John Pickett, youngest member of the Bow Street Runners and “with scarcely six months’ experience”, answers an urgent summons to investigate the murder of a viscount. The obvious suspect is the aristocrat’s young wife, Lady Julia Fieldhurst, whose ethereal beauty renders Pickett almost incoherent. His gut instinct tells him she is innocent and he directs his efforts towards finding the ‘real’ killer. As one lead to another fizzles out, however, Pickett realizes that his boss, Magistrate Colquhoun, may be right — his attraction to the lady is severely clouding his judgment.
As a regency murder mystery, “In Milady’s Chamber” is a light but engaging read. There are enough plot twists and red herrings thrown in to keep things interesting till the end.
However, what really makes “In Milady’s Chamber” sparkle are the characters. John Pickett is immensely likeable (think Eddie Redmayne with brown hair). Handling his first major case, he is perfectly drawn as a neophyte who, while not the bumbling sort, is still unsure of his own abilities and of the ways of the aristocracy. He is also awkwardly inexperienced when it comes to dealing with women. This results in some amusing situations, particularly when the handsome young detective is trying to parry the matchmaking attempts of his landlady and the sexual innuendos of the prostitute Lucy.
When we first meet Lady Fieldhurst she is the anxious young wife of an emotionally cruel aristocrat. After his demise, she must cope with her new ‘status’ as both widow and murder suspect and with the overbearing ways of her husband’s relatives. One can’t help rooting for her when she finally starts to grow a backbone.
Magistrate Colquhoun (Pickett’s boss and mentor), the aforementioned Lucy, and Lady Fieldhurst’s bawdy friend Lady Emily Dunnington make for memorable secondary characters.
Audiobook narrator Joel Froomkin does a splendid job. His delivery is clear even when he puts on different accents. His John Pickett is appropriately young and unsure (and sweetly awkward in parts). His female characterizations are quite good, too, though I found that Lady Fieldhurst sometimes sounds a bit too old for a 26-year-old. Other than that little quibble, this audiobook is a very good listen.
“In Milady’s Chamber” is highly recommended especially for readers looking for an engaging historical mystery with likeable characters and a good dose of humor.