A review by kristineisreading
The Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It took me a while to get into this, but once I did, I was hooked. I feel like I can't fully talk about this without spoilers, so:

it was satisfying that when Barbara and Alfonso were finally honest with each other, it sparked their relationship and created an interesting and capable partnership. I also enjoyed that by solving the mystery of who killed the first duchess, they inadvertently solved who was trying to kill Barbara too (something she wasn't even focusing on, which puzzles me). I did suspect the Friar but didn't put all the pieces together, nor did I fully understand how evil he was until he tried to brick Barbara up in the wall. Having the puppies rescue her was the icing on the cake.

Overall I found this to be a clever historical mystery with interesting characters and high stakes.