When the Devil Drives

Liberty Lane #4

by Caro Peacock

A Liberty Lane mystery - Autumn, 1839 .  As the London nights darken, rumours spread about the devil’s chariot, which preys on young women walking alone at night. Novice private investigator Liberty Lane has no time for such horror stories, so when a poetic young man begs her to find his missing fiancée, she accepts, suspecting there is a more prosaic explanation. Meanwhile, she is engaged to help prevent a royal scandal involving Prince Albert’s worldlier brother, Prince Ernest. Liberty begins work on both cases, but when young women begin showing up dead, the tales of the devil’s chariot don’t seem so ridiculous any more.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Mystery Thriller

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Aka Gillian Linscott.

Caro Peacock grew up in a farmhouse that, for most of her childhood, contained half a dozen brothers, sisters and cousins, twice as many cats and dogs, no central heating and one bathroom that stopped working every time the spring that supplied it water silted up. This possible bred the habit of curling up in a quiet place with a book, and later, a passion for travel that led to a rather disrupted education. Somewhere along the line, she acquired a great interest in Victorian history––which she considers a much misunderstood period––and particularly the part played in it by independently minded women. Caro rides horses, climbs, trampolines and spends some time every year studying wild flowers in the Alps.

Caro Peacock is a pseudonym for Gillian Linscott.

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting mystery set during the very early period of Queen Victoria's reign.

The detective of the piece is Miss Liberty Lane. The character didn't gel well for me. My biggest bugbear was her behaving in ways that would have seen her castigated by society. Like allowing a client to buy her a dress. Umm, no. Only time a man who wasn't father, husband, or guardian would buy a woman clothes was if the woman was the man's mistress.

I found a few things weren't explained, which annoyed the hell out of me.

[Val Sanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liberty Lane is not one of the gossiping, tea-drinking, clothes horses women of the 19th Century. She is patriotic, vigilant pursuer of truth who makes her living as a private inquiry agent in London. This book, the 4th in her series, opens in 1838. Victoria is on the thrown and she has become besotted with Prince Albert, of Saxe Goberth Gotha. Foreign government will stop at nothing to stop the engagement brewing between 'Vicki' and Albert, who is on a state visit from the continent. Liberty Lane is drawn in and use by assassins, the British Foreign Office and her stubborn refusal to walk away from the deaths of women, their bodies placed at the base of national monuments. The plot is good, the characters entertaining and sufficiently developed. It's a fun and fast read.

[Andrea Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another suspenseful read set in Victorian England with Liberty Lane as the main character who is on the case every time there is something top secret to investigate and nothing is ever as it first appears to be. When the Devil Drives is a haunting story of girls who disappear and then turn up dead in very public places making it seem as if they have killed themselves when in fact it may not be the case. Political and royal intrigue are intertwined in this suspenseful and thrilling story. I really enjoy reading about Liberty, and her assistant young Tabby who seem to be getting themselves into many tight spots!

[Mary MacKintosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Caro Peacock's Liberty Lane mysteries. They are set in the 1830's when Queen Victoria was very young—in this one, just at the beginning of falling in love with her Albert. Liberty tends to find herself being drawn into political intrigues as she pursues her living as an investigator. She is asked to find a missing young woman. It is near Halloween, and a mysterious black chariot is causing fear in London. Liberty's friend, hostler Amos Legge has his own mysteries to solve, but as the investigations continue Amos and Liberty find themselves seeking the same villains, and both of them are at risk from their givernment. Good, absorbing story!

[Maryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

First class: Beautifully plotted with nice twists, incisive writing, independent and clever protagonist. Love the dialogue between Liberty Lane and her second, street-urchin Tabby; love the Victorian gothic elements which curl through her stories like Victorian London lamplight and mist.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liberty Lane is a most excellent heroine, but I tend to like her even better with Tabby and Amos about to help her solve mysteries and get out of scrapes. I like it best when the trio works together. This was an excellent addition to the series, and I'm ready for book 5 next.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down. Well-written and an absorbing mystery.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best one yet. Nicely complex story. While I like Liberty, the ancillary characters are really what make these books for me--Amos and Tabby, especially.

[Perky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting and historically enriching.

[Jennifer Kloss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read - recommended by a gym friend.

[jammaster_mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an older historical mystery series. Set in the early years of Queen Victoria's reign and centered around London. Miss Liberty Lane was raised as a gentlewoman by radical leaning parents who had even more radical friends. Liberty is not interested in marriage and raising a family but also wants to have an occupation that interests her and where she can be helping people. She is not impressed by the aristocracy but they are often the ones with the funds to hire her. She lives on the edge of acceptable society, both literally and figuratively.

I very much enjoyed this entry into the series. Liberty is hired by two different gentlemen for, what appears to be, two very different jobs. One is looking for his missing sweetheart and the other wants her to befriend and protect a visiting Contessa from throwing herself at a visiting prince. What evolves is a deep plot to drive a wedge between a powerful Prussian family and England. People are mere pawns to those in power with money, influence, and deadly plots.

I will say that this series may be difficult to find. I had to track down a copy through thriftbooks.com (which is an amazing resource for book lovers!). I am glad that I did. This is an intriguing series and I want to see where Liberty goes from here. I adore the side characters of Amos and Tabby. Well written period mystery that is worth the read!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow moving at the start.

[MIRANDA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, which is, simply put, a novel set in 19th-century London with a female protagonist who is a private investigator, was quite an interesting read ... that is, until I reached the end. The plot had me hooked and the idea of a female PI in 19th-century London was intriguing. However, the disappearances and murders that were being investigated quickly lost their appeal when I reached the last several chapters of the book. The quick pace petered out and the interesting mystery that was at the heart of the novel became quite dull as it was being solved. The conclusions Miss Lane, the main character, jumped to and the nexus between all of the mysterious occurrences in the novel turned out to be nebulous at best. Whereas I would like to give this book 4 or 5 stars, I just cannot. Hopefully, the next novel I read by this individual will be less incredible.

[Melissa Riggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery set in London. I need to go back and reread the previous books again...too long in between them

"As the London nights darken, rumors spread about the devil's chariot, which preys on young women walking alone at night. Novice private investigator Liberty Lane has no time for such horror stories, so when a poetic young man begs her to find his missing fiance, she accepts, suspecting there is a more prosaic explanation."

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

cr 2011 I am again attracted t0 1830's Britain. main Libery Lane investigater and main Abbey is a twist on the usual mystery of Anne Perry. Liberty is caught up in a plot about the Victoria/Albert marriage..a devil jack the ripper type issue. This was one to pick up again because my mind really wanted to solve the who done it. there are 3 prior mysteries.A forein affair, adagerous affair and a family affair

author Gillian Linscott writing as Caro Peacock

[Drianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this, the fourth book in the Liberty Lane series! Liberty is quite good at thinking and a professional (such a nice change in a genre where all too many of the heroine-detectives are rather dumb and blunder around a lot). I continue to like the weaving of the story into history as well. Yay!

[Kate Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 4th in an enjoyable series of historical murder mysteries featuring the feisty detective, Liberty Lane. Set in 1839, this episode features a series of missing girls, a potential royal scandal, a mysterious black coach, as well as the usual cast of charming minor characters. I didn’t think this one was quite as good as the first few, but it was still a very readable read.

[Brenda Hawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun genre mystery with a plucky heroine and a twisting plot. Probably the best one of this series so far....no way you could predict the ending.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series gets better with every book, most enjoyable.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it reminds me of Anne Perry