Review - The Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder

 I have come to love this delightful series and started with the first in the series.  Here are the prior books in the series and my reviews.

1)  A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder (click here)

2)  A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder (no review)

3)  A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder (click here)

4)  A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder (click here)

In this outing it is Frances and George's wedding and you can bet there is murder and mayhem.  Read on to find out more.

Author: Dianne Freeman

Copyright: June 2022 (Kensingtom) 322 pgs

Series: 5th in Countess of Harleigh Mysteries

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Historical

Main Character: Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh 

Setting: 1889, London England

Obtained Through: Publisher via Netgalley for honest review

 Book Blurb:  "On the eve of her marriage to George Hazelton, Frances has a great deal more on her mind than flowers and seating arrangements. The Connors and the Bainbridges, two families of American robber barons, have taken up residence in London, and their bitter rivalry is spilling over into the highest social circles. At the request of her brother, Alonzo, who is quite taken with Miss Madeline Connor, Frances has invited the Connor family to her wedding. Meanwhile, Frances’s mother has invited Mr. Bainbridge, and Frances fears the wedding may end up being newspaper-worthy for all the wrong reasons.

On the day itself, Frances is relieved to note that Madeline’s father is not among the guests assembled at the church. The reason for his absence, however, turns out to be most unfortunate: Mr. Connor is found murdered in his home. More shocking still, Alonzo is caught at the scene, holding the murder weapon.

Powerful and ruthless, Connor appears to have amassed a wealth of enemies alongside his fortune. Frances and George agree to put their wedding trip on hold to try and clear Alonzo’s name. But there are secrets to sift through, not just in the Bainbridge and Connor families, but also in their own. And with a killer determined to evade discovery at any cost—even if it means taking another life—Frances’s first days as a newlywed will be perilous indeed . . ."

MY Thoughts:

Frances Wynn, soon to be Hazelton, is one of my favorite sleuths with her quick mind and intrepid spirit.  I've loved George Hazelton from the instant he was introduced and they were always perfect for each other.  

Add in Frances' mother and father bickering, aunt and her beau helping the investigation by scouring financial documents, her brother's impatience and stubborness as just some of the complications, plus her deceased husband's brother being a suspect.  Frances has her hands full. Naturally their wedding would have plenty of Frances' family drama and a murder, but this takes the cake.

I read this through easily as the pace was quick even with everything and kept my interest. The plot had plenty of viable suspects that presented a challenge in itself without the family complications.  I do have to say I figured out the murderer, more lucky guess than anything.  The killer confrontation was suspenseful and harrowing while the denoument was sweet.

If you want a historical cozy with a believable yet independant woman with a good mystery, enjoyable story, and a sweet romance then this if for you.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Review - A Botanists Guide to Society and Secrets

 I love that Ms. Khavari was a teacher once upon a time and as a child she spent a lot of time memorizing Sherlock Holmes’s and Poirot’s greatest quips.

This series has become an automatic read for me.  Here is the third in this riveting historical cozy.

1)  A Botanist's Guide to Parties And Poisons (click here) 

2)  A Botanist's Guide to Flowers And Fatality (click here) 

Author: Kate Khavari

Copyright: June 2024 (Crooked Lane Book) 332 pgs

Series: 3rd in Saffron Everleigh Mysteries

Sensuality: Adult topics, mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth, Historical Cozy

Main Character: Saffron Everleigh, a brilliant botanist 

Setting: 1923, London England

Obtained Through: Publisher via Netgalley for honest review

 Book Blurb:  "Returning from Paris, botanical researcher Saffron Everleigh finds that her former love interest Alexander Ashton’s brother, Adrian, is being investigated for murder. A Russian scientist working for the English government has been poisoned, and expired in Adrian’s train compartment. Alexander asks Saffron to put in a good word for Adrian with Inspector Green. Despite her unresolved feelings for Alexander, Saffron begins to unravel mysteries surrounding the dead scientist.

As if a murder case weren’t enough, her best friend Elizabeth’s war-hero brother, Nick, arrives in town and takes an immediate interest in Saffron. Saffron learns Alexander has been keeping secrets from her, including a connection to Nick, who Saffron and Elizabeth begin to suspect is more than he seems.

When another scientist is found dead, Saffron agrees to go undercover at the government laboratory. Risking her career and her safety, she learns there are many more interested parties and dangerous secrets to uncover than she’d realized. But some secrets, Saffron will find, are better left undiscovered."

MY Thoughts:

Saffron Everleigh came from wealth but is making her own way in academia as a botanist like her father in an era when women were still to stay home having babies, cooking, and cleaning. She is an inspirational character with her intelligence and grit.  

Elizabeth Hale is her best friend and room mate who works as a secretary for a government official. Elizabeth's brother, Nick Hale, makes a surprise visit only to try and recruit Saffron to aid the government in investigating the scientist's murder.  Alexander Ashton, a fellow academia at the same university, is crazy about Saffron but had caused a rift between them insisting that she not assist the police with investigations, only to need her help now to clear his brother of killing the same scientist's murder.  Then there is Dr. Michael Lee who has grown very fond of Saffron and keeps helping her out on investigations. I particularly like Dr. Lee.

The plot continues to get more involved as the story develops. The pacing maintains a steady trot between everyone involved and the individual undercurrents.  The setting is London to begin, then transitions to the Path Lab in the small town of Harpenden.  The Path Lab makes a frightful setting with all the experiments and secrets.  

Elizabeth takes part in the exciting climax and brings some humor to the story. I enjoyed her greater involvement in this book. The climax and killer reveal was tense with quite a twist and was one of those just when you thought everything was done, ooops there's more surprise danger. 

This third book introduces a criminal mastermind and arch-enemy for Saffron.  This ups the ante significantly in these books.  The ending promises another match against this arch-villain.

Ms. Khavari's writing style makes each book more impressive than the last. Excellent and a must read series.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Review - The Secret of the Lost Pearls

 This series and characters started with Berkley as the Rosalind Thorne Mysteries.  But Berkley suddenly discontinued many of their mysteries, so author Darcie Wilde went to Kensington and they continued the books with the same characters as the Useful Woman Mysteries.  Here are my prior reviews of the Berkley books.

1) A Useful Woman (click here)  

2)  A Purely Private Matter (click here)  

3)  And Dangerous to Know (click here) 

5)  A Counterfeit Suitor (click here)  

Guest post 2016  (click here) 

Guest post 2017  (click here)  

Author: Deanna Rayburn

Copyright: Dec 2022 (Kensington) 406 pgs

Series: 1st in A Useful Woman Mysteries

Sensuality: Adult topics, nothing explicit nor violence

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth

Main Character: Rosalind Thorne, former heiress now on the outskirts of society

Setting: Early 1800s (Regency,) London

Obtained Through: library

 Book Blurb:  "Rosalind Thorne may not have a grand fortune of her own, but she possesses virtues almost as prized by the haut ton: discretion, and a web of connections that enable her to discover just about anything about anyone. Known as a “most useful woman,” Rosalind helps society ladies in need—for a modest fee, of course—and her client roster is steadily increasing.

Mrs. Gerald Douglas, née Bethany Hodgeson, presents Rosalind with a particularly delicate predicament. A valuable pearl necklace has gone missing, and Bethany’s husband believes the thief is Nora, Bethany’s disgraced sister. Nora made a scandalous elopement at age sixteen and returned three years later, telling the family that her husband was dead.

But as Rosalind begins her investigations, under cover of helping the daughters of the house prepare for their first London season, she realizes that the family harbors even more secrets than scandals. The intrigue swirling around the Douglases includes fraud, forgery, blackmail, and soon, murder. And it will fall to Rosalind, aided by charming Bow Street officer Adam Harkness, to untangle the shocking truth and discover who is a thief—and who is a killer."

MY Thoughts:

I really like Rosalind ever since the first book and I love the developing relationship with Bow Street runner, Adam Harkness.  They have such a sweetness between them.   Alice Littlefield, Rosalind's best friend, is now her roommate and leaves clutter around, so they now need a bigger place to survive together. Things are changing for Rosalind and she is hesitant to embrace it all.

Rosalind is challenged with this case and feels out of her depth a time or two.  But she persists and still figures out the intricacies with her eagle eyes.  The plot is a winding road and not easy to pin down what is really going on behind the scenes as every member of the household seems to have secrets.  The pacing kept me reading as something was being revealed or another twist that kept it interesting.    

Although the killer reveal wasn't a gripping or harrowing scene, I enjoyed it as all the pieces were put into place.  The wrap up took care of the final hanging thread.

I love the writing style, the interesting characters, and the twisty plot.

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Review - The Mayfair Dagger

 The tagline for the book is: "A witty, feminist mystery set in the heart of nineteenth-century London, this daring adventure featuring an intrepid woman detective will thrill fans of Deanna Raybourn and Katharine Schellman."  Since I love both those authors, I couldn't wait to read this book.  It is available for preorder now with a release date of April 2024.

Author: Ava January

Copyright: April 2024 (Crooked Lane Books) 304 pgs

Series: Mayfair Dagger Standalone? Series?

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Cozy, Amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Albertine Honeycombe passing as a Countess

Setting: 1894, London England

Obtained Through: Publisher for an honest review, Netgalley

 Book Blurb:  "Albertine Honeycombe never wanted a husband and certainly not the one with fifteen children that her cousin, Aubrey, is trying to marry her off to. She reinvents herself as Countess Von Dagga, a private detective aiding the upper echelons of women in society. As the Countess, she is a married woman, with a conveniently absent husband who doesn’t exist, which allows her far more freedom than being single.

When Lord Grendel, from whom she has recovered blackmail letters, is murdered, Albertine is suspect number one—having been the last person to see him. And when the Duke of Erleigh comes looking for her utterly fictitious husband, she realizes she has landed herself in hot water, without a tea bag. When Albertine also becomes the prime suspect in her fictional husband’s death, things are looking grim.

Unless Albertine can prove who murdered Lord Grendel and clear her name, her choices are stepmothering enough small children to start a school or hanging from the end of Her Majesty's rope."

MY Thoughts:  Albertine Honeycombe, aka Countess Von Dagga, is determined, smart, a bit naive, and kind hearted.  She is still grieving the death of her beloved brother while trying to make her own way as a detective.  Her best friend and maid, Joan, is a hilarious flirt.  Spencer Sweetman, Duke of Erleigh, is a Scotland Yard Detective who investigates her.

The mystery wasn't that complicated but provided the background for laugh-out-loud situations, romance, and a young lady with good intentions learning some hard lessons about navigating the world she was unprepared for. I know there are those out there that don't like much emphasis on the romance part of mysteries, so take note that this has a stronger romance element than most.  It is still a mystery, but it has a strong romantic element.  

The killer seemed pretty obvious even with a few red herrings, but the journey was worth it since I became vested in Albertine. I was hooked early and read this pretty fast for me.  It kept my interest through the entire book.  The climatic reveal was tense and different from any other reveal I've read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope this will be a series.

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list 

Review - Murder at the Merton Library

Author Andrea Penrose is the acclaimed author of Regency-era historical fiction, as well as Regency romances written under the names Cara Elliott and Andrea Pickens. Published internationally in ten languages, she is a three-time RITA Award-finalist and the recipient of numerous writing awards, including two Daphne Du Maurier Awards for Historical Mystery and two Gold Leaf Awards.

I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, check out the prior reviews of books in the series.

1)  Murder on Swan Lake (review here) 

2)  Murder at Halfmoon Gate (review here)  

3)  Murder at Kensington Palace (review here)   

4)  Murder at Queen's Landing (review here) 

5)  Murder at Royal Botanic Gardens (review here) 

6)  Murder at the Serpentine Bridge (review here) 

Author interview (click here) 

The author uses scientific inventions of the time period to base her stories on and this outing we have the race to invent the steam engine and propellor system for ocean travel woven into the story.

Author: Andrea Penrose

Copyright: Sept 2023 (Kensington Books) 370 pgs

Series: 7th in Wrexford & Sloane mystery series

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical mystery, Historical Suspense

Main Characters: 

Charlotte Sloane, a satirical cartoonist under the name A.J. Quill

Setting: Regency Era, London England

Obtained Through: Publisher for an honest review, Netgalley

 

Book Blurb:  "Responding to an urgent plea from a troubled family friend, the Earl of Wrexford journeys to Oxford only to find the reclusive university librarian has been murdered and a rare manuscript has gone missing. The only clue is that someone overheard an argument in which Wrexford’s name was mentioned.

 

At the same time, Charlotte—working under her pen name, A. J. Quill—must determine whether a laboratory fire was arson and if it’s connected to the race between competing consortiums to build a new type of ship—one that can cross the ocean powered by steam rather than sails—with the potential to revolutionize military power and world commerce. That the race involves new innovations in finance and entrepreneurship only adds to the high stakes—especially as their good friend Kit Sheffield may be an investor in one of the competitors.

 

As they delve deeper into the baffling clues, Wrexford and Charlotte begin to realize that things are not what they seem. An evil conspiracy is lurking in the shadows and threatens all they hold dear—unless they can tie the loose threads together before it’s too late . . ."

MY Thoughts:

Lady Charlotte and Wrexford, Wrex for short, are great as a married couple.  Charlotte's adopted sons, Raven and Hawk, are front and center in this book along with their brilliant friend nicknamed Peregrin.  Wrex's best friend, Kit Sheffield, Lady Cordelia, Aunt Alison, Henning the anatomist, and McClellan are all on hand for this adventure.

The plot is solid with some intrigue and murder.  London is always portrayed vividly and this is no exception, from research labs, manufacturing warehouses, docks, and eleaborated balls with international guests.  Each book in the series covers an invention of the era. Details on the steam engine research is interesting but does slow the story a little bit in places.

This series consistently has exciting killer confrontations and this one is spot on with a ticking clock and thrilling chase.  This series makes the characters feel like dear friends. 

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Here is an interview with author Andrea Penrose on this book.

https://youtu.be/lxY1yK-69UA?si=DArBqhHOygUyhpqe

Review - Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord

 Author Celeste Connally is an Agatha Award nominee, and a former freelance writer and editor.  This is a brand new historical mystery series and the debut sounds fascinating. It's being billed as "Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie." Let's take a trip back to the early 1800s London for an adventure.

Author: Celeste Connally

Copyright: Nov 2023 (Minotaur Books) 301 pgs

Series: 1st in Lady Petra Inquires series

Sensuality: moderate- era references to intimacy and period treatment of women

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Cozy, Amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Lady Petra Forsyth, 24yo indepedant daughter of an Earl

Setting: 1815 (Regency Era). London, England

Obtained Through: Publisher for an honest review, Netgalley

 Book Blurb:  "London, 1815. Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, has made a shocking proclamation. After losing her beloved fiancé in an accident three years earlier, she announces in front of London’s loosest lips that she will never marry. A woman of independent means—and rather independent ways—Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life is gone. Instead, she plans to continue enjoying the best of society without any expectations.

But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of a fit due to her “melancholia” while in the care of a questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper—uncovering a private asylum where men pay to have their wives and daughters locked away, or worse. Just as Petra has reason to believe her friend is alive, a shocking murder proves more danger is afoot than she thought. And the more determined Lady Petra becomes in uncovering the truth, the more her own headstrong actions and desire for independence are used against her, putting her own freedom—and possibly her life—in jeopardy."

MY Thoughts:  Lady Petra is likable (a good daughter, a kind employer, and she's good to animals), a feminist when men were ruled. Her mother died when she was young, but left her a sizable inheritance that allows her more freedoms.  But she can be naive at times in her priviledged world and too trusting of her own safety. I like Duncan Shawcross, Petra's childhood playmate and confidante who is also the illegitimate son of Marquess of Langford.  They make a great team and he is a good potential romantic interest since he understands her well.  Her best friend Caroline is in a marriage of convenience does as she pleases which makes her a bad influence in many ways, but a good friend.  Lady Petra's personal maid, Annie, is a wonderful side character and a street urchin Petra has befriended, Teddy, as well.

This book had a slow start and took many chapters for the murder to happen.  But once it did the book really took off.  I realize this is the debut and thus had to setup the world and Lady Petra's reality, but the slowness combined with an onslaught of characters with titles and a bunch of gossip just weighed down the beginning.  I read this occasionally trying to slog through until I finally got to the murder and then it took off like a race horse and I couldn't put it down.  

Sadly, this is based on actual practices historically.  I know some may think the sending of unwanted wives to an asylum, as presented in the book, is an exageration, but it happened fairly often and with just a husband's say-so in far too many cases.  At the time this is set, men ruled and women had no standing in and of themselves.  Men of the day thought little of such practices because it was all legal strictly speaking.  

Historically, Lady Petra wouldn't have been afforded so much freedom by her father and Duncan Shawcross's being illegitimate would have kept him from being so well regarded in society. I didn't mind those liberties with the storyline, but some might take exception to them.  

The book is more about the journey than the mystery to solve. We follow Lady Petra and she does end up in a harrowing situation in the well done and tense climax.

Rating:  Good - A fun read.  Slow to start but it develops and gets really good.

Review - A Counterfeit Suitor

 This is a favorite series, a "must read" on my list.  I have missed it and caught up with it here.

First book "A Useful Woman" (click here), 

Second book "A Purely Private Affair" (click here)

Shird book "And Dangerous To Know" (click here)

Fourth book "A Lady Compromised" no review

Two guest posts (click here and here) 

Author: Darcie Wilde

Copyright: Nov 2021 (Kensington Books) 442 pgs

Series: 5th in Rosalind Thorne Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Cozy

Main Characters: Rosalind Thorne

Setting: Early 1800s (Regency,) London

Obtained Through: library

Book Blurb: "Among the ton of Regency London, one breath of scandal can be disastrous. Enter Rosalind Thorne, a young woman adept at helping ladies of quality navigate the most delicate problems—in this charming mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen . . .

It is every mama’s dearest wish that her daughter marries well. But how to ensure that a seemingly earnest suitor is not merely a fortune hunter? Rosalind is involved in just such a case, discreetly investigating a client’s prospective son-in-law, when she is drawn into another predicament shockingly close to home.

Rosalind’s estranged father, Sir Reginald Thorne—a drunkard and forger—has fallen into the hands of the vicious scoundrel Russell Fullerton. Angered by her interference in his blackmail schemes, Fullerton intends to unleash Sir Reginald on society and ruin Rosalind. Before Rosalind’s enemy can act, Sir Reginald is found murdered—and Fullerton is arrested for the crime. He protests his innocence, and Rosalind reluctantly agrees to uncover the truth, suspecting that this mystery may be linked to her other, ongoing cases.

Aided by her sister, Charlotte, and sundry friends and associates—including handsome Bow Street Runner Adam Harkness—Rosalind sets to work. But with political espionage and Napoleon loyalists in the mix, there may be more sinister motives, and far higher stakes, than she ever imagined..." 

My Thoughts:

Rosalind still reminds me of a proper British version of True Grit's Mattie Ross. I enjoyed the warming in the very slow burn beween Rosalind and the Bow Street runner, Adam Harkness.  Harkness is reserved but clearly devoted to Rosalind.  Alice Littlefield, Rosalind's best friend, joins her again and proves her worth.  Rosalind's sister, who had run off with their father years ago, is back and their relationship is strained at best.  In this book Rosalind must face a very personal challenge that has her emotionally off balance and is affecting her abilities on her case.  Very well done.

Her past family issues also seem to come to a resolution plus a long standing enemy, in a surprising twist, reaches out to her for help.  The plot has plenty of twists and the climax was great.  Rosalind really steps up on many levels in this novel. Perhaps my favorite of all the books thus far.   

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Review - A Botanists Guide to Flowers & Fatality

 “A cleverly plotted puzzle” (Ashley Weaver) in the vein of Opium and Absinthe, this second installment is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Sujata Massey.

1)  A Botanist's Guide to Parties And Poisons (click here)

Author: Kate Khavari 

Copyright: June 2023 (Crooked Lane Books) 352 pgs

Series: 2nd in Saffron Everleigh Mysteries

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Cozy, Historical amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Saffron Everleigh, Botanist and college researcher

Setting: 1920s, London, England

Obtained Through: Publisher (Netgalley) for honest review

Book Blurb: "1920s London isn’t the ideal place for a brilliant woman with lofty ambitions. But research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to beat the odds in a male-dominated field at the University College of London. Saffron embarks on her first research study alongside the insufferably charming Dr. Michael Lee, traveling the countryside with him in response to reports of poisonings. But when Detective Inspector Green is given a case with a set of unusual clues, he asks for Saffron’s assistance.

The victims, all women, received bouquets filled with poisonous flowers. Digging deeper, Saffron discovers that the bouquets may be more than just unpleasant flowers— there may be a hidden message within them, revealed through the use of the old Victorian practice of floriography. A dire message, indeed, as each woman who received the flowers has turned up dead.

Alongside Dr. Lee and her best friend, Elizabeth, Saffron trails a group of suspects through a dark jazz club, a lavish country estate, and a glittering theatre, delving deeper into a part of society she thought she’d left behind forever.

Will Saffron be able to catch the killer before they send their next bouquet, or will she find herself with fatal flowers of her own in Kate Khavari’s second intoxicating installment." 

My Thoughts:

Saffron Everleigh, a woman pioneering in Botany, continues to face challenges as her male colleagues spread rumors and don't support her.  Her side kick in the first mystery, Alexander Ashton, is away on safari for the college and makes an appearance in the last chapters.  Saffron is teamed with Dr. Michael Lee for her research work but they don't get along even when he helps her investigate the murders.  

The plot is well conceived and presented and Saffron's investigation takes her into a seedy side of society's young party scene.  The characters are yet again well developed.  I flew through the pages, devouring them.  It had a very tense and dramatic killer reveal like I love.  This unique heroine and clever mysteries are my new favorite series.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

Review - A Botanist's Guide to Parties And Poisons

I love starting with the first book in a new series. That's what we have today, a new historical mystery series with a unique and truly smart heroine. 

"The Lost Apothecary meets Dead Dead Girls in this fast-paced, STEMinist adventure.  Debut author Kate Khavari deftly entwines a pulse-pounding mystery with the struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field in 1923 London."

Author: Kate Khavari

Copyright: June  (Crooked Lane Books) 265 pgs

Series: 1st in Saffron Everleigh Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Cozy, historical amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Saffron Everleigh, research assistant at University College London

Setting: 1923, London

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Book Blurb: "Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to blaze a new trail at the University College London, but with her colleagues’ beliefs about women’s academic inabilities and not so subtle hints that her deceased father’s reputation paved her way into the botany department, she feels stymied at every turn.

 When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. 

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by fellow researcher--and potential romantic interest--Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell's name.

 Will she be able to uncover the truth or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list, in this entertaining examination of society’s expectations."

My thoughts:

Saffron Everleigh is a woman pioneering in Botany where woman have rarely been allowed before.  She must face condescension, belittling, and pressure for intimate favors by her male scientific brothers.  She is tough, but can she figure out who the killer is and avoid being poisoned herself?  Alexander Ashton is accepting of Saffron and compliments her temperment well as a friend and potential romantic interest.  Dr. Maxwell is a dear character and I hope he is in future adventures.

Miss Khavari's style makes this a delightful story.  The plot is just twisty enough - apparently academia can be deadly!  The acadmeic life are realistically fleshed out along with the trials of women at the time. The climax is nail biting and thrilling, just the way I love it.  I highly recommend for anybody who enjoys historical mysteries, this is an author to remember.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

My Musings - Favorite Historical Mystery Series Pt 3

This concludes my series on historical mysteries loosely divided by era in today's post.  I love historical mysteries and if you've been looking for a new series, or wanted to jump into this subcategory of mystery perhaps this will help.  This is in no way a comprehensive listing, that would be quite an undertaking.

In part one I covered up through Regency era mysteries (click here).   

In part two I covered the Victorian era (click here).  Now I am sharing the Gilded era through World War I & II mysteries.

Gilded and Progressive Ages (1870-1929)

Silver Rush Mysteries by Ann Parker 

1)  Silver Lies

2)  Iron Ties

3)  Leaden Skies

4)  Mercury's Rise (click here)

5)  What Gold Buys

6)  A Dying Note

7)  Mortal Music

8)  The Secret in the Wall

Change of Fortune Mysteries by Jessica Estevao

This series was fantastic, but publisher didn't continue it further.

