1878 The painter Whistler wants Grand and Batchelor to uncover dirt of Ruskin, in retaliation for his comments about one of his paintings. They are also investigating the deaths of various streetwalkers as the police seem to be totally incompetent. Will Batchelor ever get married to the awful Lady Caroline Wentworth.
An enjoyable historical mystery, a decent addition to the series which can be read as a standalone story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Last Nocturne is a period mystery, set in 1878 London. Grand and Batchelor, the main characters, run a small private inquiry agency. In this volume, the seventh in the series, the two are hired by James Whistler—yes, that one—to investigate John Ruskin, who has deprecated Whistler's art. That's not much of a mystery, but then bodies start showing up and it's clear that something very wrong is underway, and it's based in the London art world. Several other artists make appearances—as does Oscar Wilde.

In all, this is a lively frolic for those who appreciate mysteries for their context as much as their plotting. Neither is remarkable on its own, but together they make for a rewarding read for fans of period mysteries.

I received a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. ( )