Death at Epsom Downs (Charles and Kate Sheridan Series #7)

by Robin Paige

Overview

Lord Charles Sheridan has launched an investigation into a jockey's recent (and mysterious) death-while his wife, Kate, puzzles over the long-ago theft of an actress's jewels. But soon the Sheridans can't help wondering if the two strange events are, somehow, connected.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101204085
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/05/2002
Series:	Charles and Kate Sheridan Series , #7
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	148,546
File size:	367 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robin Paige is the pseudonym of husband-and-wife team Susan Wittig Albert and Bill Albert. Susan Wittig Albert is the author of the China Bayles mysteries Thyme of Death, Witch's Bane, Hangman's Root, Rosemary Remembered, Rueful Death, Love Lies Bleeding, Chile Death, Lavender Lies, Mistletoe Man, and Bloodroot. Bill Albert is the coauthor, with his wife, of more than sixty novels for young adults. They live in the Texas hill country.

Date of Birth:

1940

Place of Birth:

Danville, Illinois

Education:

Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley

Editorial Reviews

There's plenty of excitement at Epsom Downs, as Lord Charles Sheridan and his American wife, Kate, watch the races from a box shared by Jennie Jerome Churchill and world-renowned actress, mistress and horse-trader Lillie Langtry. But the real excitement comes that evening, when Charles is called to investigate both the death of a Derby jockey and the theft of Lillie Langtry's jewels. Before long, there are no safe bets as Kate and Charles are pulled into Lillie Langtry's reckless social world, where lords and ladies run neck and neck with thieves and murderers-and the race for justice stands to be a photo finish.

bn.com

When a drugged horse causes a fatal accident at the Epsom Downs race track in 1899, Jockey Club members hire Lord Charles Sheridan (Death at Devil's Bridge) to investigate. Leery of publicity, they figure that his social status will provide easy access to horse owners. Wife Lady Kate, meanwhile, sleuths in a different direction after overhearing a conversation that implicates actress Lillie Langtry in the alleged murder of her husband. Even-tempered prose, period conversation, historical characters, dialect, and culture make this a solid addition to the series. Devotees of Anne Perry and other Victorian mysteries will enjoy. (Paige also writes as Susan Wittig Albert and Bill Albert.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In 1899, Lord Charles Sheridan, Baron of Somersworth, and his wife Lady Kathryn attend Derby Day at Epsom Downs. Charles, a photography buff, plans to shoot the hoses as they cross the finish line. However, tragedy strikes during the race when one of the thoroughbreds Gladiator goes berserk killing his jockey and another horse. The highly respected racing horse owner and fan, the Prince of Wales, believes someone drugged Gladiator. He asks Charles to investigate. While Charles is sleuthing, Kate visits Lillie Langtrey in an attempt to interview the famous actress for a magazine article that Kate wants to write under a pseudonym. Kate learns that Lillie owes a fortune to a bookie, who happens to have been shot at the same time he was supposed to meet the renowned performer. Charles sees the link between his inquiries and the bookie shooting. He files his report, but no one knows whether the guilty party will be punished or even if the doping will stop. Death At Epsom Downs is as much a social commentary of a time in which the excesses of the aristocracy was slowly ending (but still prevailing) in England as it is a mystery. The cleverly arranged mystery absorbs the audience, but takes a back seat to the human drama at the tail end of the nineteenth century. Robin Paige provides a page-turning novel that will entice historical fiction buffs and Victorian mystery readers to seek her previous works in a strong series.

"A neatly plotted tale of mayhem among the racing set." —Publishers Weekly

"Page-turning...will entice historical fiction buffs and Victorian mystery readers." —Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher