The Glass House: 6

This 3rd installment in the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries was even better than the first two-but I do suggest you read them in order. Because, for me, what made this a really good book was how much more we delved into the characters (especially the secondary characters)background, thoughts and lifestyle choices. The Mystery was more than adequate-I only "guessed" who it might be a feww paragraphs before the hero reveals all. I loved the deepening of Lacey's relationship with Grenville, his new errand boy/footman Bartholomew, the "modern" Lady Breckenridge, and where his friendship with the Brandons is headed. Lacey was very heroic in this book, even more so than previous books, but also more rash-which he finds out does have it's consequences. The most exciting aspect of Glass House is at the end the character is going a new direction with his life and it will be interesting to see how this affects his sleuthing and relationships in future books. I recommend this series heartily for any Historical or especially any Regency era fan. 5 stars.

Gardner does an excellent job of portraying Regency England. His character is the essence of honor, yet is by no means perfect and I find myself wanting to know more about him. There are excellent secondary characters who provide a strong sense of the period. The plot held me from beginning to end. This is a series which has improved with each book, and I find myself anxious to read the next installment.

The third installment in the Captain Lacey Regecy-era mystery novels, "The Glass House" lived up to my every expectation. I had been really looking forward to reading "The Glass House" ever since I had finished "The Hanover Square Affair," and was pleased to note that this Captain Lacey installment proved to be as riveting and as absorbing as the previous two books. When the body of a blonde woman in pulled from the river, Captain Lacey's old sergeant, Pomeroy, who now works as a Bow Street Runner, ask Lacey to view the body just in case the dead lady turns up someone Lacey knows: the actress Marianne Simmons. The dead lady turns out not to be Marianne, but Lacey is moved by her death nevertheless, especially when it turns out that she was murdered before being dumped into the river. Further investigation reveals that the dead woman was an ex-actress and current wife of a dried up stick of a lawyer, Mrs. Amelia Chapman, but who was known to her lover (Lord Barbury) and everyone else, as "Peaches." Further investigation also reveals that "Peaches" had a taste for danger and excitement, and that she was a regular attendant of the Glass House, a den of iniquity that catered to the whims and sordid tastes of the upper classes. On the very night of her murder, Lord Barbury was expecting Peaches at the Glass House, but she never showed up. As far as Lacey is concerned, Peaches' death could either be laid at the door of her cuckolded husband, Chapman, or her lover, Lord Barbury. But in order to find the evidence to capture a murderer, Lacey will have to infiltrate the Glass House, come face to with a level of sordidness he's not used to contemplating about, as well as face an old and dangerous enemy, James Denis. Now, Lacey has two tasks: finding Peaches' murderer; and closing down the Glass House and so getting even Denis. But could Lacey in his zeal to cause Denis some inconvenience be overlooking some aspects of Peaches' murder? Swiftly paced and suspenseful, "The Glass House" was a compelling read from start to finish. Ashley Gardner does a wonderful job of evoking the atmosphere and feel of the age; the descriptions of London are vivid and captivating, and her character studies (esp that of her irresistible and melancholic hero) lifelike. The mystery subplot was nothing to be sneezed at either, being very intriguing and absorbing; and written in a very engaging manner so that one was completely hooked from the very beginning. All in all, I'd vote "The Glass House" as a brilliant read. I will admit to be slightly confused though: the plot synopsis at the back of the book describes Captain Gabriel Lacey as a cashiered officer. If so, how can he still be a half-pay officer, still feted by Society as a bit of a hero?

Injured during the Peninsular Campaign, Captain Gabriel Lacey returns to England where he solved two murder cases due to curiosity. A Bow Street runner, his former sergeant, calls upon Lacey to identify the body who he thinks is his neighbor Marianne; Lacey rushes to the Thames River where the corpse was found, but she is not his neighbor although she wears a ring given to her by an aristocrat. Lacey takes the ring to his friend Grenville who knows everyone important and learns from the man that the ring belongs to Lord Barbury. Since Lord Barbury is a visitor at Grenville's home, he introduces the two men to one another. Barbury admits that he gave the ring to his lover Mrs. Chapman, wife of a barrister. Lacey's curiosity keeps him investigating Mrs. Chapman's death with the trail leading to the GLASS HOUSE, a vile bawdy place where anything is for sale. Apparently the victim had a room there where she met Barbury; they also had trysts at the home of another man. As Lacey continues to search for clues, two more homicides connected to his case occur and now even he could become the next victim. When one thinks of honor, Captain Lacey comes to mind as he helps a child escape the horrors of the Glass House and stubbornly seeks to find a killer of a woman he never met. The villain is innocuous and unassuming so that the audience will never guess though afterward would nod in agreement that the culprit was obvious. That and the hero is why this is an exciting Regency mystery that also captures the ambience of the era. Harriet Klausner