The Hanover Square Affair is the first in Ashley Gardner's Captain Lacey Series set in the Regency Era. Its currently available as a free download on kindle, iBooks and Google Play.
London, 1816
An impoverished cavalry captain returns injured from the Napoleonic / Peninsular wars at odds with himself. Then a missing girl possibly kidnapped by a prominent member of Parliament and her distraught father set Captain Gabriel Lacey into investigating the dark underbelly of Regency London.
Lacey's search leads him on a merry chase to the discovery of murder, corruption, and dealings with a leader of the underworld. He faces his own disorientation transitioning from a soldier's life to the civilian world while making new friends, from the top of society to the street girls of Covent Garden and enemies too.
Captain Lacey tries his best to be an honourable man in a less-than-honourable society, one in which wealth, privilege and position are always right. So, he fights for the underdog, the forgotten, the neglected. He does come across as a very strong character.
Plot development is really good, but there were some characters like Janet Ingram and the widow Dawson, who I'm not sure why they were even brought into the story, I'm not sure if they become major characters in the later books, but their miniscule guest appearances in this book, were distracting.
Other than this, I quite enjoyed the read. The insight into society in the 1800's is often uncomfortable, but essential to the plot.
I think Ashley has come out with 9 books in the series so far. I look forward to reading some of the others as Captain Lacey inspite of his quirks and easy temper, is quite an endearing hero.
Rating : 4.25 / 5
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