A Ghastly Catastrophe

Victorian London provides the atmospheric backdrop for the tenth Veronica Speedwell mystery, where naturalist and self-described "lady of science" Veronica and her partner Stoker find themselves drawn into a deeply unsettling case. When two men turn up dead under circumstances that suggest the work of something supernatural, the investigation leads to a clandestine society whose members believe in immortality and darker arts. Raybourn blends Gothic horror with sharp wit, delivering a mystery that leans into Victorian obsessions with the occult while keeping Veronica's skeptical, modern sensibility at the center.

Angéle Masters has voiced the Speedwell series from the beginning, and her command of Veronica's dry humor and intellectual confidence is as assured as ever. She navigates the story's tonal range effortlessly, from drawing-room banter to genuinely eerie set pieces, without letting either register overwhelm the other. At just over eleven hours, the pacing stays brisk, and Masters makes the ensemble cast feel distinct and lived-in. Longtime fans of the series will find this a deeply satisfying listen.