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Like many romance readers, we were quite saddened to learn of the death of Edith Layton in 2009. She had a remarkable voice that was gone from us too soon. However, her daughter has been working hard not only to see her backlist republished digitally, but to publish new work as well.
Frost Fair is something of a departure. While Layton keeps the Regency England setting her readers associate with her, this novel is a mystery with only a faint touch of the romantic to it. The story centers on the mysterious death of an aristocratic bachelor on the eve of his wedding, his naked body found on the doorstep of a fishmonger in a decidedly unfashionable part of London.
The quest to discover what happened and why brings together the victim’s nephew, Lucian, Viscount Maldon, as well as Maggie Pushkin, the widowed owner of the fish shop, and Spanish Will Corby, a legendary Bow Street Runner working the case. The three come from different backgrounds and different strata of society. Because the case involves chasing leads not only through the slums and the shops of local traders, but also into the homes of the aristocracy, the three join forces. Their alliance is reluctant at first and filled with mistrust, but along the way solid bonds form between them.
Lynn Spencer and Janet Webb were both eager to dive into this book, and are here to share their thoughts on it.
Lynn: So, what did you think of Frost Fair in general? I was thrilled when I heard that Edith Layton had left behind another gift for readers, but I went into this one completely unsure of what to expect.
Janet: So many romance writers have switched to writing mysteries – it looks like she was ahead of the trend.
Lynn: True. The results on that have been mixed for me, but I did really enjoy Frost Fair. What did you think of it?
Janet: It’s making me miss her all over again. Her language is meticulously precise and laden with sly humor.
Lynn: Yes! I loved how vividly she drew the world in this book. It’s a grittier side of Regency Lindon than many romance readers are used to, and it’s one of the few books I’ve read lately where the setting really haunted me.
And then there are the three leads-Spanish Will, Mrs. Pushkin, and of course, the nobleman whose uncle’s death brings everyone together. Did you have a favorite character?
Janet: Very hard to choose. The Viscount because he seemed so human. But the runner has pathos too. Mrs. Pushkin perhaps seems a little too perfect or very likable.
Lynn: Interestingly, I think I’d agree with you on Maggie Pushkin if she were a standard issue historical romance heroine. However, knowing that she had a very difficult life before inheriting her husband’s fish shop, I had to admire her hopefulness and willingness to share what little she had. And I loved her curiosity about the world.
I did find Lucian (Viscount Maldon) the most interesting. He had more facets to him, I think.
Janet: I admired Maggie’s generosity greatly… am I reaching for the stars to want to have seen just a tiny flaw or too? Don’t get me wrong: she’s a terrific heroine.
Lynn:Â True, she can be sometimes a tad naive but otherwise decidedly lacking in the flaw department. :)
I know I mentioned how vividly drawn I found the setting to be. Since this isn’t a romance, the author explores a grittier side of Regency life. For me, it was painful to think about the deprivation some of the people in this book, particularly children, encountered. And yet I so enjoyed the main characters that I found myself sinking deep into the story. How did the setting affect you?
Janet: She paints the settings with every detail. Think of the bar where the two men sat with the fishwives. Smell, lighting, atmosphere: it was like a screenplay. Same with the minute details and similes around Lucian’s eyes. Moving from the West End to the East End added so much!
Lynn: Yes, I almost felt like I was sitting in that bar. I loved that the settings are filled with detail but the author leaves you to draw your own conclusions. That made certain scenes stand out for me but it also opened my eyes to aspects of life in that time that I’ll admit I’ve often been content to gloss over, like some of those brothel details.
Without giving too much away, how did you like the ending?
Janet: I’m glad at the end that Layton held out some hope for Will and Maggie (did you sense that?) I think I always knew who did it. Who else? Romance lovers won’t appreciate an ending that just gradually fades away. But how else could it end?
Lynn: I agree. The characters grew close but their class differences didn’t just disappear. I knew there couldn’t be an easy ‘Let’s all ride off into the sunset together’ ending. I thought this one was very fitting. Hopeful and wistful all at once.
Janet: This book really was good. The descriptions were mesmerizing. All three characters evolved so much while staying true to themselves.
Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo
Grade: A-
Book Type: Historical Mystery
Sensuality: N/A
Review Date: 20/09/18
Publication Date: 09/2018
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
I enjoy spending as much time as I can between the covers of a book, traveling through time and around the world. When I'm not having adventures with fictional characters, I'm an attorney in Virginia and I love just hanging out with my husband, little man, and the cat who rules our house.
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I just wanted to pop in and say thank you for the coverage of FROST FAIR. We’ve been so excited to be the publisher for the re-release of previous works by Edith Layton as well as the publisher of FROST FAIR. As a publisher, it’s always sad when you work so hard to see an author’s works reach audiences but don’t have the opportunity to meet the author themselves. However, working with Susie on an ongoing basis has been an absolute joy, and she assures me constantly that we are doing right by her mom. That means the world to us!
Best,
Jay Hartman
Editor-in-Chief
Untreed Reads Publishing
Do you get the sense that there was a sequel to Frost Fair in the works? I really enjoyed Edith Layton’ s work as well and would hope there was more to come.
@Renee – I had that exact same feeling….maybe it was wishful thinking! I really loved this book.
That was my thought too: did Layton leave the door open in the last few scenes for continuing involvement, even perhaps on the personal level, between the three protagonists (and other characters introduced in the story). Alas, I fear we’ll never know unless author Layton left another unpublished manuscript behind.
Thank you for the heads-up on Frost Fair, as of a few seconds ago it still hasn’t shown up on the Fantastic Fiction site for New Releases. I won’t read your review til later but thrilled to see it’s a DIK. When I first saw the cover on the Home Page, it gave my heart such a lift. I’m looking forward to reading it, miss her so much. I just know it would have been the beginning of a fabulous Regency Historical Mystery series.
My first Edith Layton book was The Wedding (5/95) but the first one that comes to mind when I think of favorites is the stand alone, The Devil’s Bargain (4/02). I finally did find my own copies of the early C Series, after reading them via Inter Library Loan. So many great characters over the years, I still have some yet unread… on purpose… for a special time.
–Janie
She was one of my favorite authors. I loved the Duke’s Wager. I was so sad when she died and now excited to see this new work.
It was very saddening. I admire all her daughter has done to preserve and publish her work. This book really is a gem! I hope you like it.