Category: Historical Mystery

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

A Perilous Perspective (Lady Darby Mystery #10)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Darby #10
Publication Date: 4/19/22
Period: Scotland, 1837
Number of Pages: 384

Goodness, this is the tenth book in the series and it is every bit as good as the first. The characters are wonderful, the mystery is – well – mysterious, the writing is outstanding, and – we have a new baby to love and a wedding to attend! I have read each of the books in this series and they are all outstanding. You can read this as a stand-alone, but to get the full, immersive view of the relationship and background of Kiera and Gage, you should read at least the first couple of books. But, heavens, why would you stop there – you really should read them all because they are all so good.

Kiera, Gage, and new baby Emma; along with their entourage of servant/friends are at Barbreck Manor on the shores of Loch Craignish in Scotland for the wedding of Charlotte (Lady Stratford whom we met in the first book) and Kiera’s cousin, Rye Mallory. Kiera is so happy for her friend and her cousin and is looking forward to spending a couple of weeks prior to the wedding with friends and family.

All is going splendidly – until – well, Kiera being Kiera, she had to look at the paintings in the art collection. To her shock and dismay, she discovered two were forgeries. What to do? She knew she had to tell the Marquess, of course, but she dreaded it because he was such an irascible man. To say he didn’t take it well would be putting it mildly. After systematically going through the entire collection, Kiera identifies several more paintings as forgeries. How did the forgeries get into the collection? Did they come in as forgeries in the beginning – or – did the originals come in and were later replaced with forgeries?

As the investigation into the forgeries progresses, a young maid from a nearby estate is found, dead, beneath the first painting Kiera identified as a forgery. The maid didn’t just die – it was horrible – it was poison. How did she get into Barbreck Manor – and why was she there?

With an additional death, Kiera’s maid being poisoned, Kiera being taunted with strange happenings, and people not telling the whole truth, can they solve the mystery. Not just the deaths, but the forgeries as well?

There are a lot of things going on besides the mysteries that will keep you interested. We learn a lot more about Kiera’s family – especially her beloved mother – and we see the relationship grow between Gage and his half-brother Henry. Then, of course, there is the wedding and sweet baby Emma to make you smile. So, the book has something for everyone.

I hope you’ll read the book and enjoy it as much as I did.

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

View all my reviews

Fierce Poison by Will Thomas

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

Fierce Poison (Barker & Llewelyn, #13)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Barker & Llewelyn #13
Publication Date: 4/12/22
Period: 1893 – Victorian London
Number of Pages: 320

What a delightfully convoluted mystery! I have read and loved each of the thirteen books in the series – and each new book is better than the last. At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of Barker but he has definitely mellowed – and now, the mighty Barker is beginning to feel his age and he doesn’t like it a bit. Llewelyn has also nicely matured into a formidable investigator on his own. This book is a great addition to the series with non-stop action, an intriguing mystery with a maze of clues and suspects that will keep you guessing right up until the last.

Thomas Llewelyn and Cyrus Barker are at their detective agency when a man rushes in, says “Help Me” to Barker, and drops dead on the office floor. He is a relatively young man, did he have an apoplexy? No, it turns out he was poisoned and Barker insists they solve the case even though they won’t be paid for it. They will cooperate and work alongside Scotland Yard, but the cunning murderer is well ahead of both the detectives and Scotland Yard.

The murdered man is a former solicitor and newly elected member of parliament. Was he murdered because of his stance on a bill before parliament? Could someone involved in one of his legal cases bear a deadly grudge? Or, is it something else entirely? As they are investigating everything in the man’s background, an entire family is found murdered – poisoned. Then, a servant is murdered – and several attempts are made on the lives of Thomas, Cyrus, and their staff – even Barker’s beloved Koi fish are killed in the fish pond.

When the murderer was revealed, I was in total shock – and that just never happens. The murderer had absolutely no scruples, no morals, no compassion, no remorse, and no conscience, so I was really, happy to see how things ended up. Sadly, I almost understood his motivation for one of the murders, but the others were just beyond the pale.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not put it down from beginning to end. The writing is excellent, the characters are compelling, and the mystery is riveting. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

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

View all my reviews