The Meriwell Legacy

The Casebook of Barnaby Adair Series, Book 8

De: Stephanie Laurens

Narrado por: Napoleon Ryan

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns with her favorite sleuths to unravel a tangled web of family secrets and expose a murderer, in this historical novel interweaving mystery and murder with a touch of romance.

When Lord Meriwell collapses and dies at his dining table, Barnaby and Penelope Adair are summoned, along with Inspector Basil Stokes, to discover who, how, and most importantly why someone very close to his lordship saw fit to poison him.

When Lord Meriwell dies at his dining table, Nurse Veronica Haskell suspects foul play and notifies his lordship’s doctor, eminent Harley Street specialist Dr. David Sanderson. In turn, compelled by a need to protect Veronica who is at Meriwell Hall as David’s behest, David calls on his friends Barnaby and Penelope Adair for assistance.

However, as the fateful dinner was the first of a house party being attended by the local member of parliament (MP) and his family, the metropolitan police commissioners also consider the Adairs’ presence desirable, and consequently, Barnaby and Penelope accompany Stokes to Meriwell Hall.

There they discover a gathering of the Meriwell family intended to impress the visiting Busseltons so that George Busselton, local MP, will agree to a marriage between his daughter and Lord Meriwell’s eldest nephew, Stephen. But instead of any pleasant sojourn, the company find themselves confined to the hall and grounds while Stokes, Barnaby, and Penelope set about interviewing everyone and establishing facts, alibis, and the movements of those in the house.

To our investigators’ frustration, while determining the means proves straightforward, and opportunity reduces their suspect list, motive remains elusive, and their list of suspects stays stubbornly long.

Then the killer strikes again. But even then, the investigators are left with the same suspects and too many potential reasons for the second death.

What did the killer hope to gain? More importantly, will he kill again?

At last, the investigators stumble on a promising clue, yet following it requires sending to London for information, and their frustration builds. As the clock ticks and they doggedly forge on, they uncover more and more facts, yet none allows them to identify which of their prime suspects is the murderer.

Will they get the breakthrough they need, one sufficient to exonerate the innocent?

When the answer arrives, they discover that the Meriwell family legacies are more far-reaching than anyone realized and that the crimes involved and the motivation for the murders is far more heinous than anyone imagined.

©2024 Savdek Management Proprietary, Ltd. (P)2024 Blackstone Publishing

Dr Sanderson HEA

May 4, 1840, Meriwell Hall, Surrey
Nurse Veronica Haskell is at Meriwell Hall to evaluate Lord Meriwell’s granddaughter Sophie. Veronica was referred to them by Dr David Sanderson, physician to Meriwell and the cream of the Haute Ton, and the doctor who delivered Philip, second son of Barnaby & Penelope Adair.
When Lord Meriwell is poisoned, Veronica immediately sends for Dr Sanderson who, in turn, sends for Scotland Yard. There is immediately a second death. It takes Stokes and the Adairs until the very end to suss out the evil one. This story has the scariest bad guy yet.
Ryan has gotten better at narration.

Not what he seems to be

Enjoyable story with a twist of who the killer is. Stokes, Barnaby and Penelope are investigating the murder of Lord Merriville and granddaughter. They are having difficulty with finding their suspect, but eventually they do with additional information. Napoleon Ryan, does a fantastic job as narrator. 

SL just gets better and better

The plot within the plot, full diverse characters and a good narrator make it damn hard to not binge this one!

Irritating narrator

I really dislike the long pauses and intonation the narrator uses. The plot is pedestrian and the pros has lots of redundancies.