a perilous undertaking by deanna raybourn

Despite overwhelming evidence, Veronica and Stoker soon realize that this man did not commit the crime, and in fact the real murderer is still in the open and willing to strike again. In A Perilous Undertaking, the duo is summoned by British royalty to investigate a recent murder of a pregnant artist, a murder that is being blamed upon one man with ties to a certain princess. Deanna Raybourn photo courtesy Penguin Random House Stoker is a professional taxidermist with a questionable background and a variety of tattoos (cue the steampunk details). Because of her atypical behavior, Veronica doesn’t have many friends or allies in the world, except for her associate, Stoker. She refuses to wear a corset, financially supports herself through her lepidoptery (butterfly hunting), travels the globe in search of adventure, AND scandalizes polite society by thinking and acting outside of what a lady should.

The main protagonist of the book, Veronica Speedwell, is not your typical Victorian lady. To understand the characters and references made in this second novel, the reader needs to know the background history and relationships of those mentioned in the first book. Note: I recommend reading the first book in the series, A Curious Beginning, before reading this latest installment. Having said that, I believe that this book series will appeal to readers that love a good historical fiction novel with a steampunk edge. I am completely comfortable with admitting my obsession for these types of books and will continue to sneak them into my normal book reviews as much as possible. To preface this, if you follow my reviews you’ll note that I love mysteries, particularly if they contain a strong female lead. I can’t express how excited I was to journey back into the world of Victorian lepidopterist Veronica Speedwell and her partner-in-crime Stoker as they solve high profile mysteries of a curious nature. After waiting in anticipation since 2015, I have finally read the book A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn, published by Penguin Random House in 2017.

A perilous undertaking by deanna raybourn