Stolen Remains-Christine Trent

Stolen Remains Christine Trent Kensington, Apr 29 2014, $15.00 ISBN 9780758293244 In 1869, English Viscount Raybourn, Anthony Fairmont, is sick of Egypt as he can’t wait to go home; he cannot fathom why The Prince Of Wales Bertie loves this place. Still with his mission negotiating a deal to construct the Suez Canal finished, Fairmont will soon sail for England. Just a few hours after reaching England, Anthony commits suicide. With her mom ill, undertaker Violet Harper leaves America for London. Never forgetting how caring Violet was when her beloved Albert died eight years ago, Queen Victoria orders her to treat her late close friend Viscount Raybourn with the same respect and look for clues as to how he died as the ruler doubts he took his life. Violet finds the grieving extended family not upset with the patriarch’s death or very nice. When his corpse vanishes and his housekeeper Mrs. Peet found hung, Violet also uncovers ties between the deceased, Egypt and the British Kingdom’s highest hierarchal level. The second Lady of Ashes Victorian mystery is an entertaining complicated whodunit. The storyline uses nineteenth century Egyptology, Victorian above and below the stairs mores, and the Suez Canal project to provide the audience with a strong backdrop for a fascinating investigation although the climax seems contrived. Harriet Klausner