4/5 Stars
HELLO WREXFORD AND SLOANE! Whew! I was so worried that we wouldn’t hear any more from them after their engagement. I’m so happy they’re continuing to solve scientifically-based crime. In Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Lord Wrexford is ready to introduce Lady Charlotte Sloane to society as his fiancee, a complicated enough endeavor due to their histories. However, they miss their first dinner with a symposium of botanists when they’re called away to investigate the death of one of the participants. As usual, and despite their reluctance due to their upcoming nuptials, Wrexford, Sloane, and the whole gang gets sucked into finding justice for the deceased doctor.
Per usual, Penrose writes an engaging mystery with a lovable, ragtag gang of sleuths with a scientific focus. Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens is focused on botany, rather than a “hard” science like engineering, which I found a bit easier to understand. However, even when topics are a little more complex (combustion engines or electricity, for example), Penrose does a good job of focusing on the far-reaching implications of the science rather than the mechanics.
We see the recurrence of a villain in this novel: DeVere is back! He was introduced in Murder at Kensington Palace, although I can’t even remember in what context at this point. It was a couple of books ago, so I apologize. Based on Wrexford and Sloane’s reaction to DeVere in this book, he was a pretty nasty villain, and I do remember that he had a pretty impressive conservatory, so it’s fitting that he’s back.
There are only 2 faults that I have with this book/series: first, again, being that the word “pragmatic” is definitely overused throughout the book and the series. I don’t think patterns like this are something that I normally pick up on, so I feel like it has to be really obvious if I’ve caught it! It’s not super irritating, but it’s definitely noticeable. The other fault I have with this novel is the repetition of love, loyalty, and friendship as a theme. I mean, it’s obviously a positive theme throughout the book, but I’m just not sure it needs to be explicitly stated so often.
“Pragmatic,” “pragmatism,” and the theme of love, loyalty, and friendship are stated much throughout this novel (and the previous, if truth be told). Those are the emotions that readers get from the characters in the scenes they’re presented in, but I’d say they’re implicit in about 50% of cases. I don’t always need the explanation of a meaningful glance between Wrexford and Sloane, or when Charlotte looks at the people she cares about. I think Penrose oversells it a little, rather than letting the reader take on the emotions of Wrexford or Sloane.
Regardless, those are two very minor complaints compared to the great writing, colorful cast, and excellent plot of Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens. I really do like Wrexford and Sloane et. al, and am eager to see the next adventure they find themselves embroiled in as well as the next steps in their personal lives.