#crookedlanebooks

Review – Felicity Carrol and the Murderous Menace

| realmrsb

Author: Patricia Marcantonio

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release Date: February 11 2020

Book Blurb: Heiress and amateur detective Felicity Carrol makes a perilous journey to apprehend a notorious murderer who has terrorized England–and now continues his vicious killing spree across the pond.

Felicity Carrol would rather be doing just about anything other than attending balls or seeking a husband. What she really wants to do is continue her work using the latest forensic methods and her photographic memory to help London police bring murderers to justice, so when her friend, Scotland Yard Inspector Jackson Davies, weak from injury, discovers a murder in a wild mining town in Montana that echoes the terrible crimes in England, Felicity decides to go herself.

In Placer, Montana, her first obstacle is handsome lawman Thomas Pike, who uses his intuition as much as his Colt in keeping law and order in this unruly town. When the murderer strikes again, Felicity begins to suspect Davies is correct: Jack the Ripper has come to America. Felicity sets out to find the killer in a town chock full of secrets, shadows, and suspects, but as the body count rises, this intrepid sleuth faces her most dangerous adversary yet–and discovers that not all killers are as they seem.

What do I reckon: I really enjoyed this book. Murder, mystery and a bit of romance.  What’s not to like?  The author wove a wonderful story that takes us from the middle of London to the American west.  All with the purpose of catching a killer.    Some of the dialogue does not really work for a book set in the 1800’s but in the long run it doesn’t really matter.

Felicity Carrol our leading lady is an interesting character.  Her mother died when Felicity was small, and her unaffectionate father left Felicity in the care of the household servants.    As an adult she has a medical degree and a thirst for knowledge.  Instead of joining “society” she spends her time helping an inspector friend to solve crimes at Scotland Yard.

After a series of brutal unsolved murders in London, Felicity and her friend believe the killer may have re-surfaced in America.  Felicity volunteers to go to America and investigate the case.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: If you would like to buy this book you can get it from my affiliate link here.

Another Mrs B Book review – The Body in the Garden

| realmrsb

Author: Katharine Schellman

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release Date: April 7 2020

Book Blurb: London 1815. Though newly-widowed Lily Adler is returning to a society that frowns on independent women, she is determined to create a meaningful life for herself even without a husband. She’s no stranger to the glittering world of London’s upper crust. At a ball thrown by her oldest friend, Lady Walter, she expects the scandal, gossip, and secrets. What she doesn’t expect is the dead body in Lady Walter’s garden.

Lily overheard the man just minutes before he was shot: young, desperate, and attempting blackmail. But she’s willing to leave the matter to the local constables–until Lord Walter bribes the investigating magistrate to drop the case. Stunned and confused, Lily realizes she’s the only one with the key to catching the killer.

Aided by a roguish navy captain and a mysterious heiress from the West Indies, Lily sets out to discover whether her friend’s husband is mixed up in blackmail and murder. The unlikely team tries to conceal their investigation behind the whirl of London’s social season, but the dead man knew secrets about people with power. Secrets that they would kill to keep hidden. Now, Lily will have to uncover the truth, before she becomes the murderer’s next target.

What do I reckon: This was a good read and not too long.  Sometimes I find that books set in the 1800’s end up being very long and a difficult read.     A dead body, a mystery a bit of love. What’s not to like?  I'll definitely be looking out for the next in the series.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where to buy: If you would like to buy this book you can find it here . You can also find the second book in the series through that link but I haven’t read it yet so can’t vouch for its greatness. 😉