Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #188720 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-11
• Released on: 2002-01-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Publishers Weekly
George Bryan "Beau" Brummell, the arbiter of fashion in Regency England, may seem an unlikely protagonist for a crime novel, but Stevens, author of four Regency romances, brings off this debut mystery with great ?lan. The night after the dowager Countess Wrayburn makes an unpleasant scene at an art exhibition, the old harridan is found dead in her bed, helped on her way with a little poison added to her evening glass of milk. The police office in Bow Street immediately suspects her paid companion, Miss Rebecca Ashton, whom the countess hired at the urging of the Duchess of York. Before Miss Ashton is arrested, the duchess asks Beau to help clear the young woman's name. The duchess's reputation, as well as Miss Ashton's life, is at stake. How can a gentleman refuse? Indeed, after his initial investigations, Brummell's own reputation is at risk. Beau Brummell often appears in Regencies as a two-dimensional figure, but here he has real character, intelligence and wit. Stevens includes a delightful group of secondary characters, some fictional, some not. With an excellent ear for the language of the time, she captures the spirit (and some of the smells) of Regency London. Cat fans will appreciate her theory on the introduction of an exotic feline strain into England. Readers of both historical mysteries and Regency romances will eagerly await sequels. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Appealed to by his friend Frederica, the duchess of York, Regency dandy Beau Brummell investigates the murder of a hateful and vicious dowager countess. Although without aristocratic lineage or fortune, Brummell holds a certain place in "society"--achieved with charisma and the friendship of the Prince of Wales--that allows him access to the clues he needs. Though immodest, manipulative, and able to circumvent the propriety he so keenly espouses, Brummell succeeds as a sleuth. A light, exciting 1805 England is re-created with expertise, stylish prose, and dry humor. For most collection.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dean James, Murder By The Book
Stevens' light touch, coupled with the Beau's legendary sang froid, makes this a charmer from first page to last.

Customer Reviews

Foppish entertainment at its best
What fun!
Presenting the early 19th Century fop, Beau Brummel, as a sleuth to be taken seriously would most likely have produced a miserable flop but this little book, written in first person, is first-order delight. The character of Brummel is quite consistent; he's unable to take anything seriously except himself and how he presents himself to society. Vain, self-centered, proud and so shallow that he is almost shocking, Beau Brummel is the most pretentious and self-righteous character we've seen in a long time. He's also sensitive and thoughtful of others; traits that round out his character. And it's this character that makes the book so charming.

The story is totally forgettable -- this is a character-driven tale set against a charming, historic background. You could read a lot into it as an indictment of society if you want to stretch a bit, but it's much too much fun to spoil with such seriousness. If you're in the mood to be entertained, this is the book for you.

Regency and Mystery-Excellent Combo
Beau Brummell decided what and who was fashionable in Regency England. Most Regencies describe him as a rather one dimensional character. Ms. Stevens has quite rightly made him the center of a mystery series, much as he was the center of the fashionable world of his time. He is asked by his dear friend, the Duchess of York, to clear a protegee of hers of the murder of her employer. The woman was exceedingly unpleasant, and was even rumored to have beaten her servants. The night before her death, Lady Wrayburn was incensed with Miss Ashton for inadvertantly telling her that her ladies' maid was pregnant. Now all of London thinks that Miss Ashton is the murderer. To save the Duchess' reputation and to assist the young women, the Beau agrees to help. He even loses a painting at auction, having been distracted by the problem. The winner of the auction, a representative of the King of Siam, presents him with the first Siamese cat in England. The famous valet, Robinson, is not happy about cat hairs, but Brummell can not return him. The cat seems to be an ancestor of Lillian Jackson Braun's KoKo, an able assistant in solving a difficult murder.

This was an excellent mystery. The characters are familiar ones for those who have read regencies, and very well developed. The mystery was engrossing and difficult to solve. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Style Without Substance
In the Regency era of Great Britain, there was one arbiter of fashion, and that was Beau Brummell, who lived high, wide and handsome for as long as possible before his debts caught up with him, his aristocratic friends abandoned him, and he died in poverty. But in 1805, he ruled Society, and he was capable of starting a fashion or exiling a social climber from the invitations of the ton.

Rosemary Stevens takes her experience writing four romances set in this period to craft a mystery that's hews strictly to the ruts of the genre. Everything else about the novel delights: the details of Brummell's life, the fastidioius attention paid to his dress and the design around his life, his sudden inspirations and manuverings through the pitfalls of his position.

Historical novels like these offer a pleasant immersion into a society and its beliefs, and while one mustn't go too far in praising this book -- there's still plenty of room on the shelf for a Regency novel with the breadth and penetration that, say, "The Alienist" performed on 1880s New York City -- "Death on a Silver Tray" surpasses expectations.

Where it falls apart is in the mystery. In short, there is none so much as to be worth noticing, and the reader turns the pages and enjoys the sights and waits for Beau to stumble on the next obvious clue. There are even the usual folderal scenes that most debut mystery novelists have been warned to avoid. A Bow Street Runner (police that is) warns Beau not to Get Involved In The Case. Beau receives threats in the mail. There's even a Siamese cat who could be an ancestor of Lillian Jackson Braun's Koko and Yum-Yum. It may be unseemly to offer such objections to a book with such lightweight intentions, but the late Kate Ross' books about Julian Kestrel show just how good a book set in this era can be.