Perfect for fans of Tasha Alexander and Rhys Bowen, Katharine Schellman's debut novel is sure to delight.
London 1815. Newly widowed Lily Adler returns to a society that frowns on independent women, but she's no stranger to the glittering world of London's upper crust. She's back in town and eager to have a renaissance with friends, particularly with Lady Serena Walter--from their school days--determined to create a meaningful life for herself even without a husband. She expects scandal, gossip, and secrets. What she doesn't expect, as she's visiting Lady Walter is a dead man laying in her garden.
Lily happened to overhear the man just minutes before he was shot: young, desperate, and attempting blackmail. When she finds out Lord Walter bribes the investigating magistrate to drop the case, Lily is worried, and becomes the only one with the key to catching the killer.
Aided by Navy Captain Jack Hartley and heiress from the West Indies Miss Ofelia Oswald, Lily sets out to discover whether her friend's husband is mixed up in blackmail and murder. The unlikely team sets out to conceal their investigation behind the whirl of London's social season, but the deceased knew secrets about people with power. Secrets that the powerful have desire and influence to keep hidden. Now, Lily will have to uncover the truth, before she becomes the killer's next target.
My Review:
This book was a really fantastic read! I'd mostly compare it to the Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourne, with a widow who starts investigating crimes, as well as the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas. Oh, and more recently, the Lady Darby Mystery series by Anna Lee Huber, but that just means this book has joined some pretty awesome books!
Lily was a fantastic character! She had to wait a long time to marry her sweetheart-and then now he's died so shortly into their marriage that they fought for and wanted so badly. So it's been rough, and then she's thrown into this investigation, and this was a great use of her energy!
I really enjoyed all the interactions these characters had, especially between Jack and Lily, and Jack and Ofelia. He's stuck between two very smart, very stubborn ladies, and yeah, they have some verbal sparring, and that was so great to read!
Really enjoyed the mystery, it was logical and made sense, and I really was rooting for them! They had narrowed it down right away, but oh, man, were there some complications! I enjoyed how deftly she dealt with them, both the confrontational and the emotional!
Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to see where this series goes from here!
Author: Katharine Schellman
Series: A Lily Adler Mystery #1
Read: October 11th, 2019
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded really fantastic, and it's a DAC Book, Historical Fiction 2019 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Expected Publication: April 7th 2020
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |
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