Category: Historical Mystery

Love And Death Among The Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939), OtherLeave a comment

Love and Death Among the Cheetahs (Her Royal Spyness #13)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Royal Spyness #13
Publication Date: 8/6/19
Number of Pages: 304

I have wanted to start reading this series since its beginning, but for some reason I never did. I remedied that by starting with this book – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn’t find starting with the thirteenth book a problem. Yes, I missed the development of the relationship between Darcy and Georgie, but – goodness – I got to start with the honeymoon! I’m sure I missed out on the development of other characters and relationships, but I fully intend to go back and read the first books of the series when I have a chance to do so. None of what I’d missed detracted from my enjoyment of this book. It is well written and witty with great characters and multiple mysteries. All of the loose ends were wrapped up and justice was served just as it should be.

Georgie and Darcy spent the first few days of their honeymoon on a friend’s houseboat in a secluded section of the Thames. That was a wonderful, private first few days of marriage, but soon enough the food ran out and they had bumped their heads on the low ceilings one too many times. They both decided it was time to head back into London – where Darcy soon announced that he’d arranged for the remainder of their honeymoon to be in Kenya. WOW! The trip of a lifetime and Georgie is so excited.

Soon, our sharp-as-a-tack heroine comes to suspect that there is more to the destination than meets the eye. When she confronts Darcy, he tells her that he’s been assigned to keep an eye out for a suspected jewel thief. She buys that and soon settles in to help him determine who the thief might be – and to catch him or her.

Once they arrive in Kenya, things soon begin to happen – but none of them actually point toward a jewel thief. There are lots of other mysteries as well – a murder, attempts on Georgie and Darcy’s lives, residents swapping spouses, drug parties – you name it. Then, when you add in the political intrigue, you have quite a busy story.

I thoroughly enjoyed and certainly recommend this book. It is well written, well-plotted and I really loved the characters. I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next book in the series as well as going back to read the previous books.

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

The Long Game by Kerry Costello

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery2 Comments

The Long GameBarbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Gibson Crime Thriller Series #1
Publication Date: 6/27/12
Number of Pages: 256

This police procedural takes place in 1990’s Manchester but features ties to a case in 1942. A daughter insisting that her father’s death was not from natural causes leads Detective Sergeant Gibson onto the trail of a serial killer. At first, Gibson’s boss wants to ignore the woman, but he knows that he cannot because of the possible publicity. As Gibson questions the woman and begins making some half-hearted inquiries, he discovers yet another ‘accidental’ death that could have been something other than an accident. Then, another and the bodies keep piling up, especially once they figure out a major clue.

I can recommend this book to you if you enjoy police procedurals. It is well written and well-plotted with an interesting mystery. The villain was a sympathetic one and you could see what prompted him toward what he did – you wouldn’t agree with him, but you could see what sparked it. Personally, it was not my cup of tea because it was set in a much more contemporary period than I prefer. My usual reading period stops in the 1890s, with a few in the very early 1900s.

I didn’t care for the main character, DS Gibson, as he seemed more alcoholic than detective. I also had to wonder at the author’s attitude toward older people. I am the same age as most of the witnesses that were interviewed, yet all of them were senile, infirm, or some other less than flattering term – and if they hadn’t yet found them for an interview, they were thought to probably be dead.

I liked the secondary character, Mack, a retired newspaperman who still had lots of contacts within the business. He pulled many of the facts together and provided most of the information for the solution of the case.

Bottom line is – if you like more contemporary procedurals, then you would probably enjoy this book.