A Flaw in the Blood

Stephanie Barron's A FLAW IN THE BLOOD is being marketed wrong. It is not the mystery it purports to be, but more of a novel of historical fiction with very little mystery to it. We are told the mid-1800s story through the eyes of two major characters of the time: Patrick Fitzgerald, a barrister who defended an assassin who tried to kill Queen Victoria 20 years before, and the queen herself, who is dealing with the illness that is about to claim her husband Albert's life, all the while putting on a brave face to keep the wolves at bay. Fitzgerald is called upon the court, and his coach is attacked by a mysterious person. On purpose or just random? He believes – correctly so – that someone is trying to take his life. This is what drives the central plot of FLAW, but I simply lost interest midway through, since it jumps between the two storylines so often, I could not keep track of what was going on. Throw in that Victoria refers to herself throughout in the third person, and confusion deepens. Since we know exactly what was the real-life cause of Albert's death – and the blood disease that affected some of Victoria's children – you may feel like what is the big deal surrounding all the secrecy and suspense. The novel just left me flat. It's only at the end we are told who was behind the coach attack and why, but many readers may well have put the book down by that point. This is nothing like Barron's Jane Austen mysteries, which are a bit more straightforward than what seems like a college course in Victorian history. Unless you're fluent in all things Victorian London, you might just want to pass on this story or maybe stick to her more contemporary – and far better – thrillers, written under the name Francine Matthews. –Bruce Grossman Buy it at Amazon. OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR: • THE ALIBI CLUB by Francine Matthews