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Captain Lacey #4-6
Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Volume Two
A collected set of books 4-6 of the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries plus an original novella.
The Sudbury School Murders (Book 4)
The Necklace Affair (novella)
A Body in Berkeley Square (Book 5)
A Covent Garden Mystery (Book 6)
Captain Gabriel Lacey, a half-pay cavalry officer who returns to Regency London after being injured in the Peninsular War, has found some purpose investigating crime. Along with his friend, Lucius Grenville, a dandy who’s one of the wealthiest men in England, Lacey delves into the dark world behind the glittering Regency ballrooms. He’s solved murders and robberies, has assisted Bow Street and the Thames River Police, and has been pulled into the schemes of a powerful crime lord. In this collection, Captain Lacey takes a post in a boys’ school as well as hunts criminals from Mayfair mansions to the back streets of Covent Garden.
In The Sudbury School Murders, a corpse in a Berkshire canal leads Captain Lacey on a twisted trail of blackmail and corruption in a school for boys of England’s wealthiest families.
In The Necklace Affair, Captain Lacey comes upon a distressed lady at one of Grenville’s soirees, whose innocent maid has been arrested for theft. Lacey hunts for the true thief of the diamond necklace and becomes entangled in a mesh of dark secrets.
In A Body in Berkeley Square, Lacey is called in to solve a murder at a grand society ball. The accused? His mentor and former friend, Colonel Brandon. Colonel Brandon is certainly acting guilty, and only Lacey is willing to prove him innocent.
A Covent Garden Mystery plunges Lacey into a case that hits close to home—girls are going missing in Covent Garden, and one happens to be his daughter.
Join Captain Lacey and his friends as he further investigates intrigue, murder, and villainy.
The Sudbury School Murders (Book 4)
The Necklace Affair (novella)
A Body in Berkeley Square (Book 5)
A Covent Garden Mystery (Book 6)
Captain Gabriel Lacey, a half-pay cavalry officer who returns to Regency London after being injured in the Peninsular War, has found some purpose investigating crime. Along with his friend, Lucius Grenville, a dandy who’s one of the wealthiest men in England, Lacey delves into the dark world behind the glittering Regency ballrooms. He’s solved murders and robberies, has assisted Bow Street and the Thames River Police, and has been pulled into the schemes of a powerful crime lord. In this collection, Captain Lacey takes a post in a boys’ school as well as hunts criminals from Mayfair mansions to the back streets of Covent Garden.
In The Sudbury School Murders, a corpse in a Berkshire canal leads Captain Lacey on a twisted trail of blackmail and corruption in a school for boys of England’s wealthiest families.
In The Necklace Affair, Captain Lacey comes upon a distressed lady at one of Grenville’s soirees, whose innocent maid has been arrested for theft. Lacey hunts for the true thief of the diamond necklace and becomes entangled in a mesh of dark secrets.
In A Body in Berkeley Square, Lacey is called in to solve a murder at a grand society ball. The accused? His mentor and former friend, Colonel Brandon. Colonel Brandon is certainly acting guilty, and only Lacey is willing to prove him innocent.
A Covent Garden Mystery plunges Lacey into a case that hits close to home—girls are going missing in Covent Garden, and one happens to be his daughter.
Join Captain Lacey and his friends as he further investigates intrigue, murder, and villainy.
700 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2013
152 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Gardner
52 books678 followersAshley Gardner is the pseudonym for NY Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Ashley and nationally bestselling and award-winning author Allyson James. Her award-winning Captain Lacey Regency mysteries have garnered top reviews and an enthusiastic following. These books are now available as digital editions. More about the series can be found at http://www.gardnermysteries.com
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 11, 2021
Wonderful writing, and we find out so much more about his first wife and child. They get involved with a murder mystery too. Loved seeing his daughter realise this bigger than life man is actually her father. It was so pleasing to see him able to make plans for the future. Fantastic stories.
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February 2, 2016It was enjoyable to read the second Captain Lacey book right after the first. The plots are very different, but the main characters get fleshed out some more. Lacey himself is rather rash and hot-tempered, but it was still easy for me to feel for him.
P.S. Despite the covers, these aren't simply romance books and there isn't graphic sex. The character development, sleuthing, and historical setting are all more important elements than the romance. (That, however, may change as the series continues.)
P.S. Despite the covers, these aren't simply romance books and there isn't graphic sex. The character development, sleuthing, and historical setting are all more important elements than the romance. (That, however, may change as the series continues.)
