Audiobook Review: A Promise of Ruin by Cuyler Overholt

A Promise of Ruin by Cuyler Overholt
Book 2 in the Dr. Genevieve Summerford Mystery series
Unabridged, 12 hr. 20 min.
Recorded Books
Carly Robbins (narrator)
August 8, 2017
★★★★ ½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery

Source: Received from publisher for review

To stop the trafficking ring plaguing her city, Dr. Genevieve Summerford must dive into New York’s underworld

In early 1900s New York, the formidable crime syndicate known as the Black Hand has been terrorizing the city's Italian community with bombings and kidnappings. When a young Italian girl is found drowned and sexually defiled, Dr. Genevieve Summerford suspects the organization has expanded into forced prostitution, and she won't rest until the trafficking ring is brought to justice.

While A Deadly Affection (book 1) very much had its roots in the medical field that Genevieve was making inroads into, in A Promise of Ruin it plays second string to the kidnapping and trafficking storyline. Genevieve still attends to her clients and uses the knowledge to help some of the other characters cope with things they are dealing with, but it was not the focus here. Genevieve actually struggles with the fact that her psychiatry practice is not taking off and she is spending more time providing actual physical medical assistance, which felt very real. While this was something that I enjoyed in the first book, the characters held my rapt attention here and I didn’t miss it.

And oh the characters! I love the Genevieve and Simon back and forth. Their relationship is full of fun banter and tension between them that keeps the reader on their toes. We also get to know more about the retainers in the Summerford household who worry about Genevieve as one of their own; Katey is quite the spitfire and I loved how she helped resolve the mystery. Even the men and boys who are a part of the world Simon moves in were well fleshed out and entertaining. You gotta love those little boys!

There is much more focus on the police investigation (and Genevieve’s meddling in it), but it felt very well set in the time period and not out of place at all. I’m a huge fan of police procedurals and this worked here, although I hope the books to come to not all feature this. I have done some studying of the Black Hand and the Italian camorra and I enjoyed how these elements were seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story here. Additionally, a lot more of this novel is committed to Genevieve helping those from the lower classes, whereas previously we were more set in the upper class – it was very different.

I really enjoyed spending time with Genevieve and friends again and look forward to seeing where the next book take her – especially in terms of her relationship and her medical profession.

★★★★ ½☆

My opinions on the narration are very much in line with my thoughts on book 1, as they are both narrated by the same person, Carly Robins. Robins was able to relay the author’s pacing well in this audiobook presentation. There is an interplay between slow or fast reading based on the need of the scene. I appreciated the appropriate pause length between sentences – just the right amount of time. Robbins imbues her Genevieve with an earnestness, but also demonstrates fear or hesitation when appropriate. It certainly feels like she spent some time getting to know the characters before recording the passages. There is some voice work here to make characters unique, and this is one of the few times I have found myself feeling comfortable with a narration of characters of the opposite sex from the narrator. Additionally, I feel that she handled the variety of accents well as we have American, Irish, and Italian among the characters. An admirable job that never felt jarring or out of place.

You can check out a sample from the audiobook below (links to Audible):

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Annette’s Book Spot
• Gizmo’s Reviews

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Cuyler Overholt:

A Deadly Affection (Book 1)
[My Review]

Find Cuyler Overholt: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: The Woman in the Camphor Trunk by Jennifer Kincheloe

The Woman in the Camphor Trunk by Jennifer Kincheloe
Book 2 in the Anna Blanc Mystery series
Unabridged, 10 hr. 52 min.
Jennifer L. Kincheloe, Ltd
Moira Quirk (Narrator)
December 6, 2017
★★★★ ½☆

Genre: Historical Mystery/Thriller

Source: Received audio download for review as part of the tour with Audiobookworm Productions

Los Angeles, 1908. In Chinatown, the most dangerous beat in Los Angeles, police matron Anna Blanc and her former sweetheart, Detective Joe Singer, discover the body of a white missionary woman, stuffed in a trunk in the apartment of her Chinese lover. Her lover has fled. If news gets out that a white woman was murdered in Chinatown, there will be a violent backlash against the Chinese. Joe and Anna plan to solve the crime quietly and keep the death a secret. So does good-looking Mr. Jones, a prominent Chinese leader who has mixed feelings about helping the LAPD and about Anna.
Meanwhile, the Hop Sing tong has kidnapped two slave girls from the Bing Kong tong, fuelling existing tensions. They are poised on the verge of a bloody tong war that would put all Chinatown residents in danger.

Joe orders Anna out of Chinatown to keep her safe, but to atone for her own family's sins, Anna must stay to solve the crime before news of the murder is leaked and Chinatown explodes.

Oh dear Anna Blanc, how you get yourself into even bigger scrapes in this book than you did before! One might have thought you would have learned something…but it is just as hilarious, so keep bringing it. That is one thing that I have to mention – while this book is a historical mystery and sometimes thriller, there is so much comedy in the writing and dialogue that it keeps me listening hour after hour!

