The Gravesend Murder by Lana Williams

The Gravesend Murder (The Field & Greystone Series, #3)The Gravesend Murder by Lana Williams

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Field & Greystone, #3

Release Date: March 25, 2025

Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Field is shocked to learn that Benjamin Norris, a man he had interviewed days ago about a cold case has been found murdered in his Gravesend home. He was shot and the only clue Henry found was an Egyptian gold scarab beetle hidden in the sofa. Benjamin Norris was an import-export merchant with a shop on Threadneedle Street, just like his cold case murder victim Matthew Greystone, making Henry wonder if the cases are connected. A thought that gains ground when Matthew’s widow Amelia contacts him with some troubling news. Henry wants nothing more than to solve Matthew’s murder, not just for himself but for Amelia, a woman he has begun to care for, but feels unable to pursue while Matthew’s murder is yet unsolved. But as he steps up his investigation of Benjamin’s murder, the bodies begin to pile up, secrets unravel, and a new villain emerges – one who has set his sights on Amelia.

Widow Amelia Greystone has not had an easy time the last few years, first her young daughter died from scarlet fever, then her husband was murdered. But she has done her best to carry on and her friendship with Inspector Field has helped her more than he could possibly know. When Amelia gets a letter from a criminal that she helped Henry capture, stating that she knows who killed Matthew, Amelia immediately contacts Henry. She goes to see Elizabeth Drake in prison, but the woman refuses to tell her who killed her husband, but she makes it clear – Matthew was not an innocent victim. Amelia is more determined than ever to find out who killed Matthew and knows that Henry is the only person she can truly trust. When their investigation leads to a dangerous crime lord, she realizes her husband was not the man she thought he was, making her question everything, including her feelings for Henry. Despite the risks, Amelia continues to aid in the investigation and ends up in the crosshairs of the man responsible for Matthew’s death.

This was another wonderful installment of the Field & Greystone series. This story sucked me in from the very first page and held me in thrall until the last word! The story has story has strong ties to the previous books and nicely sets up the next book. The ongoing relationship between Henry and Amelia continues to deepen but still remains firmly on the back burner. This book definitely gives some closure and the mystery is superb. I loved it and would happily recommend this book to my fellow Historical Mystery lovers! This is the third book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone title, I would recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

The Magician’s Diary by C.J. Archer

The Magician's Diary (Glass and Steele #4)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Glass and Steel #4
Publication Date: 9/5/17
Period: Fantasy Victorian London
Number of Pages: 338

If you are reading the series in order, you know India, Matthew, and their friends finally found Chronos at the end of the last book. Will he and India be able to repair Matthew’s life-giving watch? Is Chronos India’s grandfather? If so, why did he disappear all of those years ago and allow his family to believe he was dead? We get answers to all of those and more in this fast-paced book.

Yes, their quest to repair Matthew’s watch continues because Chronos’s magic, even when combined with India’s is not enough. They learn they need to find a diary kept by a magical physician who has been deceased for almost 30 years and a living magical physician. The diary contains the original spell used in the creation of Matthew’s watch, and the magical physician must then speak the spell.

The hunt begins with trying to solve the 30-year-old murder of Dr. Millroy who kept a diary where he had written the spell – and by solving the murder, they would find the diary. The twists and turns of their hunt will keep you glued to your seat – and the revelations will knock your socks off. There is a particularly interesting twist toward the end where the murderer is revealed.

As seems to be standard in this series, we are left with a cliffhanger. Did Matthew find the location of the magical physician? We’ll just have to wait for the next book to find out who and where he is. I was happier with the plotlines of this book because Aunt Letitia and Willie have less on-page time. By this time, I was hoping for a resolution to the watch issue and the romance between India and Matthew, but we are still spinning our wheels on both. While the stories are interesting, the series isn’t exactly taking the path for which I was hoping. I hoped the romance and the watch would be resolved within the first three books and the remainder of the books in the series would be the two of them working together to solve mysteries. If some or all of that isn’t resolved within the next book or two, I will probably discontinue reading the series. Perhaps, for those next two books, Matthew could quit Purring and Growling as that is evidently what he does best – and the cousins and Matthew’s uncle can just crawl under a leaf somewhere. Oh! And Sheriff Payne needs to join the rest of Matthew’s family under that leaf. We’ll see.

At any rate, I think this was a good read with an exciting, fast-paced mystery – and I can recommend it as a good read.