A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

While working on cataloging an earl's vast collection of artifacts and curiosities, Veronica Speedwell, lepidopterist by profession, is approached by royalty to exonerate a fellow aristocrat accused of murdering an artist, and he will hang if the true culprit is not found. Veronica recruits her partner in crime, Stoker, to investigate, and the two insert themselves into the Bohemian artist community of Victorian London. Everyone has an ulterior motive, and secrets abound as nearly all of the artists are hiding affairs and love interests.

Veronica remains as plucky and boldly independent in this installment as in A Curious Beginning, the first of the "Veronica Speedwell" series, while Stoker is just as mercurial. Raybourn carefully doles out a bit more back story for both Veronica and Stoker and even introduces Stoker's brothers into the mix. The sexual tension between the two has abated a bit from the first book, but almost as if to make up for this, the rest of the story is focused around clandestine trysts, adultery, and orgies. Readers who enjoy humorous historical mysteries with a naughty side will greatly enjoy Raybourn's latest. Although there is some introduction to Veronica and Stoker here, those new to the series may want to start with A Curious Beginning. The scheduled release date for A Perilous Undertaking is January 10, 2017.