Category: Historical Mystery

Murder on the Mirrored Lake by Deb Marlowe

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

Murder on the Mirrored Lake (The Kier and Levett Mystery Series Book 3)

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Kier and Levett Mystery #3
Publication Date: 8/25/23
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: 262

This riveting, attention-grabbing book is the best of the series so far. Seriously, I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down! The characters are deep and rich and so very relatable and the mystery is filled with suspense and breath-holding excitement. The writing is excellent, the pacing is perfect, the villains are vile, and the supporting characters are witty, intelligent, and endearing. So, what is not to love?

We’ve been waiting for the revelation of Niall’s tightly-held secret and boy did we get it. This whole mystery is about unscrupulous villains nosing around to discover the very well-hidden secret – and being willing to commit any atrocity – murder, kidnapping, robbery, to discover the secret. Or, more importantly, to find the proof of the secret. What is it about this secret that makes it worth all the villains have done – hmmm – you’ll just have to read the book to find out.

The murder of lady’s maid, Sally Doughty, during a ceremony at Lake Nemi, is what piques Kara’s interest. With Niall’s absence, Kara has concentrated on healing from her injury on their last case and catching up with her many orders for custom automatons. However, this murder, it was on her property and she just simply cannot leave it to the police to solve – especially when they are off in all the wrong directions.

As she investigates, she comes to learn the murder has something to do with Niall and his secret. Thank goodness Niall secretly returns to London and they begin to work together to solve the murder and to find who is behind the push to find the documentation of Niall’s secret.

It is harrowing, death-defying, heart-pumping excitement from the first page till the last and I highly recommend the book. Along with our previous supporting cast, we finally get to meet – and love – Niall’s best friend, Rob McRae. I’ll look forward to seeing more of him in future books. I’ll also be looking forward to seeing what villain pops up to beg for a take-down in the next book.

I was happy to see Niall and Kara’s relationship grow – with promises given. I can hardly wait for the next book to see what happens in the romance department. In the meantime, think about Niall’s description of the two of them together – he’s comparing their relationship to a diptych painting.

“I feel like it’s what we are. Both of us complete. Functioning and effective. Creative. Whole, in and of ourselves. But place us together and the world expands. Everything becomes bigger, more beautiful and powerful.”

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

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Miss Morton And The Spirits Of The Underworld by Catherine Lloyd

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

Miss Morton And The Spirits Of The Underworld (Miss Morton Mysteries #2)

Barbara’s rating: 4.4 out of 5 Stars
Series: A Miss Morton Mystery #2
Publication Date: 8/22/23
Period: Victorian – 1838 London
Number of Pages: 304

It is 1838 and Miss Caroline Morton along with her employer Mrs. Frogerton and Mrs. Frogerton’s daughter Dorothy have settled into their rented London home to attend Dorothy’s first season. Dealing with the ton will be a cakewalk compared to the harrowing times they lived through in Miss Morton and the English Houseparty Murder, the first book in the series.

Dorothy is busy setting the ton on its ear with her forthright, headstrong, and very engaging manner. Yes, they sit up and take notice even though her wealth comes from – gulp – gasp – trade. Meanwhile, Mrs. Frogerton has taken an interest in spiritualism and has attended a few sessions with Madam Lavinia. She even takes Caroline with her to a session to see what she thinks about it. Very doubtful and very skeptical, Caroline wants to bring Dr. Harris to one of the sessions for his opinion. Why? Well, Madam Lavinia passed along something that no one else could have known – and she did the same with Dr. Harris. Could she genuinely have a gift? We’ll never know because Caroline and Dr. Harris found her body – and Dr. Harris was soon charged with murder.

It was so much fun watching Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton set Scotland Yard on its ear with their staunch belief in Dr. Harris and their flat-out refusal to let him be railroaded. Since Sergeant Dawson wasn’t really interested in finding the real murderer – he only wanted to close the case as quickly as possible – Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton decided they’d solve it to save their friend.

I think you’ll be genuinely surprised by the identity of the villain. You will probably wonder – what if – but you won’t be sure. There are plenty of red herrings to keep you and our erstwhile sleuths off on tangents and plenty of wit to keep you smiling and shaking your head.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can recommend it. The characters are delightful – especially Mrs. Frogerton, because, for me, she steals the show. So far, there isn’t a romance of any sort – and I really need one of those to totally enjoy the series. There is, of course, Dr. Harris from the last book. I never warmed to him in that book and the same was true of this one. Then, there is a new character, Mr. DeBloom, who is a bit intriguing. Not only could he be an excellent romantic interest, but there are some other hints of things to come for Caroline’s future as well. Cool – mystery within a mystery.

So, if you decide to read this book – I hope you love it as much as I did! Happy Reading!

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

View all my reviews