Wild Adventure in “A Perilous Undertaking”

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A Perilous UndertakingAs A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn opens, lepidopterist Veronica Speedwell and her colleague, the naturalist Stoker, have just had to put on hold their expedition to the South Pacific, and they are starving for adventure. Then Veronica gets invited to the Curiosity Club, where she meets Lady Sundridge, a mysterious lady who begs Veronica to investigate the murder of a woman known as Artimisia. The pregnant mistress of artist Miles Ramsforth was found murdered and in Miles’s arms. Convicted of the murder, Miles is scheduled to be executed in a week, and Mrs. Sundridge is certain that he did not commit the crime. She thus appeals to Veronica to solve the murder.

Veronica and Stoker find themselves getting immersed in the art world in which Miles Ramsforth has lived, a community with its own free love lifestyle. In doing this, the pair find themselves learning to trust each other even more and work together, traits they will need to survive this mission.

As with A Curious Beginning, I fully enjoyed A Perilous Undertaking. The book contained a strong plot that kept me drawn to the story and not wanting to put it down. Further, the characters were highly relatable and ones I got deeply invested in. I did think the book had too much discussion of sexual issues. Though there were no actual sex scenes, Veronica initiates many discussions of sexual performance, and the practices of the artists’ colony includes some rather lewd scenes, especially the grotto where people engage in orgies and other sexual adventures.

I appreciated the audiobook performance of Angele Masters, who takes listeners on a fun ride with the book as she performs the role of Veronica, the narrator of the book.

I liked A Perilous Undertaking, which kept me drawn to it throughout. The rush to find the true killer in time to save Miles’s life keeps the plot moving. If there was just a little less sexual content, I’d be happier, as this comes dangerously close to breaking out of the framework of a traditional mystery. We can still follow characters’ sexual escapades without some of the more graphic depictions of things. I give this book four stars.

To purchase this book for yourself, click here on Amazon.

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