Lady Elizabeth Widdrington is appalled when the very pregnant wife of a minister arrives at her estate in Northern England bedraggled and in a state of shock. The situation becomes even more horrifying when Poppy Burns tells her story: two strangers arrived at the manse, killed her husband, Jamie, raped her and fled.
Lady Elizabeth cannot rest until she finds justice for the Burns family, so although her abusive husband, Lord Henry, has forbidden her to get involved in another mystery, she travels the 40 miles through contested Scottish borderlands to Poppy's village.
As Lady Elizabeth is drawn further into the case, and into the rivalries and deceits of the extended Burns family, a well-known clan of reivers (thieves), she comes back into contact with the man she truly loves: Sir Robert Carey. A pious woman, Lady Elizabeth tries to avoid Carey, as Lord Henry has commanded her to do, but the implications of Jamie Burns's death will have far-reaching consequences for Lady Elizabeth and Sir Robert.
In this, the seventh Sir Robert Carey mystery, P.F. Chisholm (An Air of Treason) ably portrays the hazards of life in the Scottish borderlands (and the unfortunately unhygienic customs of the 16th century). Lady Elizabeth is a redoubtable woman and finds ways to use her wits in an age when women were rarely allowed to do so. Perfect for those who love a fast-paced adventure, and those who are intrigued by Scottish history, A Chorus of Innocents is a quick, enjoyable read. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm