Description (from cover): “A serial killer is roaming the streets of London, and Daniel Pitt’s university chum Ian, now a member of the police, is leading the search. The murders happen on rainy nights, but Ian knows the victims must have something in common beyond the weather. He turns to Miriam fford Croft, Daniel’s good friend and now officially one of the first female pathologists in London, to tap her scientific know-how to find details he and Daniel have missed.

With Miriam involved in the murder investigation, Ian passes Daniel the case of Nicholas Wolford, their former university professor. Charged with assault after reacting violently to an accusation of plagiarism, Wolford, a proud, boastful man, is loath to admit he was in the wrong. But Daniel must defend him — whether he likes him or not.

As the murders continue with no clue as to who is committing them, Miriam, Daniel, and Ian find themselves questioning everything. Is the “Rainy-Day Slasher,” as the newspapers have dubbed the killer, really just one person? Or have the investigators stumbled into a more complicated web of deceit? The answer may lie closer than anyone could have expected.”

My Thoughts:

Anne Perry has long been a favorite of mine. You can just tell by viewing all of the books and series I have reviewed on this blog to get an idea of how much I really enjoy her books. This book is the fifth installment in Perry’s Daniel Pitt series. In this book, Daniel has been engaged to defend his former professor in a case where he has committed assault against another writer for the allegation of plagiarism. Wolford is a loose cannon and Daniel struggles to rein him in throughout the case. Simultaneously with this case, the Rainy-Day Slasher has been killing innocent people on the streets of London during rainy weather as the name suggests. All of the victims seem to be unconnected, but why has the killer targeted them and who is behind the crimes?

Miriam fford Croft, a friend of Daniel’s, has now returned home from training to become a pathologist. This murder spree is her first official case and she struggles with her own self-doubts as to whether she is doing her job correctly and whether she can catch the murderer before he harms someone else. In this book, we do not have as much courtroom drama as the previous installments of this book as the author focuses on the murder cases and Miriam’s new career as a pathologist. While I enjoyed reading this book, I felt that it lacked the previous excitement of the previous installments in this series and felt that it was really a book focused on character development for the series overall.

The ending was a little incomprehensible and seemed a little bit of a stretch and rushed. While this wasn’t a favorite read of mine in this series, I found it refreshing to be back with the characters and to see how their stories have evolved since the beginning of this series. I am hoping the next installment will bring back the courtroom drama that really drew me into this series in the first place. Not a terrible read, just not one of the better ones of this series. I am curious to see where the author plans to take these loveable characters next.

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Anne Perry

Series: Daniel Pitt Mystery #5

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication Date: April 12, 2022

Pages: 296

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.

Description (from cover): “London, 1940. After years of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor–well, to themselves, anyway–Ellie McDonnell and her family have turned over a new lead as they help the government’s war effort. It’s true that the straight-laced Major Ramsey didn’t give them much choice, but still, Ellie must admit she doesn’t miss breaking and entering as much as she might have thought. What she does miss is the challenge of unlocking an impossible code and the adrenaline rush that comes from being somewhere she shouldn’t.

So when Major Ramsey turns up unannounced with another job, she can’t say no. A woman’s body has been found floating in the Thames, with a bracelet locked onto her wrist, and a cameo locket attached to it. It’s clear this woman was involved in espionage, but whose side was she on? Who was she reporting to? And who wanted her dead?”

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the Electra McDonnell mystery series by Ashley Weaver. While I haven’t reviewed this series yet on this blog, I have reviewed other books by this author. I really like this author’s way of writing as she leaves mystery surrounding her main characters. With Ellie’s character, we learn more with each book about her parents and how Ellie’s mother was imprisoned and charged with her father’s murder. Not much is known about her father’s murder and the facts and circumstances surrounding it, but the author feeds little nuggets throughout this series to keep the reader engaged and curious. I would love to find out more about this storyline and hope that the author provides some more information along the way.

In this book, Ellie is approached by Major Ramsey for another espionage job. A woman’s body has been found in the Thames and he needs her help unlocked a locked bracelet that is found on the body. It appears that the lady was murdered because she was an undercover spy for the Germans and helping them with their war efforts against Britain. The story was engaging and while it lacked the suspense that the first novel had, it was still an enjoyable read. We follow Ellie, her family and friends, along with the ever exhausting Major Ramsey, throughout the investigation where they don’t always use above board methods to accomplish their tasks.

I have really come to enjoy Ellie’s character and past storyline. I think that this will be a series that I will follow for some time. I enjoy the author’s way of making the main character not so perfect and it really makes her very likeable. There is a lot of promise with this series and as I stated, I will be eager to read every installment in this series. A great historical mystery set during WWII in London which really shows how the Blitz destroyed the city’s buildings, but not the spirit of its people. Another fantastic read by Ashley Weaver.

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Ashley Weaver

Series: Electra McDonnell Mystery #2

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: June 21, 2022

Pages: 269

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.

