Murder at Half Moon Gate

by Andrea Penrose

In her Author’s Notes, Andrea Penrose likens the engineering leaps to industry in Regency England to the rapid change of technology in our own time.  She reminds us how we humans do not like change.  We always want things to stay the same.  However, if nothing ever changed, we would be bored and would soon, probably implode.  Charlotte Sloane is aware of how change can be for the good or one wrong decision made for the wrong reason could send one’s life spiraling into the abyss.  However, the windfall from recent events has forced her hand and now she finds herself moving into a better area of London and able to provide a better life for the boys she has taken under her wing.  Her current political drawings, under her pen name of A. J. Quill have been addressing the fears of the working class versus the new machines threatening to take over their jobs.  As Lord Wrexford and his friend Kit Sterling manage to get turned around in an alley after a night of gaming, they stumble upon the body of a very well-known inventor.  As Wrexford and Sloane combine their skills to bring the murderer to justice, Charlotte will have to make some hard decisions and learn to rely on the kindness of others. 

Some series start off strong and have difficulty maintaining the strength of the recurring characters or their stories.  In this second installment of the Wrexford and Sloane series, Penrose does not disappoint. It is an excellent offering.  The complex plot of Murder at Half Moon Gate is well thought out and moves at a steady pace.  Penrose’s story of greed and power mix well with her little peeks into the past stories that make up Wrexford and Sloane.  How their differences and their similarities make them the strong characters she is developing.  An added plus are the Weasels.  The two orphaned boys Sloane has taken in and who Wrexford has come to rely on.  I will enjoy reading every volume Penrose creates in this series just to see how the boys mature. This is comfort reading at its best.

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Kensington Books

PUB DATE:  March 27, 2018

ISBN:  9781496710796

GENRE:  Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

The Broken Girls

by Simone St. James

Simone St. James has a real knack for writing ghost stories.  Her manner of weaving the specters within the meat of her story gives it depth and reality.  Her current novel combines a contemporary theme within the historical backdrop of a girls boarding school in a small town in Vermont.  It has been 20 years since the body of Fiona’s sister was found in the field of the now derelict grounds of the school.  Fiona hopes she can put the horror of the murder behind her when she chooses to write an article about the new owners and planned renovation of the school. As she is interviewing the son of the new owner she notices the work has stopped.  The discovery of a body on the school grounds will propel Fiona on a quest to look beyond the death of her sister and into the history of Idlewild Hall. 

St. James current novel is a gem and will be enjoyed by her fans and hopefully discovered by many new readers.  Her descriptions of situations and characters are vivid.  Read this on a cold gray day in front of the fire to get the complete feel of this novel.  It will transport you to the gray, damp campus of Idlewild Hall.  Possibly closer than you will want to be.

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

PUB: Berkley Publishing

PUB DATE:  March 20, 2018

ISBN: 9780451476203

Genre:  Mystery/Paranormal

Murder in Belgravia: A Mayfair 100 Mystery

by Lynn Brittney

England is in the mix in Europe best know at World War I.  Many of her young men have joined up and many have come home wounded an unable to continue to contribute to the day to day activity.  Some, like Peter Beech, have returned home wounded but able to go back to his job as Chief Inspector.  He has somehow managed to convince the Commissioner to allow him to set up a special, secret group to help him solve a rather tricky murder of one of London’s aristocrats.  It must be kept secret because two of his main investigators are women.  Caroline Allardyce is a highly skilled physician at the women’s hospital.  Victoria Ellingsham, a well-educated young woman in British law with a quick calculating mind, and Billy Rigsby, a former boxer who was wounded in the war also but is able to walk the beat as a regular patrolman.  Together this group will delve into the dark underground that is beginning to creep into the parlors of London’s higher society. 

A book is always more enjoyable for me if I make a ready connection with the characters.  Brittney has put together a very likeable group of characters that are not above being repulsed by what they encounter but emboldened to bring about change.   Backgrounds of characters are brought to the surface through light conversations not long, dry wordy paragraphs.  Several of the pivotal situations are tied up a bit too conveniently and tidy.  However, it made me a happy reader, so I don’t care.  There are a few anachronisms but again, I don’t care.  I completely enjoyed the story and am looking forward to another installment in the Mayfair 100 series.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for generously providing an Advanced Readers Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Mirror Books

PUB DATE:  March 15, 2018

ISBN:  9781907324826

Genre:  Historical Mystery

The Darkling Bride

by Laura Andersen

As a teen, I didn’t have a lot of choice in the books I choose to read.  There was no Young Adult or Teen genre.  If you were a book lover, you went from juvenile choices to adult.  My choices were mystery writers.  As an avid reader herself, my mother handed me Mary Roberts Rinehart.  Then I discovered Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and Mary Stewart.  I was in heaven.  Guess what?  I’m in heaven again!  Laura Andersen has brought the haunting, misty vistas of the gothic tale into the 21^st century.  She blends the modern within her tale of The Darkling Bride. 

Deeprath Castle, nestled close to the Wicklow Mountains, has been home to generations of Gallaghers.  Caaragh Ryan is familiar with Deeprath’s dark history and she jumps at the chance to inventory the thousands of volumes of the castle’s library.  She is hoping to figure out the mysterious events that led Evan Chase, a popular author of his time, to search out the haunting story of the Darkling Bride only to fall in love with the daughter of the castle.  The sadness that evolved into the suicide of his wife and ended with his abandonment of Deeprath, leaving his infant son in the care of the boy’s grandfather, never to write again.   Carragh wasn’t counting on the assistance of the current Viscount, the troubled but kind Aidan, helping her to understand his family and fill her with tales of his home and Ireland. 

Andersen’s Darkling Bride is filled with all the elements that make a great Irish gothic tale.  Possible ghosts, fairies, changelings, beautiful mysterious women and handsome troubled men.  It has strong, formidable women who strongly believe in tradition and maintaining an equally strong façade.  Her vivid descriptions of the Irish countryside make you grab a wrap when the winds blow and rain pounds the battlements.  Caaragh is a strong young woman who embraces who she is but keeps her past to herself.  Andersen concludes her story nicely and finishes off with a realistic feel.  She is a contemporary author that can pickup the baton of those noted authors who have given us good gothic fiction.

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Ballantine Books/Random House Pub.

PUB DATE: March 6, 2018

ISBN:  9780425286432

Genre:  General Fiction/Gothic Mystery

Deja Moo

   A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery #3

by Kirsten Weiss

As if running a paranormal museum wasn’t strange enough, now Maddie’s mother has her mixed up in trying to find out who murdered a prominent dairy farmer during their shift to protect the giant straw cow.  Yes, I said a giant straw cow that is a tradition in the small town of San Benedetto located deep in wine country.  For some reason, the citizens seem to think it has been brought on by the Haunted Cow Bells that Maddie found to enhance the holiday exhibits at the museum.  Maddie believes it might have more to do with the new development going in or was it the idea of expanding the raw milk business? 

Don’t let the fluff story line fool you.  The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery series is very serious.  This is a highly entertaining series and Deja Moo is the third installment in this fun series.  Danger, fun and romance are the main storylines and Maddie’s friendships and family ties are a strong foundation for these stories to rest on. 

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Midnight Ink

PUB DATE: March 8, 2018

ISBN:  9780738750361

Genre:  Cozy Mystery 

Into the Thinnest Air

by Simon R Green

When invited to an exclusive dinner in the country, many of us would expect to enjoy a quiet, relaxing weekend while enjoying a delicious meal.  When Penny receives such an invitation to Tyrone’s Castle she is aware that by inviting Ishmael along, the weekend will probably end up being the opposite.  The other guests are anything but warm and delightful company, but the dinner is good.  Soon members begin to disappear from rooms without exits and it is up to Ishmael to figure out what is happening and how to save the remaining guests.

Green’s alien protagonist finds himself smack in the middle of a real locked room mystery and feels true human frustration.  Many who are familiar with Green’s Paranormal Country House Mysteries will begin to see a pattern in his novels.  Even with the ability to figure out what is going on before the full disclosure, all true fans will enjoy this installment. 

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for generously providing an Advanced Readers Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Severn House

PUB DATE:  March 1, 2018

ISBN:  9780727887573

Genre:  Paranormal Mystery