Mounting a memorial exhibition for pioneering mountain climber Alice Baker Greene in 1899, Veronica Speedwell discovers that Greene may have been murdered. But after she tells the exhibit's patron, Princess Gisela of Alpenwald, the princess disappears, and look-alike Veronica must impersonate her to keep the political peace. Third in the Edgar-nominated series.

Raybourn's sixth "Veronica Speedwell" mystery (following A Murderous Relation) finds Veronica greeting London in 1889 alongside her professional partner in natural history, adventurous investigations, and, recently, amorous relations, the Honorable Revelstoke "Stoker" Templeton-Vane. While preparing an exhibition to celebrate the mountaineering of Alpenwald, a tiny country ostensibly set between Germany and France, they understand a need to gracefully integrate into the exhibition the personal effects of Alice Baker-Greene, a famous mountaineer who died a few months previously on Alpenwald's highest peak. Treading lightly on this death is important to Her Serene Highness, the Princess of Alpenwald, for whom the matter is a national embarrassment, since mountaineering is the primary tourist attraction in Alpenwald. When Veronica and Stoker meet Princess Gisela and her entourage, they quickly discern that all is not as it seems with Alice's death, and Veronica's striking resemblance to Gisela complicates their investigation with significant international implications. VERDICT While series fans will certainly enjoy the newest installment for Veronica and Stoker, this reads well as a stand-alone and will lure readers to Raybourn's backlist. A rollicking adventure appropriate for mountaineers and mystery-hunters alike.—Julie Kane, Washington & Lee Lib., Lexington, VA

Set in 1889, Raybourn's lively sixth Veronica Speedwell mystery (after 2020's A Murderous Relation) finds Veronica, "the semi-legitimate daughter of the Prince of Wales," and her lover, Revelstoke "Stoker" Templeton-Vane, arranging a tribute exhibition at London's Curiosity Club for the late Alice Baker-Greene, a world-renowned mountaineer, who a few months earlier fell to her death from the highest mountain in the tiny European duchy of Alpenwald. While unpacking Alice's artifacts, they discover the rope she was using on that fateful climb was obviously cut, clear evidence that Alice's fall was no accident. As usual, the headstrong Veronica insists on investigating, and Stoker has no choice but to go along. In the rollicking adventure that ensues, Veronica impersonates a missing Alpenwalder princess in order to avert an international incident and ends up the target of an assassination attempt. Veronica's confused emotions about her birth family, as well as the touchingly complicated romantic relationship between fiercely independent Veronica and stalwart Stoker, bolster the appealing plot. Fans of feisty Victorian heroines will hope Veronica has a long career. Agent: Pam Hopkins, Hopkins Literary Assoc. (Mar.)