You romance novel fans may be familiar with Diana Gabaldon's wildly popular Outlander series. (I liked the first novel but, for me, the rest got progressively unreadable.) Anyway, you may remember one of the more interesting characters, Lord John Grey. Now he's back in his very own historical mystery series.

It's 1757 in London. England is fighting France in the Seven Years' War, and career soldiers such as Grey, a major in His Majesty's army, have a lot to do. But when he's between battles, he is a nobleman with social obligations to keep up. One is dining at various gentlemen's clubs of which he is a member. Another is looking out for his young cousin Olivia, an orphan who is soon to be married.

These two duties intersect unexpectedly on the first page when Grey is at the Beefsteak Club. He finds out that his cousin's fiancé, the Honorable Joseph Trevelyan, may have contracted syphilis. (I'll leave you to discover how he finds this out.)

Horrified, Grey realizes that he must get proof so that he can blackmail Trevelyan into cancelling the engagement in such as way as not to ruin Olivia's reputation. He goes to his friend Colonel Quarry for advice; Quarry, who thinks the situation hilarious, proposes several elaborate schemes.

But in the meantime, Quarry has a special project for Grey: to investigate the suspicious death of O'Connell, a sergeant thought to be a traitor. Apparently O'Connell may have stolen some munitions requisitions and passed them along to the French, which would let them know exactly how many British soldiers are placed where.

However, it's not known for certain if O'Connell was a spy; it could perhaps have been several other officers with access to the requisitions. Grey is the highest-ranking officer who had no access. Being above suspicion, he is the obvious one to conduct the investigation.

So now Grey, accompanied by his dignified young valet Tom Byrd, has two problems to solve that connect in some unusual ways. He will seek his answers in the drawing rooms of England's highest-ranking nobility, and in the dark streets of London's underbelly. (The vivid scenes include an especially funny depiction of Sergeant O'Connell's funeral at which his Catholic wife and Protestant mistress, each backed with the appropriate clergyman and mourners, fight over who gets to bury him.)

Grey is no stranger to some of the bawdier areas of London since he is secretly gay. This gives him a fascinating "outsider" perspective upon the men and women who people his society. Poor Grey is not involved in a relationship; even so, in his time, being a homosexual is a capital crime, and he must be very careful.

As mysteries go, this one could have been trimmed in spots. But as historical novels go, every detail rings true. You will find yourself disappearing into this fascinating world as you experience its unique slang, food, dress, and customs. It's an amazing feat of imagination. (See also Book 2 in the series Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and Book 3 Lord John and the Hand of Devils.)

Lord John and the Private Matter can be found on Amazon through this link: Lord John and the Private Matter