"Beau Brummell is hot on the trail"

Picture it: Regency England, gala affairs, expensive wardrobes with different ensembles for every hour of the day, gossiping nobility, scandalous behavior, and . . . murder? For Beau Brummell, London's fashionable and popular dandy, the week began ordinarily enough. His new club with a fantastic chef, a previously unheard of thing in London's men's clubs, was doing well. In a philanthropic gesture, Brummell excused the debt of Lieutenant Nevill, a desperate young man who gambled his money away in his zest to win enough to marry his true love. However, the next time Nevill gambled and lost, it wasn't to a generous softie like Brummell. Instead, the very proper, very pompous Mr. Jacombe was his opponent, and as the two squared off over accusations of cheating, challenges were made that couldn't be taken back. Later on, at a celebration at Vauxhall Gardens, Jacombe is found murdered and Nevill is led away by police. Brummell knows that the young lieutenant isn't guilty, and he sets out to prove it.

MURDER IN THE PLEASURE GARDENS has everything that a good mystery needs: excitement, suspense, drama, and, above all, a talented sleuth. Beau Brummell, a very real person, takes on another dimension in Stevens' mysteries, which star the man who led London's elite in all that was fashionable. His wit and humor are unmistakably sharp, and the sarcasm he employs, even in his own thoughts, keeps the story moving even as the plot slows. Containing accurate and prolific detail, this tale will satisfy mystery-lovers and historians alike, and like all good storytellers, Ms. Stevens will leave you wanting more.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartshorn
Posted May 9, 2003

Summary

A game of chance at Beau Brummell's gentleman's club escalates into a duel...when stuffy government official Theobald Jacombe practically dares a young military officer to fight him. But someone has beaten the soldier to the draw. Jacombe is found murdered-leaving the officer as the most likely suspect-and leaving Beau with a mystery on his hands...