MURDER ON THE PRINCE REGENT (Tate and Bell Mystery #6) by Irina Shapiro will be released on November 3, 2025, by Storm Publishing.
While enjoying a rare day alone with his ladylove Gemma Tate, Inspector Sebastian Bell is called to investigate the brutal murder of Lord Anthony Blackstock aboard the Prince Regent packet ship. Lady Blackstock is also missing from their first-class cabin, and the consensus is that she was also murdered, and her body was discarded overboard. Knowing that her medical knowledge could be vital to Sebastian’s case, Gemma insists on joining him on board. With the ship having been at sea when the murder occurred—and not yet able to dock—Sebastian and Gemma know that the killer is still on the ship. Sebastian and Gemma are racing against the clock to solve the murder before the ship docks and the killer slips away into the busy London streets.
MURDER ON THE PRINCE REGENT is the sixth novel in the Tate and Bell Mystery series, and possibly my favorite so far. Gemma is finally out of mourning, allowing her and Sebastian to move forward in their romantic relationship. Her medical knowledge, which was learned firsthand when she was a nurse during the Crimean War, is pivotal to the case. Together, they make quite the investigative team.
The mystery itself left me conflicted. Lord Anthony Blackstock was a terrible human being. He deserved what he got. But Sebastian still must do his job and find the killer. With the murder having taken place aboard a ship, MURDER ON THE PRINCE REGENT is essentially a locked room mystery. The killer had to be one of the people aboard the ship, and the suspect list is narrowed down to the limited number of people who could possibly have access to the Blackstock’s first-class cabin. The ending came as surprise.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.