BWW Reviews: DEATH AMONG THE RUINS Is Scandalous Historical Mystery Fun

DEATH AMONG THE RUINS, by Pamela Christie, is the second of her Arabella Beaumont historical mysteries, and is certainly as enjoyable as the first. For those who think they prefer the Mickey Spillane conventions of adventure, sex, and death to English historical mysteries, picturing cozy villages and purloined church chalices, the Beaumont sisters, Arabella and Belinda, will be sufficient to disabuse them of the notion that British mysteries with female leads must be cozy. Certainly there's a manor house, and there are servants, and carriages, but that house, those servants, and the horses for said carriages come from the sisters' deft and exclusive handling of the world's oldest profession. But no cheap ladies of the evening, these two - they are sophisticated, wealthy courtesans, the mistresses of well-heeled dukes, bankers, and occasional princes. Their brother, Charles, is a well-liked clubman whose knowledge of their clients and their romantic partners assists them in their professional and personal lives, and here saves Belinda from marrying entirely the wrong man.

But Belinda's marriage is hardly the biggest disaster the sisters face. Arabella has made an unfortunate investment in an unusual antiquity, a statue of Pan from Herculaneum with characteristics suitable to make it a delightful professional enhancement for her yard. In Monty Python terms, whereas most men have one, the statue, it is said, presumably has... two. However, when she pays for delivery, the statue is still in Herculaneum, and the gentleman assigned to obtain it and some other relics for wealthy English purchasers has managed since then to get himself murdered.

Clearly Arabella and her entourage - including a local vicar - must travel to Italy to discern the actual problem for themselves. In doing so, they encounter a host of extraordinary people, including a bizarre academic, a peculiar priest with his own family entourage, and Arabella's old friend, Lord Byron, who is hiding from his supposedly beloved Lady Caroline Lamb. Meanwhile, back in England, her household is engaged in a feud with Lady Ribbonhat's household. And it's probably best not to ask about the cat. Or the dog. Or the Regent.

The deliveryman for the Pan statue is not the only death in Italy. What does the improbable Father Terranova have to do with this? And why is he insisting on a mass baptism of the dead in the ruins from the balcony of Arabella's room?

Will Arabella ever get her statue smuggled out of Italy? Will she and her sister, Belinda, leave Italy alive? Can Charles win his card game with the Regent, with Arabella's manor at stake in the game? And can she save what social position she has after the rumor that's been spread about her? It's scandalous fun with duels, secret identities, and every other delightful mystery convention that doesn't work in more modern story lines. It's enough fun that the third book in the series may become a necessity. Published by Kensington Books and available at kensingtonbooks.com as well as other online and brick-and-mortar retailers for $15.00, it's a perfect read for a long weekend or over the holidays.

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