Month: April 2022

Fierce Poison by Will Thomas

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

Fierce Poison (Barker & Llewelyn, #13)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Barker & Llewelyn #13
Publication Date: 4/12/22
Period: 1893 – Victorian London
Number of Pages: 320

What a delightfully convoluted mystery! I have read and loved each of the thirteen books in the series – and each new book is better than the last. At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of Barker but he has definitely mellowed – and now, the mighty Barker is beginning to feel his age and he doesn’t like it a bit. Llewelyn has also nicely matured into a formidable investigator on his own. This book is a great addition to the series with non-stop action, an intriguing mystery with a maze of clues and suspects that will keep you guessing right up until the last.

Thomas Llewelyn and Cyrus Barker are at their detective agency when a man rushes in, says “Help Me” to Barker, and drops dead on the office floor. He is a relatively young man, did he have an apoplexy? No, it turns out he was poisoned and Barker insists they solve the case even though they won’t be paid for it. They will cooperate and work alongside Scotland Yard, but the cunning murderer is well ahead of both the detectives and Scotland Yard.

The murdered man is a former solicitor and newly elected member of parliament. Was he murdered because of his stance on a bill before parliament? Could someone involved in one of his legal cases bear a deadly grudge? Or, is it something else entirely? As they are investigating everything in the man’s background, an entire family is found murdered – poisoned. Then, a servant is murdered – and several attempts are made on the lives of Thomas, Cyrus, and their staff – even Barker’s beloved Koi fish are killed in the fish pond.

When the murderer was revealed, I was in total shock – and that just never happens. The murderer had absolutely no scruples, no morals, no compassion, no remorse, and no conscience, so I was really, happy to see how things ended up. Sadly, I almost understood his motivation for one of the murders, but the others were just beyond the pale.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not put it down from beginning to end. The writing is excellent, the characters are compelling, and the mystery is riveting. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

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

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The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a Series, Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

The Burning Pages (Scottish Bookshop Mystery, 7)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Scottish Bookshop Mystery #7
Publication Date: 4/5/22
Period: Contemporary Edinburgh
Number of Pages: 304

I have read and loved each new release in this series, and this was no exception. I have come to love transplanted American Delaney Nichols and her adventures in Edinburg. She has a fascinating host of supporting characters – from her co-workers at the Cracked Spine to her pub-owning husband Tom and his father, right on to Detective Inspector Winters of the Edinburg Constabulary. Delaney makes friends wherever she goes and just cannot pass up solving a mystery.

In case we didn’t all know it already, Robert Burns is a really big deal in Scotland. So, when Delaney is unexpectedly invited to a Robert Burns dinner at one of the local Burns organizations, she is a tad skeptical but decides to go. She doesn’t want to go alone, so she invites her young friend and co-worker, Hamlet, to go along with her because he is a huge Burns fan himself. After there is a confrontation at the dinner – one that makes Delaney really uncomfortable – she and Hamlet leave. The next morning, they learn that there was a murder and a fire at the dinner location sometime after they’d left. Of course, Inspector Winters needs to question both Delaney and Hamlet – but Hamlet’s tale doesn’t seem to be quite right.

There are several interconnected mysteries to solve during the course of their investigation. Some mysteries are decades old and some, like the murder and arson, are very recent. When arson continues – and it affects the Crooked Spine – Delaney is more determined than ever to find the murderer, the arsonist, and to solve whatever mystery is going on with Hamlet. Oh! What a tangled web we weave. 😊

Delaney’s entire crew – including her brother who is visiting from America – is pulled into the investigation, you know it can’t be long before the entire thing is solved – or can it. It is quite a tangled tale with Fortune Tellers, Burns fanatics, arsonists – well, you name it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope you will as well. The character growth and development from book to book is excellent and the writing is outstanding. I mean – who doesn’t love Scotland and all of those beautiful accents. Of course, in Scotland, it is Delaney with the accent and not the Scots. 🙂

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

View all my reviews