope and quality. Some of the books are out of print and not easy to find, but worth the trouble to read in sequence. They are: A Regimental Murder - The Glass House - Sudbury School Murders - A Body in Berkley Square and finally A Covent Garden Mystery. The skill of the writer is in the characterizations! She gathers a small community of diverse "friends" and provides in-depth knowledge of each. Moreso, she keeps the same group throughout the five books, allowing you to get a better glimpse of who and what they are. The protagonist, Lacey, is complex, wounded, and given to quick temper, while never, ever losing his sense of right and honor. As you read through the experiences of murder and mayhem in each book, the characters become not only more familiar, but more endearing. Even those who are not quite so lovable. The genre is fascinating (late 1800's London, England) and gives the reader a detailed insight into the day-to-day survival of the masses and simultaneously, the culture of the extreme rich. Gardner's ability to put the reader there, riding the hackneys, walking the filth-strewn streets, enjoying a performance from the luxury box or simply partaking of a scrumpious meal is paramount. Her writing ability abounds. Her characters are memorable, leaving the reader wanting more. But most of all, her book(s) give a lasting impression, one in which you find yourself remembering during quiet moments.

I believe that this may be the first book that has left me sitting on the edge of my seat agog with suspense by tying up subplots. Indeed, the awful thought crossed my mind - what if Gardener tied these up as an end to the series? No, I reassure myself, the tying up isn't entirely tidy, there is still a major subplot left open, and new subplots to come. This is another superbly told and involving mystery. I have been extremely impressed with Ashley Gardner's writing. Her characters are complex and I am always happy to be with them again. One can sympathize with them in their cross-purposes, even as they pain one another. Lacey continues where the last book left off, seeking to dissolve his marriage with the long-estranged wife who deserted him, hoping to find his daughter, and courting his new love. In this volume, it appears that someone is preying on the "game girls", not something terribly important to officialdom, but worrying to those, like Lacey, who have a strong sense of justice. When his daughter disappears, most of the characters are forced into re-evaluating their relationships in the course of a frantic search. The drawing together of several loosely inter-related subplots appears to be the precursor of allowing major changes in Lacey's life. I presume that Lacey will continue as a crusader for justice, but his personal circumstances are changing radically, and I think it is very brave of Gardner. It is extremely rare for the situation of a character in a series to alter as much as it seems Lacey's will, but the preceding volumes give me great faith that the series will continue to be excellent. This is what has me on tenterhooks - where does the story go now? How will Lacey deal with this new situations? At this point, I am so caught up with the characters, I wouldn't even care if there was a mystery in the next book, so long as I can continue to follow their lives. An excellent addition to a superior series.