Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

A Pocketful of Diamonds by Pam Lecky

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

A Pocketful of Diamonds (The Lucy Lawrence Mysteries #4)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5
Series: The Lucy Lawrence Mysteries #4
Publication Date: 9/17/24
Period: Victorian – Lake Como, Italy 1888
Number of Pages: 323

This book was the perfect ending for the series. The mystery was multi-faceted, nuanced, and filled with red herrings and the personal relationships were absolutely lovely. I read the first book of the series and loved the characters and the mystery, but then I didn’t get a chance to read the other two books before this current one was here. Goodness! A lot has happened to/with Lucy and Phin since that first book and now I have to go back and read the missing books.

Lucy Lawrence and Phineas (Phin) Stone have just married and are ready to set off on their wedding trip when they get word from Phin’s sister, Elvira, Contessa Carmosina, that her husband, Luca, is missing. Luca has been missing several days and everyone fears the worst for the beloved young Conte.

Lucy and Phin will face their greatest dangers yet in the beautiful, idyllic setting of Lake Como. They quickly discover that they cannot rely on anyone because none, other than Elvira and their personal servants, can be trusted. There are dark undercurrents in the Lake Como area and some very ugly people who don’t want the Conte to survive and they’ll do anything to keep anyone else from learning those dark secrets. You will find yourself suspecting everyone and picturing all the scenarios to see if it was this person or that person. Then, you rapidly read to see where the author chose to take the tale. It is a book that involves all of you, body, mind, and heart in the story and it will not turn loose of any of those very quickly.

A beautifully written epilogue perfectly closes out the series for Lucy and Phin. It is a lovely, poignant, caring piece of the story and you will find yourself letting out a very satisfied sigh. My only problem with the book was that it painted too vivid a picture of Luca and made the reader come to really care for him, Elvira, and their family. It was hard to concentrate on solving the mystery when so much heartache was involved. So, in the end, when Lucy and Phin were celebrating all of their joys, I was thinking of Elvira, Luca, and the children whose lives were forever changed.

This was an excellently written story. If you love a complicated mystery and deeply involved emotional and romantic interests, then you will enjoy this book—and the series.

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

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Passions in Death by J.D. Robb

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Futuristic, Mystery, Part of a Series2 Comments

Passions in Death (In Death, #59)

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Series: In Death #59
Publication Date: 9/3/24
Period: Future – August 2061, New York
Number of Pages: 363

In some book series, you are tired of the characters and stories long before the series is done. That is not the case with J.D. Robb’s long-running In Death series. This is book fifty-nine and I have been awaiting its release just as anxiously as I did the first books. The characters have grown and broadened, the relationships have matured, and the cases have remained engrossing and complex. By the end of each book, you know the victim personally – and that is often sad, and you know the murderer personally – and that is often horrifying. I have wondered what it would be like to wander around inside this prolific author’s head. Where does she come up with so many varied plots and people – not to mention the wit and humor that softens the stories?

Near the midnight hour of a slow Monday night, New York City homicide’s Lieutenant Eve Dallas receives a call from dispatch. There has been a murder at the Down and Dirty club and the club owner, Crack, has requested Eve to investigate. Crack and Eve have a long history going back to her early days in Homicide – not to mention her own attack at the Down and Dirty Club. The garroted body of lovely young bride-to-be, Erin Albright, is lying in a pool of her own blood in the very room in which Eve herself was attacked. Eve survived to take down her own attacker, but this young woman did not – so Eve will do it for her. Eve always stands for the dead.

As we move through the investigation, we get to know Erin, her bride-to-be Shauna Hunnicut, and the close loving friends surrounding them. Could the murderer be a random stranger who just happened to be at the club? Or, could it be someone who was in her close inner circle? You’ll just have to read the book to find out!

The fun, loving, joyful pre-wedding girl party will engage your emotions and pull you into the story while the solid investigation, twists, turns, red herrings, and drama will hold you through the very last page. The plot is excellently crafted and pulls you along step-by-step. The author uses wit and humor to temper the strong emotions elicited by the murder investigation and to help showcase some of the interpersonal relationships among the ongoing characters.

This very engaging book can be read as a standalone, however, as someone who has read the entire series, I would strongly suggest reading all the books in order. If that seems a daunting task, then at least read the first 3-5 books as those give you a feel for the characters, their personalities, what brought Eve and Roarke together, and what made Eve into who she is.

If you enjoy a good whodunit with compelling plots, engaging characters, wit, humor, and a glimpse into the future – this is the book and series for you.

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