Book Review: Death at Epsom Downs

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Death at Epsom Downs     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Robin Paige , Susan Wittig Albert , Bill Albert
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical
Series: Lord Charles Sheridan # 7
Berkley, Mar 2001, $21.95, 204 pp.

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.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner