Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark was everything I expected from a mystery, and then some. It was gripping, riveting, and I didn’t want to put the book down. Complete with everything from romance to murder to werewolves, Donna Lea Simpson creates a whopper of a debut for Lady Anne.
Lady Anne Addison has traveled all the way to Yorkshire to help her newlywed friend allay her fears that there’s a werewolf roaming around. Lady Anne has always been the most sensible of the two, and, after the loss of her less-than-desirable fiancée five years ago, decided that a life of freedom as an unmarried woman is what she wants. She arrives in Yorkshire to find no carriage awaiting her, and, on her walk to the estate, stumbles upon the body of her friend’s murdered maid. Her surprise appearance, along with her bloodied clothing and news of a body does not grant her much favor with her friend’s family – least of all the marquess, whom she seems to butt heads with at every turn.
Although she arrived to get to the bottom of the werewolf business, Lady Anne, educated, inquisitive, and independent, turns her natural gifts into investigative tools to find out who murdered the maid. It proves difficult as the marchioness gives her the cold shoulder, her friend is less than forthcoming, and the marquess answers her questions with more questions. The conflict between Lady Anne and the marquess causes tension between them – sexual and otherwise. Can they stand the heat long enough to solve a murder together?
The back panel of this book says that fans of Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey series will love it, and they were dead on in that assumption. I loved the interaction between Lady Anne and the marquess, and the mystery was top-notch. It really did put me in mind of Lady Julia and Brisbane and how Brisbane was only so Gruff with Lady Julia because he wanted to protect her. The marquess, Lord Darkefell, is of a similar mind, so it is no wonder that he and independent Lady Anne clash so often. The chemistry between them is palpable, and it was a pleasure to follow that sub-plot throughout the book. Love some romance in my mysteries!
I also really enjoyed the mystery in this novel; the secondary characters were not of great importance themselves (Lady Anne focused on more evidence than interviews, I think) and the supernatural werewolf element was nicely done. I thought Lady Anne’s investigative skills were formidable, and I liked that she cared about the dead maid, but wasn’t overwhelmingly hysterical about the whole mystery.
Long story short, I loved this book and I will find a way to get my hands on book 2!
**As a side note, I have an older copy of this book – newer copies are published under the name Victoria Hamilton.**