October 1, 2018
Enjoyable
Captain Lacey is a regency era Jack Reacher. He has his code of honour and helps all to find justice. It is great to finally see him find happiness.
Captain Lacey is a regency era Jack Reacher. He has his code of honour and helps all to find justice. It is great to finally see him find happiness.
February 3, 2017
A brilliant series of books. The character development of Captain Lacey with each book is masterful; the secondary characters are also rounded and engaging. I particularly enjoy the relationship between Grenville and Lacey and Grenville's developing relationship with Marianne. The plotting of each mystery is excellent, intricate and intriguing. I'm definitely hooked and looking forward to starting Volume 3.
May 22, 2025
Addicted
I am not getting enough sleep these days as I plow through this series.
Captain Lacey is quite a character with a dynamic fleshed out cast of supporting characters. Grenville, Marianne, Bartholomew, Matthias, Louisa, Aloysius, Denis, Donata and crew have kept me thoroughly entertained and engaged in this series. I was prepared to dislike Carlotta’s Major, but he stole my heart. A good man indeed. The shades of gray in this cast made them unforgettable.
Now I need to get back to story. I am so engaged in each mystery.
I am not getting enough sleep these days as I plow through this series.
Captain Lacey is quite a character with a dynamic fleshed out cast of supporting characters. Grenville, Marianne, Bartholomew, Matthias, Louisa, Aloysius, Denis, Donata and crew have kept me thoroughly entertained and engaged in this series. I was prepared to dislike Carlotta’s Major, but he stole my heart. A good man indeed. The shades of gray in this cast made them unforgettable.
Now I need to get back to story. I am so engaged in each mystery.
December 17, 2020
Enjoyable mysteries
I am really hooked on the Captain Lacey series. Love the characters of Lacey and Grenville. The only fault with the book is that each book spends too much time rehashing the previous books, so there is too much repetition. I get a little bored with reading in every book all the background info over and over. Otherwise they are very well written
I am really hooked on the Captain Lacey series. Love the characters of Lacey and Grenville. The only fault with the book is that each book spends too much time rehashing the previous books, so there is too much repetition. I get a little bored with reading in every book all the background info over and over. Otherwise they are very well written
December 26, 2017
Not perfect, but entirely entertaining.
Why do I like English turn of the century novels? I really don't know. Maybe it's the way people lived an d how we compare with them today. Anyway if you're looking for a good read, this is it.
Why do I like English turn of the century novels? I really don't know. Maybe it's the way people lived an d how we compare with them today. Anyway if you're looking for a good read, this is it.
August 26, 2018
Captain Lacey does it again!
Interesting twists and turns to the plot as Captain Lacey and his friends solve another mystery in the London of the early 1800s! Enjoyed seeing the characters develop as they face challenges within and without! Can't wait to read the next one!
Interesting twists and turns to the plot as Captain Lacey and his friends solve another mystery in the London of the early 1800s! Enjoyed seeing the characters develop as they face challenges within and without! Can't wait to read the next one!
December 1, 2018
Well written
This is a well written historical crime book that holds ones interest throughout. At no time did I get bored with it. There was enough "twist" in the stories to keep one reading
This is a well written historical crime book that holds ones interest throughout. At no time did I get bored with it. There was enough "twist" in the stories to keep one reading
February 13, 2017
Wonderful Regency Mysteries
Capt. Lackey is a guarantee for many hours of intrigue, adventure and a rich glimpse into Regency England. Each character feels real.
Capt. Lackey is a guarantee for many hours of intrigue, adventure and a rich glimpse into Regency England. Each character feels real.
February 4, 2019
The Captain Lacey Murders (Volume 2) are intriguing and complicated mysteries set in England during the Regency Period shortly after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars. My only complaint about the volume, is that it is so long, that I have only a vague memory of the first two of the books in this volume.
Captain Lacey, while a "gentleman" in this very class conscious, mannerly, and in today's terms extremely (some might say overly) polite society, has little or no money. He accepts a position as a secretary at a boys' school and is instrumental in solving a mystery involving the killing of one of the instructors and solves a mystery involving his best friend's girl friend (or as they might say, mistress.)
The last book in the volume, I felt was the most intriguing, Lacey was married, but his wife had run from Army camp life in India and Spain and is now living with Lacey's daughter and her French lover.
