The Gravesend Murder is the third book in the Field & Greystone Victorian historical mystery series by Lana Williams. Well-written and well-plotted, it is yet another intricate mystery involving Inspector Henry Field of Scotland Yard and Mrs. Amelia Greystone, a widowed amateur chemist whose husband's murder a year before Henry has been unable to solve. It also introduces the delightful Master Leopold, a cat belonging to one of the victims that endears himself not only to Amelia, but also to Mr. and Mrs. Fernsby, Amelia's butler and cook.
I very much enjoyed this entry, particularly as it resolves some unanswered questions from previous books in the series. It is full of details that are drawn out of Book 2, so I would suggest reading the series in order, especially the previous book. In some ways, the author seems to have resolved so many loose threads, particularly with regard to Matthew Greystone's death and the case Henry was investigating with his sergeant, Fletcher, in Book 2, that it almost read as if the entire series was being tied up in a bow for the reader, in case no further stories were to come. I am pleased to learn that Lana Williams has more stories in this series set for the future, and since Henry has expressed his concern that he and Amelia aren't able to move forward past friendship with her husband's unsolved murder standing between them, this may give them the perfect opportunity to get closer in the next several books. Perhaps my only less-than-stellar comment would be that, since so much ground is covered in this book to tie up the loose ends, the current mystery takes a bit of a backseat at times to the preceding two, and the story is almost too full and overly ambitious in pulling everything together. The ending of this book does leave a tendril hanging for the next book though.
Despite being a bit of a denser read for me than the prior books in the series, I am on board for the long run with Henry and Amelia, who are endearing, likable, complex and solid main characters who are easy to root for. I'm already looking forward to Book 4, The Rookery Killer.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from the author, I am leaving my review voluntarily.