Month: March 2021

A Wicked Conceit By Anna Lee Huber

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery, Scottish/Highlander, Yearly FavoritesLeave a comment

A Wicked Conceit (Lady Darby Mystery, #9)A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber
Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Lady Darby #9
Publication Date: 4/6/21
Number of Pages: 384

OMGoodness. This exciting book stays with you long after you have read the last words – especially since the setting is during the cholera pandemic of the 1830’s – and we’re living with the COVID pandemic of the 2020s. The writing is superb, and the plot is tight, well-developed, and well-delivered. Then, of course, we have all of the characters we have grown to know and love. This author’s knowledge of, research of, and delivery of historical reality during that period is absolutely flawless – you feel as if you were living the tale right along with the characters in the book.

Keira and Gage have returned to Edinburg for the delivery of their first child only to find that they are, again, embroiled in a scandal. Someone has written a book – a very, very popular book that has also been made into plays featured at the various theaters around Edinburg. The book’s main character is Bonnie Brock Kincaid, but Gage and Keira are featured as well – and the image is not at all flattering. The book intimates that the child Keira is carrying is Bonny Brock’s and not Gage’s. Of course, everyone who knows Keira and Gage knows that isn’t the case, but that doesn’t stop the gossip, the snide comments, the cuts, and the sneers. After the end of Kiera’s scandalous first marriage to an anatomist, she is no stranger to the gossip – but that doesn’t make it any easier. It is unfair to her, to Gage, to her sister and brother-in-law – just unfair and they need to find this author, Nathan Mugdock, and get him to share the name of his source.

Super secretive, super-criminal, Bonnie Brock Kincade is incensed at the book that has been written because it has some secrets in it – some known by only a handful of people. Since he isn’t the source, nor is his sister or his two trusted henchmen, that only leaves two people who could have shared those secrets – Keira and/or Gage. Shortly after their arrival in Edinburg, Brock menacingly confronts them about sharing such personal information. They, of course, deny having shared anything and vow they’re going to find and stop whoever has provided the information because much of the book presents them as well as Brock in a very bad light.

Things get really tense as they try to find out the author’s true identity. The only person who actually knows is the publisher of the book, Mr. Rookwood. Rookwood refuses to share the identity of the author – and when he is brutally murdered, any chance of finding the author dies with him.

Keira and Gage must continue to investigate – not only for themselves, but the book is also causing much unrest in Edinburg. Rival gangs to Brock’s are feeling emboldened and crime is increasing. With the specter of a sequel to be published and even more incendiary, outlandish, and untrue tales to be told, Edinburg could find itself in the middle of riots as well as a Cholera epidemic.

While the investigation puts both Keira and Gage at great risk, they still have family issues plaguing them. Will they – and/or their marriage – manage to survive both the investigation and the family issues?

This is an absolutely riveting book and I highly recommend it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Murder in Unsound Mind by Anne Cleeland

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, MysteryLeave a comment

Murder in Unsound Mind (Doyle & Acton, #13)
Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Doyle and Acton 13
Publication Date: 2/28/21
Number of Pages: 240

In 2013, when the first book of this series came out, I thought it was a wonderful, entertaining, and quirky book, but I thought it might not have longevity because not everybody appreciates quirky as much as I do. Eight years and thirteen books have proven me very, very wrong on that front. This latest addition to the series just adds more and more to the wonderfully quirky Doyle and Acton duo. I think it would be hard to jump into the middle of the series and really appreciate it for what it is. If you haven’t read any of the previous books, I’d suggest reading at least the first one or two books so you can better understand both Acton and Doyle. However, realistically I think you should read the entire series in order because each book builds on the previous book in character development, case backgrounds, etc.

If you read the last book, Murder in Revelation, you will remember that Doyle ended up in a fight for her life as well as their son’s – in their own home. Thanks to Acton, their home is better guarded and fortified than the palace, but still, their security was breached. Although she doesn’t realize it, Doyle is suffering a bit of PTSD from that earlier altercation and she has a good bit of pregnancy brain-fog. Those two things make her a bit slower to pick up on the clues about what is going on – especially what Acton is up to.

Acton is being hyper-vigilant in assuring his wife is safe and snug while she’s carrying their second child. You see, Acton absolutely adores Doyle and will go to any lengths to assure her comfort and safety – even if she isn’t exactly thrilled with his machinations. Somehow, she manages to stumble onto a case that will cause them nothing but trouble even though he’s tried to keep her assigned to the most benign things. As soon as she is at the crime scene, her Spidey-senses begin to tingle and they continue until she has all of the answers and manages to curb Acton’s revenge plot as well.

The case to which Doyle is called is the murder of the office manager at a medical clinic. The only reason Doyle is there is to see if this murder relates to the events in a previous case – Doyle thinks it might – but the perpetrator is quickly arrested and it turns out to be unrelated. Or is it? The office manager was a cooperating witness in that previous case and Doyle learns, by accident, that yet another cooperating witness in that same case has also been recently murdered.

While Doyle is quietly investigating all of that, she learns that Lady Abby, who has appeared as a not-so-nice person previously, is in London and she was trying to harass Mary who is the nanny to Edward, Doyle and Acton’s small son. When Lady Abby is found drowned in the Thames, was it an accident, suicide, or murder?

Acton is his usual enigmatic, manipulative self, but Doyle knows he is up to something and she knows she needs to figure it all out fast and put a stop to it.

All of our favorite characters make an appearance and we learn some surprising things about some of them. What will that portend for future books? Who knows? We’ll only find out with each entrancing book in the series is released. We do get a nice hint about the subject for the next book in the series. Can’t wait.

I definitely recommend this book if you love quirky, flawed characters and an excellent mystery.