As usual from Anne Perry, this was an engaging mystery. I wanted to know how it ended, and had perhaps better success than usual in working out the end before it became readily apparent. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are always charming, and Gracie (the maid) was rather winning here as well.I did feel that this book suffered from the characters' being eager to expound on their philosophical, religious and political feelings. One or two people -- passionate, as many of these were -- who run off at the mouth are understandable. But when suspect after suspect and neighbor after neighbor digresses into long, frank tirades and phillippics, it seems like too much exposition. This may be because of the incorporation of historical figures and controversies into this volume, or part of the more thematically focused nature of this book (compared to others by the author.) At any rate, I found it distracting, and it was capped by both Charlotte and Vespasia being rather obnoxiously didactic in the closing scene.About the audiobook: Davina Porter is my favorite Recorded Books narrator, and she is a perfect match for these books. She has flawlessly clear enunciation, a variety of voices at her command, and consistently gives the dialogue precisely the emotional tone it requires. ( )