Description (from cover): “Winter, 1607. A man is struck down in the grounds of Battle Abbey, Sussex. Before dawn breaks, he is dead.

Home to the Montagues, Battle has caught the paranoid eye of King James. The Catholic household is rumoured to shelter those loyal to the Pope, disguising them as servants within the abbey walls. And the last man sent to expose them was silenced before his report could reach London.

Daniel Pursglove is summoned to infiltrate Battle and find proof of treachery. He soon discovers that nearly everyone at the abbey has something to hide–for deeds far more dangerous than religious dissent. But one lone figure he senses only in the shadows, carefully concealed from the world. Could the notorious traitor Spero Pettingar finally be close at hand?

As more bodies are unearthed, Daniel determines to catch the culprit. But how do you unmask a killer when nobody is who they seem?

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the Daniel Pursglove mystery series by K. J. Maitland. I reviewed the first book, The Drowned City, on this blog previously. The problems I had with that book are prevalent in this book as well. The books in this series tend to be long, very descriptive and a little chaotic at times with the switching back and forth between storylines. I will say that I did enjoy this book more than the first book as it was easier to read for me this go around. Nonetheless, the ending left me scratching my head a little bit trying to figure out all of the storylines and what exactly happened. I still am not quite sure.

In this book, we see the return of Daniel Pursglove who has been sent to Battle Abbey to act as a spy. He is told to make himself a part of the household and find out if there are priests being hidden there and whether the residents are attending Mass instead of the required Protestant services. Pursglove quickly avails himself to the household and soon finds himself an integral part of the household. In the small town surrounding the Abbey, there is a creature that has been wreaking havoc on the town at night. Animals are missing or killed, strange noises and fear has been walking the streets at night and the villagers are up in arms.

In the middle of the drama at the Abbey and the hysteria of the small town, Pursglove soon finds himself embroiled in more mysteries than he can handle and he is not sure which one is more dangerous. He has to constantly be on his toes as everyone is not who they seem and there is a murderer lurking in the shadows. This book was a better read than the first one, however I struggled to understand what was happening at times and I felt the ending didn’t really conclude the mysteries.

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: K. J. Maitland

Series: Daniel Pursglove Mystery #2

Publisher: Headline Review

Publication Date: March 31, 2022

Pages: 461

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.

Description (from cover): “The year is 1910, and in the small and seemingly sleepy English municipality of Haxford, there’s a new chief police inspector. At first, the dapper and unflappable Pignon Scorbion strikes something of an odd figure among the locals, who don’t see a need for such an exacting investigator. But it isn’t long before Haxford finds itself very much in need of a detective.

Luckily, Scorbion and the local barber are old acquaintances, and the barbershop employs a cast of memorable characters who–together with an aspiring young ace reporter for the local Morning News–are nothing less than enthralled by the enigmatic new chief police inspector.

Investigating a trio of crimes whose origins span three continents and half a century, Pignon Scorbion and his “tonsorial sleuths” interview a parade of interested parties, but with every apparent clue, new surprises come to light. And just as it seems nothing can derail Scorbion’s cool head and almost unerring nose for deduction, in walks Thelma Smith–dazzling, whip-smart, and newly single.

Has Pignon Scorbion finally met his match?

For fans of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, author Rick Bleiweiss’s quirky new detective and ensemble cast of characters set against the backdrop of small-town England in the 1910s will feel both comfortingly familiar and thrillingly new.”

My Thoughts:

I was offered the chance to review this book by the publisher through NetGalley and I jumped at the chance to read it. This is a new series set in 1910 in England in a small town where it seems crime never happens. When a new police inspector, Pignon Scorbion, arrives in town, everyone is surprised by his demeanor and his attention to looking fashionable at all times and his strange name. He is not like their last police inspector and they are suspicious of him and whether he can bring any value to the village. Quickly, however, Pignon Scorbion, shows the small town what he is capable of in regards to solving mysteries and uses his friends at the local barbershop to help him investigate three crimes that have recently occurred in Haxford.

The concept of this book is very good. I am not quite sure why the author decided to have Scorbion conduct all of his investigations in the local barbershop and not the police station, but it is what it is. That really didn’t make a lot of sense to me and while it did bring some added value to the book, it left me a little confused as to why this would have been done. I guess you just have to roll with it. I did like the characters in the book and liked how there were three separate mysteries to solve in this book.

While I was not overly impressed with this book, I did still have a good time reading it. I liked the characters and would read the next book in the series to see if there is some character development. There was a teaser for the second book at the end of this one, but I never read them so I am assuming the next book will be forthcoming in the next year or so. If you like to read mysteries that are short, to the point and are quite whimsical, this might be a book you might want to look into.

Overall Rating: 3 stars

Author: Rick Bleiweiss

Series: Pignon Scorbion Mystery #1

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Publication Date: February 8, 2022

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.