Bertie And the Crime of Passion

I thoroughly enjoyed the books in this series I have read. I love learning about the times in England when these stories are set, and love the idea of a royal as a detective.

This is the 3rd in Lovesey's Victorian series featuring the Prince of Wales as an amateur sleuth. The first was: Bertie and the Tinman, the 2nd: Bertie and the Seven Bodies. This 3rd effort is by far the best of the three. The mystery is more interesting & more central than the class biases, silliness, & ego-centric nature of the main character--he's even a bit more likable here. In addition, Lovesey adds the remarkable Sarah Bernhardt as a main character-- & foil to Bertie--who is still an adolescent (psychologically). The repartee between the two makes the book IMHO. That and the fact that (though all 3 are probably meant in jest--as humorous mysteries) there is much more humor in this book than in the prior 2. The ending is delightful (except for the obvious dark element of the murderer's last activity). However, if you enjoy humorous mysteries, I'd suggest reading Lawrence Block's Bernie the Burglar series (e.g. The Burglar on the Prowl (Block, Lawrence)), his Tanner pseudo-spy series (Tanner's Twelve Swingers (Evan Tanner Mystery Series, 3)) or his somewhat raunchy but hilarious Ronald Rabbit Is a Dirty Old Man. Also try Donald Westlake's Dortmunder series (e.g. Put a Lid on it) & his delightful Trust Me on This & its sequel: Baby, Would I Lie? First Edition Signed.