Murder In Mistake by Anne Cleeland

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Murder in MistakeBarbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: A Doyle & Acton Mystery
Publication Date: 2/25/26
Period: Contemporary London
Number of Pages: 202

I always look forward to each new entry in this quirky, well-written, and excellently paced series. The characters are unique, engaging, and simply fun to get to know. Doyle is a by-the-book, working-class member of London’s police establishment who also happens to be just a touch fey. Acton, on the other hand, is an aristocrat with a title who wields authority with confidence—and occasionally takes justice into his own hands. When these two marry… well… Katie bar the door!

In this delightful installment, we are introduced to Mary, the newest addition to their family—and, at last, one of the children seems to have taken after Doyle. I loved that touch!

During her latest pregnancy, one of Doyle’s light-duty assignments is speaking at a school Career Day. One young boy stands out to her, as he asks each speaker the same unsettling question: have they ever killed someone? Intrigued—and more than a little concerned—Doyle decides to follow up with a visit to the child, setting a tangled investigation in motion. With twists, turns, and plenty of red herrings, the mystery keeps you guessing about the who, how, and why. This case proves to have many layers, including corruption, cover-ups, and carefully hidden truths.

I highly recommend this fun and quirky series, which blends satire and humor with a well-paced mystery. As always, there are intriguing hints about future character developments and mysteries yet to come. While the central mystery in this book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, readers will get the most out of the humor, relationships, and ongoing story arcs by starting with the earlier books in the series.

Happy reading!

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The 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. *