cover image The Woman in the Veil: A Victorian Mystery

The Woman in the Veil: A Victorian Mystery

Laura Joh Rowland. Crooked Lane, $26.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-64385-241-6

At the start of Rowland’s clever fourth Victorian mystery (after 2019’s The Hangman’s Secret), Sarah Bain, a London newspaper crime scene photographer, is assigned to take pictures of the corpse of a naked woman with a mutilated face. But as she prepares to take the photo, Sarah realizes the woman is breathing. Sarah’s boss, Sir Gerald Mariner, thinks “Sleeping Beauty” would make a great story, and fortunately Sarah’s fiancé, Det. Sgt. Thomas Barrett, is on the case. Many claim to know Sleeping Beauty’s identity, but Barrett quickly narrows the possibilities to three: artist August Legrand claims that she’s his wife; Frances Oliphant insists the woman is her stepsister; 10-year-old Venetia Napier is sure Sleeping Beauty is her long-missing mother, Maude. When Sleeping Beauty finally awakes, she remembers Venetia, and a joyful reunion ensues. But Sarah learns that not all stories have a happy ending when one of the claimants is murdered. Is Sleeping Beauty really Maude, or did she choose the lesser of three evils? Readers will enjoy Rowland’s original approach and realistic characters. Agent: Pam Ahearn, Pam Ahearn Agency. (Jan.)