1)  Whispers Beyond the Veil (click here)

2)  Whispers of Warning (click here)

Stella and Lyndy Mysteries by Clara McKenna

1)  Murder at Morrington Hall (click here)

2)  Murder at Blackwater Bend (click here)

3)  Murder at Keyhaven Castle

4)  Murder at the Majestic Hotel

 

Counterfeit Lady mysteries by Victoria Thompson 

1)  City of Lies (click here)

2)  City of Secrets (click here)

3)  City of Scoundrels (click here)

4)  City of Schemes (click here)

5)  City of Shadows

6)  City of Fortune

Gilded Age Mysteries by Rosemary Simpson 

1)  What the Dead Leave Behind 

2)  Lies that Comfort and Betray

3)  Let the Dead Keep Their Secrets

4)  Death Brings a Shadow

5)  Death, Diamonds, and Deception

6)  The Dead Cry Justice (click here)

7)  Death at the Falls

Gaslight Mysteries by Victoria Thompson 

1)  Murder on Astor Place

2)  Murder on St. Marks

3)  Murder on Gramercy

4)  Murder on Washington Square

5)  Murder on Mulberry Bend

6)  Murder on Marble Row

7)  Murder on Lenox Hill

8)  Murder in Little Italy

9)  Murder in China Town

10)  Murder on Bank Street

11)  Murder on Waverly Place

12) Murder on Lexington Ave (click here)

...

22) Murder on Trinity Place (click here) 

25 books in the series

Molly Murphy Mystery series by
Rhys Bowen 

1)  Murphy's Law

2)  Death of Riley

3)  For the Love of Mike

4)  In Like Flynn

5)  Oh Danny Boy

6)  In Dublin's Fair City

7)  Tell Me, Pretty Lady

8)  In a Gilded Cage

9)  The Last Illusion (click here)

18 books in series

Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen 

1)   Her Royal Spyness

2)   A Royal Pain

3)  Royal Flush

4)  Royal Blood (click here)

5)  Naughty in Nice (click here)

6)  Twelve Clues of Christmas (click here)

7)  Heirs and Graces (click here)

8)  Queen of Hearts (click here)

9)  Malice at the Palace

10)  Crowned and Dangerous

11)  Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service

12)  Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding

13)  Love and Death Among the Cheetahs

14)  The Last Mrs Summers (click here)

15)  God Rest Ye Royal Gentlemen (click here)

16)  Peril in Paris

Kitty Weeks mysteries by Radha Vatsal 

1)  A Front Page Affair

2)  Murder Between the Lines (click here)

Jane Prescott Mysteries by Mariah Fredericks 

1)  A Death of No Importance 

2)  Death of a New American (click here)

3)  Death of an American Beauty

4)  Death of a Showman

Phryne Fisher mysteries by KerryGreenwood 

1)  Cocaine Blues

2)  Flying Too High  

3)  Murder at Ballarat Train

4)  Death at Victoria Park

5)  The Green Mill Murder

6)  Blood and Circuses

7)  Ruddy Gore

8)  Urn Burial

...

19) Unnatural Habits (click here)

21 Books in the series

World War I & II themed

Maggie Hope mysteries by Susan Elia MacNeal 

1)  Mr. Churchill's Secretary (click here)

2)  Princess Elizabeth's Spy (click here)

3)  His Majesty's Hope (click here)

4)  The Prime Minister's Secret Agent (click here)

5)  Mrs Roosevelt's Confidant (click here)

6)  The Queen's Accomplice (click here)

7)  The Paris Spy (click here)

8)  The Prisoner in the Castle (click here)

9)  The King's Justice (click here)

10) The Hollywood Spy 

Woman of WWII Mysteries by Tessa Arlen

1)  Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders (click here)

2)  Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers

Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear 

1)  Maisie Dobbs

2)  Birds of a Feather

3)  Pardonable Lies

4)  Messenger of Truth

5)  An Incomplete Revenge

6)  Among the Mad

7)  The Mapping of Love and Death

8)  A Lesson in Secrets (click here)

9)  Elegy for Eddie

10)  Leaving Everything Most Loved

11)  A Dangerous Place

12)  Journey to Munich (click here)

... 17 books in series

Electra McDonnell by Ashley Weaver   

1)  A Peculiar Combination (click here)

2)  The Key to Deceit

Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries by Allison Montclair 

1) The Right Sort of Man (click here)

2)  A Royal Affair (click here)

3)  A Rogue's Company (click here)

4)  The Unkept Woman

Verity Kent Mystery series by Anna Lee Huber 

1) This side of Murder (click here)

2)  Treacherous is the Night

3)  Penny for Your Thoughts (click here)

4)  A Pretty Deceit

5)  Murder Most Fair

6)  A Certain Darkness

I know I haven't even scratched the surface of all the wonderful historical mysteries available.  Please share what are your favorites in the comments.  Are any that my mentioned your favorites?