Anna Lee Huber’s Kiera Darby mystery series is a fun, immersive, and delightfully deadly Regency-era murder mystery series that spans the United Kingdom, starting in the Scottish Highlands and moving down into London and Southern England, making a stopover in Dublin during the fifth book (excluding the novella from the official book count). Having read the eleven novels and the novella, and now awaiting the twelfth book for the next thrilling addition to the saga, now would be a great time to give a brief vibe check to each book and the series as a whole.

The Anatomist’s Wife is possibly my favourite of the series with its mysterious beginnings, misty setting and the backstories of Kiera and her late husband seeping into character interactions and dynamics. The murder mystery is pretty good on its own, and the characters of interest are so strong that they deserve to turn up in later books (and they do). The Anatomist’s Wife is a fantastic series starter and gets the ball rolling with excellent intrigue and detail.

Mortal Arts is the book I had to wait the longest for, so long that I needed to reread The Anatomist’s Wife ten months later to get back into the story world for when I finally received this second book. I was not disappointed as the plot had such great topics and characters, the romantic subplot felt authentic and fitting for the setting and interactions, and the character development had a great sense of tension and hesitancy that I otherwise wouldn’t like, but it works here. The mystery is heartbreaking, but sets up some great internal and external relationship conflict between our main character and the love interest.

A Grave Matter is the first book where we start to get some relationship drama, very fitting for the stage of their situationship. This drama takes the forefront of the plot and the mystery, in my eyes, feels half-baked in comparison. I love the inclusion of Hogmanay, especially as an opening to this book, because I want to learn more about the history and cultural celebrations of the Scots. The murder mystery didn’t follow as clear of a path as previous mysteries, not just in terms of the complexity of the plot but the significance of events and their relevance to the area. In my review, I note not being able to recall the plot, and while some details come to mind, the statement still rings true. It’s not a bad instalment in the series, but perhaps a little underdeveloped.

A Study In Death is a book where I genuinely got angry at our main character for her naivety and at other characters for their pigheadedness. The mystery’s theme is interesting, especially considering its resonance with the main character, but I felt it was fumbled. The tension point in this book is the nearing pregnancy of Kiera’s sister and the concerns and developments that come with it. This means the relationship drama and the main plot are sidelined, which vexes me. It’s a shame because the city setting brings with it the rumours and assumptions Kiera has been hiding from, and there could have been more done with the plot, but for whatever reason, it didn’t happen. Is it a reason to stop reading the series? No, but it stalls the flow and creates repetitive relationship issues that can become boring.

A Pressing Engagement eases my frustrations with a short but sweet errand-like mystery to solve before a key event in the main character’s life. It’s without the impact of a good murder, but it doesn’t require it. The giddy tension is more than enough to carry the plot through. I’m happy this is a novella. Anything longer would have felt too empty with the current events or imbalanced as the mystery would have overshadowed the gathering should a proper investigation have unfolded. I read this as an e-book, a pleasant change from traditional book form, and as it is only 200 pages or so, it is an easy afternoon read to dive into.

As Death Draws Near was another letdown for me as it felt out of place, or at least the characters and the setting felt mismatched. The setting lacks descriptive detail and the themes and significant events lack connection or follow through. I felt that there were missed opportunities to have valid and interesting discussions and the environmental hostility almost seeps into the main character’s perspective in a way that shuts down any true insight into the happenings of the investigation. I did like the return of a fiendish character and the arch he’s taken since his introductions, that was a positive to this book.

A Pressing Engagement eases my frustrations with a short but sweet errand-like mystery to solve before a key event in the main character’s life. It’s without the impact of a good murder, but it doesn’t require it. The giddy tension is more than enough to carry the plot through. I’m happy this is a novella. Anything longer would have felt too empty with the current events or imbalanced as the mystery would have overshadowed the gathering should a proper investigation have unfolded. I read this as an e-book, a pleasant change from traditional book form, and as it is only 200 pages or so, it is an easy afternoon read to dive into.

A Brush With Shadows redeems the series with its foggy setting, strange and secretive characters, mysteries within mysteries, and character backstory and development that shed light on many aspects of Sebastian’s character. There are layers to this one, and the eeriness of interactions and events makes for a compelling read. The juicy plot point for future books provides much drama and relationship tension, something I find myself invested in, like a guilty pleasure, and my faith in the series is restored.

An Artless Demise brings that faith back down as the promising premise lacks punch and delivery. Truly, I wish this novel got a little touch up because the possibilities and the repercussions of events would be incredible. This book is one that I really want to reread because surely I’m just forgetting something big, something that answers my questions about tension, drama and relationship development. My note about character tensions is a key reason I want to reread too because I remember who is at the centre of it and I want to see if they’re as two-faced of a character as I remember them being.

A Stroke of Malice is a book I was pleasantly surprised about because I thought that the events of the novel and the setting would make for one repetitive snooze-fest. Oh, my delight when I was proven wrong! Another Hogmanay and a riveting journey for our main character as her condition puts her in more than a few terror-inducing situations. While it’s not my favourite, it’s a tick in my books.

A Wicked Conceit gives us a fresh idea, an entertaining dilemma, and a balance of main plot and subplots that is near perfection. Elements of the novel seem to flow into each other with grace and intrigue, especially our issues with the friends in the shadows, and the action climaxing in such a riveting order of events felt so right. A spectacular book in my eyes and a top contender for my favourite in the series.

A Perilous Perspective serves as another top pick with its expert use of character detail, character dynamics, developing relationships and descriptive setting to create a mystery worth reading and subplots that make it even more immersive to read. The track record at this point is looking good as the last few books have been moving the series in a good direction and the themes and topics are relevant for the characters, rooting them as books within this series as opposed to generic murder mysteries.

A Fatal Illusion, the last in my series review, gives us an overdue insight into a character that serves as an unchanging, looming figure over the main character’s head. While we don’t get all the answers, we certainly get enough to satisfy our curiosity while dealing with the mystery and tensions simmering across the board. A little step back from previous books, but a good choice as the focus rests on a character and the dynamics surrounding them as opposed to a mystery murder plot.

Now, overall, my opinions about this series are positive. I do have some subjective takes here and there regarding character details, relationship drama, character dynamics, repetition in dialogue and conflicts, and the passive stance the main character continues to have regarding her own life. I don’t rate this as high as the Wrexford and Sloane books, but the Lady Darby mystery series is still a great way to read historical fiction murder mystery and historical romance.