This is the second book in the Jacqueline Kirby series although the POV character is Thomas Carter who has romantic designs on Jacqueline.
Thomas invites Jacqueline to England and to meeting of a club of Richard III enthusiasts. The club’s leader has apparently managed to get his hands on a letter which exonerates the king from his bad reputation. Sir Richard Weldon, the club’s leader, has gathered the club to his country estate for the weekend to dress-up as Richardian characters and to listen to each other present something about their favorite subject. On Sunday, Sir Richard intends to reveal the letter to the press and to the club members.
All of the members seem to be quite quirky themselves and made even more so when their obsession over Richard III takes them over. However, when one of them is found in the cellar unconscious and wine all over him to simulate a knife wound, Jacqueline starts to suspect that something else is going on. When the vicious practical joker starts to prey on others, too, the Richardians start to see that something is wrong.
This book is a lot of fun! It has lots of strange and quirky characters, and the least of them isn’t Jacqueline herself. I was a bit disappointed that Jacqueline wasn’t the POV character, but Thomas plays quite a good Watson to Jacqueline’s Holmes. The ending is surprising, too.
The book starts with a history lesson about Richard III and it might seem boring. However, it’s necessary if you don’t know much about the subject and intend to fully enjoy the book.