Lacey has fallen in love again with a beautiful young society matron whose husband has recently died. Lacey feels that he cannot in honor become her lover without finding and getting a divorce. Almost an impossibility in early 19th century London. Along the way he solves the murder of several "girls of the night" and rescues his now 17 year old daughter from a very precarious situation.
Captain Lacey, while a "gentleman" in this very class conscious, mannerly, and in today's terms extremely (some might say overly) polite society, has little or no money. He accepts a position as a secretary at a boys' school and is instrumental in solving a mystery involving the killing of one of the instructors and solves a mystery involving his best friend's girl friend (or as they might say, mistress.)
The last book in the volume, I felt was the most intriguing, Lacey was married, but his wife had run from Army camp life in India and Spain and is now living with Lacey's daughter and her French lover.
Lacey has fallen in love again with a beautiful young society matron whose husband has recently died. Lacey feels that he cannot in honor become her lover without finding and getting a divorce. Almost an impossibility in early 19th century London. Along the way he solves the murder of several "girls of the night" and rescues his now 17 year old daughter from a very precarious situation.
February 4, 2019
Great read.
March 20, 2019
Read it
April 21, 2019
Loved it!
Captain Lacey mysteries is wonderful. Everything I like about regencies without all of the fuss. There is even a romance, or two, without taking away from the story!
Captain Lacey mysteries is wonderful. Everything I like about regencies without all of the fuss. There is even a romance, or two, without taking away from the story!
October 26, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed these books. Love the characters and the twists in the ploys
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May 24, 2024Read these individually.
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March 4, 2017Enjoyed very much!
March 11, 2015
Gabriel Lacey is loveable
These books give us more of a view of the admirable Captain Lacey. Yes, he is a bit of a man-whore. Yes, he is impulsive, stab burn, hot-headed. He is also noble, honest, an individual in a time of conformity. We also see more sides of his deep friendships with Louisa Brandon, Lucius Grenville, the perplexing Marianne Simmons and, most satisfying, his romance with the complicated Donata, Lady Breckenridge. Worth the endless sleepless hours...just one more chapter!
These books give us more of a view of the admirable Captain Lacey. Yes, he is a bit of a man-whore. Yes, he is impulsive, stab burn, hot-headed. He is also noble, honest, an individual in a time of conformity. We also see more sides of his deep friendships with Louisa Brandon, Lucius Grenville, the perplexing Marianne Simmons and, most satisfying, his romance with the complicated Donata, Lady Breckenridge. Worth the endless sleepless hours...just one more chapter!
August 15, 2017
My rating here is for A Covent Garden Mystery which I somehow missed. That would have been disastrous because this is one of the best in the series.
Captain Lacey must enter London's underbelly as he searches for two missing 'game girls'. Then Lacey's long-estranged daughter goes missing as well. The body of one of the missing girls is found near the Thames, and the search goes into overdrive.
This is a well-written, perfectly executed plot that keeps cranking up the tension level.
Captain Lacey must enter London's underbelly as he searches for two missing 'game girls'. Then Lacey's long-estranged daughter goes missing as well. The body of one of the missing girls is found near the Thames, and the search goes into overdrive.
This is a well-written, perfectly executed plot that keeps cranking up the tension level.
January 22, 2017
Love it!
I am a fan of period mysteries and I love this series. It is well written with engaging, well developed characters and plots that are not routine or predictable. The four stories in this collection are all good, particularly the last one. It has me eager to start the next one, and what better recommendation can there be for a series?
I am a fan of period mysteries and I love this series. It is well written with engaging, well developed characters and plots that are not routine or predictable. The four stories in this collection are all good, particularly the last one. It has me eager to start the next one, and what better recommendation can there be for a series?
October 18, 2014
I feel as though these stories could be more, but they are fun whodunnits. The mysteries are satisfying, and the secondary characters grow more three-dimensional as the series progresses - I’ll definitely keep reading.
February 20, 2015
Excellent Recency Mysteries
I have fallen for these characters. Their plight and joy are all encompassing. The mysteries are fresh and intriguing. I highly recommend the entire series.
I have fallen for these characters. Their plight and joy are all encompassing. The mysteries are fresh and intriguing. I highly recommend the entire series.
February 12, 2014
I really like this series! Great characters that I care about and interesting mysteries to solve.
June 13, 2014
Excellent collection! The main characters is adorable and the stories are highly entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews