Back in 2017, Lark mentioned her love of the Lady Darby mystery series by Anna Lee Huber.  She always gives out great recommendations, so I immediately bought a copy of The Anatomist's Wife, the series opener.  I enjoyed the book immensely and proceeded to read Mortal Arts.  Although I've got copies of the next five books in the series, I have not had a chance to read them yet.  So, unfortunately, I can't post a review of the newest Lady Darby novel, An Artless Demise, as I was supposed to do today.  Instead, I'm going to hit you with a spotlight and encourage you to give this fun series a go.  If you like historical mysteries that are well-written, not too graphic, set in intriguing locales, and peopled by likable, interesting characters, this series is right up your alley.  Give it a try.  You will not be disappointed.

Before I give you the plot summary, be warned that there is a spoiler in the first line.  It's a fairly obvious one, but one all the same.  Just so you know.

An Artless Demise: 

Lady Darby returns to London with her new husband, Sebastian Gage, but newlywed bliss won't last for long when her past comes back to haunt her in the latest exciting installment in this national bestselling series.

November 1831. After fleeing London in infamy more than two years prior, Lady Kiera Darby's return to the city is anything but mundane, though not for the reasons she expected. A gang of body snatchers is arrested on suspicion of imitating the notorious misdeeds of Edinburgh criminals, Burke and Hare—killing people from the streets and selling their bodies to medical schools. Then Kiera's past—a past she thought she'd finally made peace with—rises up to haunt her. 

All of London is horrified by the evidence that "burkers" are, indeed, at work in their city. The terrified populace hovers on a knife's edge, ready to take their enmity out on any likely suspect. And when Kiera receives a letter of blackmail, threatening to divulge details about her late anatomist husband's involvement with the body snatchers and wrongfully implicate her, she begins to apprehend just how precarious her situation is. Not only for herself, but also her new husband and investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, and their unborn child. 

Meanwhile, the young scion of a noble family has been found murdered a block from his home, and the man's family wants Kiera and Gage to investigate. Is it a failed attempt by the London burkers, having left the body behind, or the crime of someone much closer to home? Someone who stalks the privileged, using the uproar over the burkers to cover his own dark deeds?

Purchase your copy of An Artless Demise here or wherever books are sold:

Amazon
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Have any of you read the Lady Darby series?  What do you think?

Midsummer's Eve, 1933—Loeanneth, the Edevane Family's summer home in Cornwall, is the sparkling center of a lavish party.  Hundreds of revelers gather on its grounds, sipping champagne, watching a bonfire burn on the lake, and enjoying the perfect weather.  It's a night of enchantment, anticipation, and excitement.  A night that will turn tragic when the disappearance of 11-month-old Theo Edevane is discovered.  With no body, no ransom note, no clue as to what has happened to the child, the case of the missing baby goes unsolved.  Crushed by grief, the Edevanes close up the lake house, never to return.

Cornwall, 2003—After making a career-ending mistake, London detective Sadie Sparrow is forced to take a leave of absence.  While cooling her heels at her grandfather's seaside cottage in Cornwall, she stumbles across a once grand, now decaying home.  Intrigued by the ruin, Sadie starts asking questions.  When she learns about Loeanneth's mysterious history, she becomes obsessed with the Edevanes.  Determined to find out what happened to young Theo, she seeks out the boy's remaining family members as well as anyone with connections to Loeanneth.

Alice Edevane, now a well-known mystery writer in her late 80s, holds pieces to the puzzle of what really happened on that summer night back in 1933.  But not all.  Although she longs to piece it all together, she doesn't want the exposure.  Can she trust Sadie Sparrow to find answers?  Does Alice really want to know the truths her family has always gone to such pains to hide?

As Sadie comes closer to solving the very cold case, she will make some startling discoveries about the Edevanes, revelations that will lead her to illuminating epiphanies about herself and her own family.  If her manic search for answers about Theo Edevane doesn't kill her first.

It's no secret that I'm a huge Kate Morton fan.  I've read—and loved—all of her novels.  Sure, they're all kind of the same, but I don't care.  I adore them.  The Lake House, Morton's newest, is no exception.  With well-developed characters, intricate plotting, and a compelling mystery, it definitely held my interest.  Some of the story's plot surprises did strike me as annoyingly convenient, but I still very much enjoyed this multi-layered family saga, which kept me guessing nonetheless.  Morton's skillful storytelling never fails to captivate me, even when I see twists coming, which is why she's quickly become one of my favorite authors.  For me, her books are must-read, auto-buy treasures.  If you dig absorbing, suspenseful reads about old houses, family secrets, and past/present mysteries, don't miss The Lake House or anything else by the incomparable Kate Morton.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Kate Morton's other novels, including The Distant Hours; The Forgotten Garden; The House at Riverton; and The Secret Keeper)

Grade:

Have you ever read a book that grabbed you with its premise, but let you down with its execution? I have. Like a million times. A million and one if you count my experience with Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten.

When I read the book's plot summary - a teenage girl follows clues to find her older sister, who disappeared two years ago - I immediately thought of The Amanda Project: Invisible i by Melissa Kantor. I love that kind of fun, clever mystery. Unfortunately, the alluring premise of Wherever Nina Lies only held me for a couple of chapters - then, the story started to get creepy-weird. It also seemed to be completely contrived, the plot held together by a string of very unconvincing coincidences. By the time I "met" the Jamies, I was ready to fling the book against the wall. I didn't because, in spite of myself, I wanted to know how the mystery ended (it wasn't satisfactorily either).

Basically, the story goes like this: Sixteen-year-old (I think she's 16) Ellie Wrigley can't get over the loss of her sister, who vanished without a trace two years ago. Nina was always a little wild - talking to any stranger who looked interesting, sneaking out at night, coming home smelling like a brewery, etc. - but she always returned home. Always. Then, she ran away or was kidnapped or something. Ellie's friends urge her to put the past behind her, to "get over" her sister's disappearance. Only, she can't.

When Ellie finds a picture sketched by Nina in an old book, she takes it as a sign. Nina's out there somewhere, leaving a trail of clues in her wake. A phone number leads to an old, abandoned mansion, where Ellie meets Sean, who's not just hot and funny, but also sympathetic to her plight. Together, they embark on a crazy road trip that Ellie prays will lead to her sister. As the miles churn by, the pair slowly pieces together the events leading up to Nina's disappearance. The more she investigates, the more Ellie realizes how much - and how little - she really knew about her sister. The realization also begins to dawn on Ellie that she, like Nina, might be in deep, deep trouble.

Sounds intriguing, right? And it is. I just wish the story had been plotted more carefully. I hate coincidence in mystery novels - it never, ever rings true. The heroine can't just happen to open a dusty old book and find a drawing, she can't just happen to use the restroom and spy her sister's handwriting among layers of graffiti, she can't just come across the two people in the world who know everything about an obscure band. Well, you get the idea - the story bugged.

I did finish the novel, but by the end I was only skimming. I wanted to find out what happened to Nina, I just didn't want to invest anymore time on it, you know? When the clues to a mystery are so lazily gathered, it usually means the "Big Reveal" isn't going to be anything amazing either. Bummer, that, because this story had all kinds of potential. Ah, well.

Wherever Nina Lies has been getting all kinds of buzz around the blogosphere - I'm just utterly confused as to why.

(Readalikes: A little like The Amanda Project: Invisible i by Stella Lennon [Melissa Kantor])

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, underrage drinking/partying, and sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thanks!

If you're one of those people who can't live without your Friday night Medium fix, check this out: Scholastic just published an omnibus by Jude Watson titled The Sight. The volume brings together Premonitions and Disappearance, the two novels in her series about teenage psychic Gracie Millard. Never heard of Jude Watson? Actually you have - it's a pen name used by Judy Blundell, author of the National Book Award winner What I Saw and How I Lied. While these earlier novels don't match the caliber of Blundell's newest, they're still fast-paced, entertaining reads.

In Premonitions, we meet the lonely, grief-stricken Gracie. After losing her mother to a tragic car accident, she's been sent to live with her aunt and cousin on tiny Beewick Island in Washington State. Although Aunt Shay's trying hard to console her niece, Gracie shies away from every kindness. She's heartbroken and not exactly thrilled about being the new girl in a podunk town where everyone's known everyone else since they were all in diapers. To make matters worse, she's still trying to understand the strange feelings she's been getting, the weird images and sensations that won't leave her head. Somehow, she smelled oranges right before a semi loaded with citrus plowed into her mother's car. Now, she's seeing visions of Emily Carbonel, her only friend on the island, being abducted. Is it some kind of sign, like the oranges? Should she tell people what she's seeing? The last thing Gracie needs is for everyone at her new school to know what a freak she is.

When Emily disappears for real, Gracie knows she has to come forward. The last time she ignored one of her premonitions, her mom died; Gracie's not about to be responsible for another tragedy. Detective Fusilli doesn't exactly believe in psychics, but he's not laughing her out of the precinct either. Even though she's not exactly authorized to investigate Emily's disappearance, Gracie decides to - quietly - follow the clues her mind is giving her. What she discovers shocks her. Something very, very strange is going on at the Seattle computer camp Emily was so eager to attend. The closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous Gracie's sleuthing becomes. She might be able to save Emily, but who's going to save her?

After her experiences in the first book, Gracie's growing much more comfortable with her psychic abilities in Disappearance. She still can't understand everything she sees, but she's learning to trust what she sees in her visions. So, when she starts getting weird vibes about a recent murder victim, she knows she's on to something. Detective Fusilli warns her to quit Nancy Drew-ing around and focus on being a kid, but she can't. Something sinister's going down on Beewick Island. Even though her aunt is the most honest person Gracie knows, the mystery seems to revolve around Shay's early years in the area. Could her instincts be wrong this time, or is Aunt Shay hiding a terrible secret?

To complicate matters, Gracie's father suddenly shows up on the island. Can she trust the man who abandoned her when she was just a baby? Does she even want to? Besieged by conflicting brain flashes, Gracie doesn't know who's telling the truth and who's feeding her lines. Can she figure it all out before it's too late? Or is she destined to lose everyone she's ever loved?

While Premonitions and Disappearance aren't the most dynamic or original books ever written, they're decent mysteries. The former kept me guessing, while the latter was much more predictable. Both could use better character development, tighter writing, and twistier plotlines. Still, there are worse ways to wile away an afternoon. If you're looking for light, Medium-ish entertainment, you might find The Sight to be just the ticket.

(Readalikes: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting)

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thanks!

Jennifer Allison made her way onto my TBR mountain chain (which is actually a color-coded, obsessively-organized Excel file) when I read a review of her first book on Amanda's blog. After one unsuccessful attempt to locate it at my library, I forgot all about the author and her series about Gilda Joyce, a 13-year-old sleuth who uses her psychic abilities to solve mysteries. Then, the librarian at my kids' school asked me to read Allison's sophomore novel and create a test on it for the school's homegrown reading program. Since I hate reading series books out of order, I requested the first book from the library. After a brief wait, I finally had both books in my hands. It took me about a day and a half to speed through them, a half hour to write tests, and a couple minutes to request the next two books from the library. It's always a thrill to find a compelling new series.

Annalise Bailey Jensen can't outrun her past, no matter how far she flees. Sunny California - miles and miles from her hometown in Lancaster, Pennsylvania - seems to be the perfect place to reinvent herself. She shortens her name to Anna Bailey, lands a job as a "skip tracer," moves into a colleague's beach house, and tries to forget her former life. All is well until the fateful day that everything changes. First, she gets a call from her sister-in-law, begging Anna to help her locate her husband. Anna's brother, Bobby, never came home, and his wife knows he wouldn't just leave her and their little boy. While she's on the phone, Anna hears loud bumps coming from upstairs - when she investigates, she finds her roommate unconscious and a masked man searching her bedroom. The intruder demands to know where she's hiding The Beauharnais Rubies, jewels Anna's never heard of. Clearly, it's a case of mistaken identity, but she can't quite put the incident out of her mind.

So begins Shadows of Lancaster County, Mindy Starns Clark's second standalone novel. By the 7th chapter, Anna's winging her way home, plagued by memories of the event that forced her to leave Pennsylvania in the first place. She prays 11 years and a new haircut will be enough to disguise the face - her face - that once dominated the local and national news. All she wants is to slip quietly into Pennsylvania, find her brother, and high-tail it back to California. It soon becomes clear that things aren't going to be that simple. When Bobby's best friend turns up dead, Bobby's disappearance takes on a new connotation. Could he really have killed his best friend? Anna knows that's impossible, but as she traces her brother's steps, she's finding all kinds of crazy activity that seems out of character. When her old flame shows up, complaining of a break-in at his condo, Anna begins to wonder if someone isn't trying to get revenge for her past misdeeds. After all, every member of the Dreiheis 6 - a name the media gave to her and a group of her friends - has been targeted. Is someone trying to harm them because of the horror they caused 11 years ago? Or does it have more to do with Bobby's work in a DNA lab? Did Bobby really kill his best friend? Why? And what - if anything - do the rubies have to do with it all?

Anna, who works as a people finder, has her hands full with leads that take her in every direction. Tracked by the media, she searches frantically for any signs of her brother, who may or may not be a killer. With the help of her Amish in-laws, she sorts through shocking DNA results that point to a crime even more sinister than murder. In the rush to find her brother, Anna almost forgets about the rubies, but a frightening encounter convinces her that they are very much on someone's mind. From the California coast to peaceful Amish country to the high-tech labs of DNA researchers, Anna races here, there and everywhere to find her brother. In the process, she will come face-to-face with the ghosts of her own past.

The plot of Shadows of Lancaster County sounds confusing because it is. Although Anna's search for her brother forms a strong main plotline and the whole DNA research makes for interesting reading, the story gets derailed bigtime by the subplot about the Beauharnais rubies. The whole idea seems hastily tacked on, never becoming fully entwined with the novel's main events. It's as if Clark is just trying to tackle way too much in one story. Without the distracting subplot, this would have been a much better, much tighter novel. Although clumsy plotting is my biggest beef with this novel, I also found the characters lackluster. Most exuded no personality whatsoever, making it difficult to remember - or care - who was who. Likewise, Clark's writing bumps along, without the smoothness it takes to really captivate a reader.

Despite all this, the novel held enough intrigue to keep me reading. I didn't stay up until the wee hours just to finish, but I did finish. The plot holes really bugged me, but Clark did explore some interesting and unique topics. Also, I don't know if this book qualifies as Christian fiction, but it does talk a lot about faith and forgiveness. Anna prays and relies on God throughout the book. This, coupled with a lack of profanity, graphic violence or sex, makes Shadows of Lancaster County a clean read - a novelty I always appreciate. It reminded me of an edgy Beverly Lewis book.

Shadows of Lancaster County has the makings of a taut, suspenseful novel; unfortunately, it sags under the weight of haphazard plotting, indistinct characters and dull writing. It's not a terrible book, it's just not a really good one.

Grade: C

The setting: London, 1790

The principal characters: Cat Royal, age unknown; Mr. Sheridan, manager of the Theater Royal and Cat's indulgent guardian; Pedro, a young violinist; Johnny, a mysterious artist; Syd Fletcher, leader of Butcher Boy's street gang, and loyal friend of Cat's; Billy the Boil, rival gang leader, friend of no one.

Act 1: The scene opens on our heroine, young Cat (she doesn't know exactly how young or old she is, only that she was abandoned on the steps of the theater as an infant and, in an act of drunken kindness, was taken in by Mr. Sheridan), whose life is about to take a rather exciting turn. Leaving a rioting audience behind her, Cat slips out of the theater into the alleyway, where she overhears a conversation between Mr. Sheridan and his friend, Mr. Marchmont. Her eyes widen when Sheridan queries, "Do you have the diamond?" As she listens, she hears their plan to sneak the jewel in later that night. Before she has a chance to slink away, Cat is discovered. Knowing her to be loyal, Mr. Sheridan asks her to keep an eye out for would-be theives. She agrees, although she still can't quite grasp how the theater manager, a man of very modest means, could have acquired such a priceless treasure.

The diamond is not the only novelty in the theater. First, a new prompter arrives. Cat's quite taken with kind Johnny, although she suspects he's hiding a secret from her. Before she really has a chance to contemplate the mystery, a young violinist makes his debut. Although his dark, African skin earns Pedro Hawkins contempt from some of the theater's staff, his musical genius charms the lot. He and Cat become quick friends. Determined to keep Pedro from certain death on the gritty London streets, Cat introduces him to her buddy, Syd Fletcher. The butcher's son, Syd runs the gang that keeps Billy "Boil" Shepherd and his boys in check. Soon, Pedro's hanging with Syd's club, although Cat's still forbidden to join because she's a girl. Also new at the theater are Francis and Elizabeth, a young lord and lady who find Cat and her adventures thrilling. The four - Cat, Pedro, Francis and Elizabeth - unite as friends and partners in crime, so to speak.

[Lights Fade. End of Act 1.]

Act 2: The curtain opens to great chaos in the Theater Royal. Word of the diamond has spread, and Cat is finding suspected thieves around every corner. Everyone covets the jewel, and it's up to her to keep it safe. When she catches a good friend rooting around for the diamond, it cuts her to the quick - Is there no one she can trust? Billy the Boil wants it as much - or more - than anyone else, and he doesn't mind hurting Cat in the process. Turns out, the diamond is not the only thing hiding at the theater that needs protecting - Johnny's secret could get him hanged. Meanwhile, Cat and Pedro have gotten Francis and Elizabeth involved, which could mean trouble for them all. It's up to Cat to protect the diamond, keep Johnny from the gallows, and save her own skin from the blade of Billy's knife. Can she manage it all before the curtain closes?

[Lights fade. End of Act 2]

Critic's remarks: While the plot gets complicated at times, The Diamond of Drury Lane races toward its conclusion, spewing plenty of mystery and intrigue along the way. Sparkling performances by Cat Royal and her players bring the script to life, delighting the audience with adventure and derring-do. Perhaps a bit overlong, the piece still manages to charm. It receives a solid B from this reviewer.

For more information on Cat Royal and her creator, check out Julia Golding's website and blog.