Caffeinated Reviewer

Narrated by Polly Lee, Stolen Remains by Christine Trent is the second novel in the Lady of Ashes historical murder mystery series. Back in London after her mother falls ill, Violet Harper is asked to handle the funeral of Anthony Fairmont, the Viscount Raybourn, a close friend of Queen Victoria’s who died under suspicious circumstances. Violet soon investigates as one murder becomes two….

After establishing her reputation as one of London's most highly regarded undertakers, Violet Harper decided to take her practice to the wilds of the American West. But when her mother falls ill, Violet and her husband Samuel are summoned back to England, where her skills are as sought-after as ever. She's honored to undertake the funeral of Anthony Fairmont, the Viscount Raybourn, a close friend of Queen Victoria's who died in suspicious circumstances--but it's difficult to perform her services when his body disappears. . . As the viscount's undertaker, all eyes are on Violet as the Fairmonts and Scotland Yard begin the search for his earthly remains. Forced to exhume her latent talents as a sleuth to preserve her good name, Violet's own investigation takes her from servants' quarters, to the halls of Windsor Castle, to the tombs of ancient Egypt--and the Fairmont family's secrets quickly begin to unravel like a mummy's wrappings. But the closer Violet gets to the truth, the closer she gets to becoming the next missing body. . .

Wrought with both heartfelt bravery and breathtaking suspense, Stolen Remains is a captivating tale of death and deception set against the indelible backdrop of Victorian London.

When Lady of Ashes ended, I thought we’d be solving murder mysteries in the Wild West, so I was surprised to find we are back in London once again performing funeral services at the request of the Queen.

Violet heads to London and is staying with the Queen as she prepares Anthony Fairmont, the Viscount Raybourn, for his funeral, but the police are investigating as he died under mysterious circumstances. What a colorful family he has given us plenty for Violet to observe and question. Scotland Yard is involved and slightly annoyed that Violet is there at the behest of the Queen.

This was an interest case, and I soon found myself immersed in the story. Once again, we gain knowledge of the world of undertaking, but the primary focus was Raybourn’s death. From the building of the canal, to the housekeeper’s secret and blackmail, the author kept us going until the case’s conclusion.

I like Violet and found this amateur detective to be clever even at the expense of making the detectives of Scotland Yard appear dimwitted. The Raybourns’ are a miserable lot and I cannot say the Viscount will be missed. The author weaved several threads together as the case became more clear and the pieces clicked together for a satisfying conclusion.

Polly Lee once again narrates and does a splendid job of bringing the story and characters to life. She enhances the overall story and made listening

Fans of Victorian England and murder mysteries will enjoy Stolen Remains and the Lady of Ashes series on audio.

Amazon | Audible

About Christine Trent

Christine Trent is the author of the Lady of Ashes historical mystery series,
about a Victorian-era undertaker, as well as the author of the Florence
Nightingale Mysteries and several other historical novels. Lady of Ashes
was named a 2014 finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Awards. Christine’s
novels have been translated into Turkish, Polish, and Czech.

Website | Facebook

About Polly Lee

Polly Lee is an award-winning actress best known for her recurring roles on The Americans (FX) and Younger (Showtime). On stage, she has worked in NYC and across the country for almost twenty years. Ms. Lee has narrated over fifty nonfiction and young adult fiction books and has received numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards for her work. In addition, she has narrated over sixty romance novels under the name Ashford McNab/MacNab, receiving multiple Audie nominations for her work on Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series. Raised in the UK, she is a dual-national and has lived in the US for twenty years, working equally in both her British (all the various regional dialects) and American dialects.

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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