A Pelirous Undertaking Audiobook

By: Deanna Raybourn

Narrated by: Angele Masters

Published by Recorded Books 01/10/2017

Veronica Speedwell series #2

12 hrs and 25 mins

A Perilous Undertaking Audiobook Sample

A Perilous Undertaking Audiobook

4 Hearts

First book was fantastic for me and author has long been a favorite so it was easy money to reach for the second book in the Veronica Speedwell series. There were more of the same dynamics in A Perilous Undertaking that made A Curious Beginning such a compelling read.

The Veronica Speedwell historical mysteries have a broader focus than just the murder mystery itself which is the way I like. Deanna Raybourn writes a compelling heroine, Veronica, who is gutsy and colorful and a bit out of time in the Victorian Era Setting, but she pairs her with a detecting partner, Stoker, who is brilliant, handsome and irascible. He is also a bit of something more because he has the inner strength and understanding to pair well with the strong-willed, wasp-tongued, and intellectually bright Veronica.

Veronica is not an easy heroine for me, but it is saying a lot about the writer and story that I really can’t imagine loving these books as much as I do without Veronica being the heroine. I don’t like her half the time due to her sniping and digging at people’s privacy (particularly Stoker-who to be fair can give as good as he gets- and particularly when the other person pierces her ice wall on purpose or accidentally). She does this in her genteel intellectual voice that attempts to be unaffected. The other half of the time I enjoy about her and cheer her on for her stubborn sense of justice, her wit and vivacity, and her hidden vulnerability. I will say that it was amusing to get the scenes during the case when her big show of worldly experience and jadedness (Veronica sees herself as a liberated, free and uninhibited New Woman) comes up against a worldliness and jadedness much deeper than her own made me laugh a few times. She’s growing, and truthfully, I do like seeing that in a character who is the heart of a series.

But there is also a nice delicious mystery to be had. Veronica and Stoker are set upon their latest detecting adventure by none other than Princess Louise to prove the innocence of a man who refuses to stand up for his own defense even as the hangman’s noose looms closer. The case takes them into the world of the bohemian artists and a private sex club styled after the Hellfire Clubs of an earlier time. Not everyone wants them to solve the case and there are plenty of suspects and a couple compelling motives. I did have the culprit and the why figured out early on though not the how. This didn’t stop me from fully enjoying the story.

All in all, another winner from the series and the author. I am eager for more adventures with Veronica and Stoker. Those who love historical mysteries or slow-burn historical romantic suspense should give these a go.

A Perilous Undertaking Audiobook Narration

4 Hearts

I experienced this book in audio format with new to me narrator, Angele Masters. My first thought when the story began was ‘Yes, Yes, Yes, this is Veronica’. Ms. Masters captured Veronica so well that it was a lush experience from start to finish. Her male voices were rough, but well within the realm of engaging. She was in sync with the tone and rhythm of the book and I had no trouble losing myself in her storytelling.

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