The Betrayal of Cora Wexford by Bethany Joy Lenz
on October 20, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Historical, Fiction / Romance / Suspense, Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological
Pages: 240
Format: ARC
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1880s London. Cora Wexford is alone at thirty-eight, with secrets that drove her to flee life in America and come to London. Now, she makes a living by painting the dead. On the evening of her birthday, she is introduced through friends to a charming stranger named Miles Vale. As Cora falls deeper into trust and surrender with Miles, she’s given an opportunity to catapult her career. A suffragist and esteemed gallery owner commission Cora to create a series of portraits featuring ordinary women whose recent deaths have been caused or enabled by a system that ignores them. Then a killer in Whitechapel begins murdering women in the same gruesome way. As Cora works tirelessly to honor the victims of this “Jack the Ripper,” she finds herself increasingly disoriented within her own relationship. Her unraveling leads to one question: will anyone notice a woman being dismantled over years by someone sharing her bed?
POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD:
I’ve been a fan of Bethany Joy Lenz for a long time, and after reading Dinner for Vampires, I found myself fiercely in her corner. So when I had the opportunity to read her first novel early, I jumped at it—though this was not what I was expecting and do think it is promoted incorrectly (not a dark romance) I did enjoy this. I thought it would be about Cora and her love interest, Miles, teaming up to try to figure out who was behind the Ripper murders. And then, as I got to know Miles better as a character, I thought he was going to be unveiled as Jack the Ripper — because he was just awful. What this book is actually about is gaslighting and being a victim of a narcissist. Miles acted like he was interested in Cora but was really only ever out for himself. He was absolutely horrible. Anyone who has dealt with gaslighting will find this book relatable for sure.
One thing historical-fiction readers should know going in is that Lenz takes a somewhat modernized approach to Victorian London. I was reminded a little of Bridgerton—not because the stories are particularly similar, but because both create a version of historical England that incorporates more contemporary attitudes and a more racially diverse cast of characters. Cora and the women around her also sometimes discuss boundaries, manipulation, and relationships in ways that feel informed by modern therapy language. If you enjoy historical fiction with feminist themes, psychological suspense, complicated women, and stories about reclaiming your voice after someone has tried to take it from you, this is definitely one to put on your list.
I rated her debut four stars. I don’t think this will be a great fit for readers looking for a fast paced plot or shocking twists but if you can appreciate a book with a lot to say and that will get under your skin then I recommend you pick this up!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this debut!
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