Category: Historical Mystery

An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman

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An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #7)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Countess of Harleigh Mystery #7
Publication Date: 6/25/24
Period: Victorian – (Paris)
Number of Pages: 300

This was yet another fun, entertaining, and exciting mystery from this author. This time, we got to visit Paris during the Exposition and it was so much fun to picture all of the excitement of the time and the marvelous things that were displayed. Oh – and while we were there, we got to solve a couple of murders.

Frances was just mentioning to George that their lives were getting a bit ho-hum when they received a missive from George’s Aunt Julia requesting him to come to Paris and investigate the death of Paul Ducasse – a renowned French artist. Though she is very secretive about her reasons, they want to help if they can – and – well – Paris.

If they thought there was little information in the missive they received, that was nothing compared to the tight-lipped Aunt Julia they met when they arrived. Julia had totally changed her mind and wanted them to leave it alone, yet she seemed nervous and out of sorts. Had she seen, heard, or learned something that made her fearful?

Almost as soon as they arrived, Aunt Julia was murdered. Surely the two murders were connected, but how and why? It seems anyone who might be a suspect had an alibi for one murder or the other. Should they back away and let Inspector Cadieux of the Sûreté investigate? Surely, they could help from the background!

Lady Julia Hazelton had been estranged from her family in England for many years. It wasn’t that there had been a disagreement, it was that Julia had secrets – deep secrets – that she wanted to keep from them. Only a couple of her relatives knew her secrets and they had kept them for her. Was her murder because of some of her secrets? There are many suspects, but none of them fit both murders. What connects them?

Oh! What tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive. This was a delightful, entertaining mystery with more suspects than you could imagine – but not so many motives. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Frances and George flit all over Paris looking for suspects and motives while unraveling clues and getting in the way of Inspector Cadieux.

If you enjoy a light and entertaining mystery with lovely characters that invite you into their lives and make you love them, then you’ll enjoy this book. I surely did! However, Aunt Julia’s death made me really sad because of the daughter she left behind and I wish there had been another way to accomplish the same plot line.

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

Murder at Traitors’ Gate by Irina Shapiro

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Murder at Traitors' Gate (A Tate and Bell Mystery #2)

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: A Tate and Bell Mystery #2
Publication Date: 6/24/24
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: 320

This dark, complex, mysterious story continues the tale of Crimean War nurse, Gemma Tate, and intrepid Inspector Sebastian Bell of Scotland Yard. Both of our protagonists have moved on from the events in the first book – Gemma has changed jobs and moved out of the home she once shared with her much-loved twin brother, and Sebastian has shaken his addictions and is working diligently to heal from the injuries he received in the last case. However, neither has quit thinking of the other, but neither has acted on those thoughts.

Sebastian was summoned to Traitor’s Gate at the Tower of London where the body of a brutally murdered man was discovered – hanging from a very large meat hook. Who is the victim? There is nothing on the body to identify him, but Sebastian recognizes him as Jacob Harrow, a newspaperman, and witness to the death of Gemma Tate’s brother. Why was his body displayed as it was and in such a disgraceful place? What message is the murderer sending?

Gemma and Sebastian struggle to untangle the twisted threads of the crime back to the Crimea and the sordid things that happened in those fetid battlegrounds. However, the crime comes much closer to home when there is another murder and an attempt on Sebastian’s life.

I found myself staying up late into the night reading ‘just one more chapter’ because there were so many potential criminals and victims and I just had to know ‘who done it’. I had the perpetrator figured out before the end of the book, but I sure didn’t have the motive figured out. If you love stories with complex characters, intriguing mysteries, and a tad of a budding romance, you will enjoy this book. Be warned, it is a dark book dealing with dark, sad times. However, most of this author’s works are dark – but then, murder is dark isn’t it?

I am already looking forward to the next installment in the series which should be released in October.

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