Compelling Victorian Mystery!

Lord Edward's Mysterious Treasure: The Breton Adventure (The Victorian Adventures #4) 
by Lillian Marek. 

                             

Marek's novel takes us to Brittany and a gothic Victorian type mystery with a romantic interest.

The scholarly Lord Edward Tremaine, son of the Marquess and Marchioness of Penworth, is lured to Brittany's coast and the forbidding Chateau Morvan by his friend Antoine on the pretext of being able to interview Tony's great grandfather, the vicomte de Morvan. Edward is excited at this possibility of direct research into the Breton rebellion, and relationship between the peasants of the area and the aristocracy during the French Revolution. Antoine really want wants Edward to help search for lost treasure from that time. Edward reminds me of a Tom Conti or Oscar Wilde type hero. On the surface he seems like an Ineffectual scholar but as events ratchet up, he becomes so much more. And Edward's very perceptive mother notices the difference in her son! 

Then there's Tony's two cousins. The delightful, warm Delphine and the sober Marguerite, a dark and secretive woman and a brilliant pianist. Intrigue and unforeseen dangers swirl around the story akin to the swirling mists that encase the Chateau. 

Tumultuous times are indeed revisited in highly charged and unexpected ways.

In this, the fourth in the series a Tremaine sibling is once again center stage.

Marek's historical setting and her use of situations  to give entree into the drama is fascinating, as is the unpacking of her historical writing muses discussed in her author's notes.

A NetGalley ARC

*****