Category: Historical Mystery

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas

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

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock, #6)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Sherlock #6
Publication Date: 11/2/21
Period: Victorian Cornwall
Number of Pages: 368

OMGoodness! This was an exciting, suspenseful, page-flipping, breath-holding, nerve-jangling, heart palpating read. Holmes thought she and her cohorts had managed to obscure their involvement in the Chateau Vaudrieu case (The Art of Theft) where Moriarty was dealt a significant blow. However, it seems that isn’t the case because they are now being watched – the watchers have even rented two flats near their home. One flat has a view of the front and the other flat has a view of the rear. While they don’t like the watchers, they can deal with them. But then, Moriarty himself makes an appearance and asks for Charlotte’s help. Heavens, how she’d love to decline! Since she cannot safely decline the request, she’ll just have to accept and then be alert for whatever behind-the-scenes machinations he is performing. Has Moriarty, now known as Mr. Baxter, finally ensnared the brilliant Sherlock Holmes?

Moriarty’s request is that Holmes travel to the Garden of Hermopolis in Cornwall and assure that his daughter is well. Holmes knows there is more to the request than meets the eye, but she, Mrs. Watson, Lord Ingram, and Mr. Mears leave for Cornwall the very next day. There are some strange goings-on at the Garden and Holmes begins to worry that something sinister may have happened to the young woman. Things get stranger and stranger before Holmes is finally allowed to see a pale, wan, but otherwise healthy-looking Miss Baxter. Relieved, Holmes and her crew leave for London and communicate the good news to their employer.

When that news is met with another demand for services, Charlotte knows there is much, much more to the request than it seems. This time, one of Moriarty’s minions hasn’t been heard from in several months and Moriarty wants Holmes to find out what has happened to him. It doesn’t take Holmes very long to figure out what Moriarty is up to, but thwarting him will depend on the cooperation of a number of other people. Can they pull it off? Can they make Moriarty think he’s won – without actually letting him do so? Can they keep both Holmes and Moriarty’s daughter safe?

We haven’t left Olivia, Charlotte’s sister, and Mr. Marbleton out of the story, they just play smaller roles. While the roles may be smaller, they are pivotal to the characters and probably to future books. I had hoped the Moriarty thing would be solved within the first half-dozen or so books, but he’s still there. I’d at least like to see him get a major set-down so the characters who are currently living in fear can breathe a little easier for a while – especially poor Mr. Marbleton.

My advice is to quit reading this review and begin reading the book. Once you do, you won’t be able to put it down, so have everything you’ll need within an arm’s reach. Happy Reading!

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

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A Sinister Establishment by Lynn Messina

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

A Sinister Establishment (Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries, #6)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Beatrice Hyde-Clare #6
Publication Date: 6/16/20
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 360

This is my first book by this author. Though I’m starting the series with the 6th book, I don’t feel as if I need to go back and read the first five in order to gather the history of the relationship and the series. I love the banter and humor in this book, and I will definitely read more in the series, but I don’t think it is going to be one of those series where I wait with bated breath from one book to the next. It seems it is a nice, steady, evenly-paced book/series and I will enjoy reading the books whenever I get a chance.

I thought this book was a tad slow in a few places, but from the reviews I’ve read, that isn’t normal for this series. A sense of danger or impending tragedy was also missing from this book, and that is another thing that seems to be unusual from what other readers have had to say. I did absolutely LOVE the dry wit and banter – and you could tell they had been around each other for a good while because of the way they fell right into the banter and each immediately picked up on the other’s meaning and went right along with it. I did fail to understand the wedding attitudes – but perhaps that is because I had not read the previous books. Our couple get married at the beginning of the book, and they seemed to love each other, but there just didn’t seem to be any romance around it. They married, went to his house, had their wedding night, then he got up and began working the next morning and she got herself involved in solving a murder. Hopefully, I missed something by not reading the earlier books and it would have explained the wedding.

Much to everyone’s shock and dismay, Beatrice Hyde-Clare has just married Damien Matlock, the sixth Duke of Kesgrave. Of course, everyone is also sure she trapped him into the marriage because there is no way a nobody like Bea could have caused a prime catch like the duke to fall in love with her. Little do they know how much the two have in common and that it is a true love match. I would have liked it a smidge better if the duke had said or done something to assure that his servants understood it was truly a love match. I’m sure that will come with time though.

Bea knows the servants have little respect for her, an upstart nobody, and she’s going to do whatever she can to gain their respect. She especially wants to gain the regard of Marlow, the butler. If she can win his regard, the others will quickly follow. What to do? What to do? As she ponders that question, the answer drops right into her lap. It appears that the best, most famous cook in Europe, Monsieur Auguste Alphonse Rejane, has been murdered – right next door. She can solve the murder and gain the servant’s respect. Well – except – she’s sort of promised Kesgrave she’ll stop tripping over dead bodies and solving murders. Oops.

Bea invades the house next door and begins her investigation even though the home’s occupants are toadying sycophants who cannot wait to spread the word about their new acquaintance with the duchess. Kesgrave knows his wife and tracks her down only to be sucked into helping with the investigation. It seems the victim had a love-hate relationship with everyone in the home, so there are plenty of suspects. Usually, I know who the culprit is almost as soon as they grace the page, but that wasn’t the case this time. I did figure it out well before the end because all of the clues were there, but normally I would have solved it much earlier. So – good job author!

I can definitely recommend this book, but I did find it a bit slow-moving because it was more interviewing, talking, and rehashing information than it was action and adventure. I read the synopses of the other books in the series and it appears those books had lots of danger and action in them, so I’m not sure why this one didn’t. I’ll definitely be looking for another one to read to see how things progress. Happy Reading!

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