The Persephone Code by Julia Golding

 

1812

Deep below the hills of the Buckinghamshire countryside, the infamous Hellfire Caves house a pleasure palace for the idle rich – a secret society steeped in satanism, opium and debauchery of the highest order.

When the club’s warden, Antony Pennington, is brutally murdered, his bastard sister, Dora, must follow the clues to decode who the killer is, aided by an unexpected ally – ex-Army officer, former opium addict and son of a Viscount, Dr Jacob Sandys.

As a shadow dogs their every footstep, Dora and Jacob find themselves in the midst of a shocking conspiracy, caught between the legendary Illuminati and the Hell Fire Club. With time running out, they must fight against both the most influential gentleman of the ton – and the undeniable attraction they feel towards each other…

 The Persephone Code blends historical mystery and adventure with some romance.

The story's opening pages featured an ugly murder, which had me hooked and rooting for Anthony's actress sister, Dora, when she joined forces with Dr. Sandys in pursuit of the truth behind Anthony's death. With two secret societies following their every move, it became increasingly dangerous the more the pair decoded the clues left for Dora in her brother's letter.

Dora is a remarkable character. She is no tonnish miss and uses her acting abilities to her advantage. Her initial interactions with Jacob are very funny as she misinterprets his intentions towards her and he takes his time in putting matters straight. Despite wanting to deliver the message and leave, he offers to escort her on her travels to receive her brother's letter and act as her protector when it becomes clear that it will be a dangerous affair.

I really liked the mystery and the adventure that decoding the clues brought them. Dora and Jacob had interesting background stories and I felt like I got to know and understand them pretty well. I loved that there was a hint of another adventure for the pair and it's already published. The Elgin Conspiracy is one of my year-end book buys for 2024.