A Sinister Deception by Lana Williams

On By TracyIn Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Sinister Deception (Field & Greystone #6)The Sinister Deception by Lana Williams

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Field & Greystone, #6

Release Date: March 24, 2026

Once again Henry Field and Amelia Greystone find themselves embroiled in a new mystery, this one involving a close friend of Amelia’s Aunt and her stay at Hollowgate Heights, an exclusive clinic that boasts alternative treatments and possible cures for people that traditional medicine has deemed hopeless. But Amelia’s friend is not the only reason Henry has taken an interest in this case. His good friend Arthur Taylor, the surgeon who performs the postmortems for Scotland Yard has also brought up some concerns about a recent postmortem he performed on a former guest of the clinic. Unfortunately, their visit to the clinic does nothing to relieve their concerns and only raises more questions.

As usual, Henry also has other cases and while following up with an informant, he is caught in an explosion that results in serious injuries to not only his body, but to his memory. He is concerned that he can’t remember why he was speaking to his informant and wonders what else he has forgotten. Upon learning of his injury, Amelia is beside herself with fear, and wonders about the future of their relationship, as she has already known loss and isn’t sure she can endure losing another person she loves. Thankfully, Henry does recover his memories, but his investigations don’t seem to be progressing, and even more concerns arise about the clinic as well as the increasing number of bombings around London, especially when Amelia is unwittingly caught up in the investigation.

This was another well-written, nicely paced story with a great mystery and a bit of intrigue. I love the relationship between Amelia and Henry is progressing and giving them both a well-deserved chance at a happy life. This book has more than one mystery, a very slow burn romance, interesting historical facts, wonderful secondary characters, a satisfying resolution to at least one case and the promise of more intrigue to follow. Overall, I highly recommend this series and am looking forward to the next installment. This is the sixth book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone title, I would recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Ghastly Catastrophe (Veronica Speedwell, #10)

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Veronica Speedwell #10
Publication Date: 3/3/26
Period: Victorian
Number of Pages: 336

Stoker and Veronica find themselves in a rare state of ennui, brought on by a disappointing lack of recent adventure. Veronica, in particular, is wishing for a bit of excitement to come their way—and Inspector Mornaday of Special Branch delivers exactly that. He arrives with a most unusual case: a young aristocrat found dead, his body completely drained of blood, with two small puncture marks along his jugular. Officially, the death has been ruled natural causes, and Mornaday has been expressly forbidden from investigating. Naturally, that doesn’t sit well with anyone involved. What?!

The case takes an intriguing turn when Veronica argues—quite seriously—that vampires may exist, while Stoker firmly insists they do not. Their resulting wager adds a layer of amusement, even as the mystery deepens. There is, after all, a man who presents himself very much like a vampire (without ever quite saying so), accompanied by a self-proclaimed witch. People seem to fall under their influence—but how?

The path to the truth is long and winding, weaving through a wide array of characters: aristocrats, eccentric American millionaires, retired schoolteachers, and struggling newspaper journalists. Each plays a role in unraveling the mystery. But time is running short, and the stakes rise dramatically as it becomes clear that Stoker himself may be the next target.

I love this series, but I have to admit I experienced a bit of my own ennui for much of this book. The pacing felt slow, and the story didn’t fully engage me—though that may have been a matter of my reading mood at the time. That said, things pick up significantly around the 80–85% mark, and from there it’s a rush of nonstop action leading to a truly whiz-bang finale.

One element that particularly frustrated me was the handling of a certain villain, who is not only allowed to escape but whose actions are, to some extent, defended. WHAT?! Considering what nearly happened to Stoker—an unconscious man with a knife poised over his heart—it’s hard to accept that outcome.

While this is my least favorite book in the series and not one I’m likely to revisit, it does offer some interesting development among the supporting characters. I’m curious to see how those threads play out in future installments.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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