Book 2 picks up just a short time after the culminating events of the previous installment – Anna is figuring out even more how to navigate the working class world on her own, without her father’s money. But what she lacks in know-how she makes up for in spirit! As she gets herself wrapped up in a case of kidnapped Chinese women and a simmering war in Chinatown, she continuously bests the “real” cops is solving the crime. She knows a little more about the seedy world than she did before, but Chinatown is WAY out of her experience zone, so she is constantly playing catch-up. Through this storyline the author explores many Chinese customs as well as the barriers and stereotypes that the Chinese faced at this time.

I still loved Joe Singer and Anna’s relationship – that push-pull is there no matter how much they fight it, avoid it, and move on, but they are still SO hung up on each other that their working together is HILARIOUS. I loved the scene where Joe is in jail and Anna is intent on taking on solving this crime herself – he is having NONE of it! They are from such different worlds and really want different things in life, but something keeps pulling them back together and some of their best scenes are when they are looking out for each other.

The plot was pretty tight and covered A LOT of ground. There were a couple spots in the middle where I felt we didn’t need to be off on this tangent (while still relevant), but the banter and relationship growth moved me quickly through it enough that I don’t feel that it much affected my enjoyment of the novel. I would pick up another installment in a heartbeat! There is still so much unresolved!

★★★★★

Much like the first book, this was one of THE best audio productions I have listened to. It is excellently narrated. Moira Quirk is someone that would now lead me to pick up a book I’m not even interested in because she could interest me in it through her performance (believe me, I have already went and shelved a few of her other works in my Audible wishlist that are paranormal in genre, which isn’t my typical thing). And a performance it truly is. Quirk doesn’t just read the novel, but imbues Kincheloe’s characters with even more life. As I stated above, Kincheloe wrote some amazing characters that I loved, but Quirk brings out their complete nature to where you feel like they are standing in the room next to you. Yes, each character has their own unique voice, but many narrators do that. However, Quirk not only brings a different voice, but you can envision their mannerisms as well just from the way they are speaking. I’m not sure how she does this, but whatever it is, keep doing it! There is quite the range of nationalities and type of personalities in this novel and Quirk makes them all feel truly real, not cookie cutter or stereotyped. And there is singing! Actual singing! That is one of the things that always disappoints me is when a part that is clearly intended to be sung is instead simply read. And while I know that there are often legitimate reasons this has to be done, it does take away from the experience of the book and colors my perception of it.

Loved the book, loved the production, loved the narrator! Go pick up this book in print (if you don’t listen to books), but I HIGHLY encourage you to check out this audiobook production, it is FANTASTIC and you will not regret it!

You can check out a sample of the audio production by clicking the play button below.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• The Lit Bitch
• The Internet Review of Books

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Jennifer Kincheloe:

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc (Book #1)
[My Review]

Find Jennifer Kincheloe: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Find Moira Quirk: Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook

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Copyright © 2018 by The Maiden’s Court

Series Highlight: Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent

About the Lady of Ashes Mysteries

The Lady of Ashes Mystery series follows female undertaker, Violet Morgan, as she solves mysteries that she encounters in Victorian England. 

Titles in the Lady of Ashes Mystery Series

Book 1: Lady of Ashes

In 1861 London, Violet Morgan is struggling to establish a good reputation for the undertaking business that her husband has largely abandoned. She provides comfort for the grieving, advises them on funeral fashion and etiquette, and arranges funerals.

Unbeknownst to his wife, Graham, who has nursed a hatred of America since his grandfather soldiered for Great Britain in the War of 1812, becomes involved in a scheme to sell arms to the South. Meanwhile, Violet receives the commission of a lifetime: undertaking the funeral for a friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. But her position remains precarious, especially when Graham disappears and she begins investigating a series of deaths among the poor. And the closer she gets to the truth, the greater the danger for them both…

Book 2: Stolen Remains

After establishing her reputation as one of London's most highly regarded undertakers, Violet Harper decided to take her practice to the wilds of the American West. But when her mother falls ill, Violet and her husband Samuel are summoned back to England, where her skills are as sought-after as ever. She's honored to undertake the funeral of Anthony Fairmont, the Viscount Raybourn, a close friend of Queen Victoria's who died in suspicious circumstances--but it's difficult to perform her services when his body disappears. . .

As the viscount's undertaker, all eyes are on Violet as the Fairmonts and Scotland Yard begin the search for his earthly remains. Forced to exhume her latent talents as a sleuth to preserve her good name, Violet's own investigation takes her from servants' quarters, to the halls of Windsor Castle, to the tombs of ancient Egypt--and the Fairmont family's secrets quickly begin to unravel like a mummy's wrappings. But the closer Violet gets to the truth, the closer she gets to becoming the next missing body. . .

Wrought with both heartfelt bravery and breathtaking suspense, Stolen Remains is a captivating tale of death and deception set against the indelible backdrop of Victorian London.

Book 3: A Virtuous Death

A gripping tale of vengeance inside the extraordinary world of Queen Victoria’s court, this richly layered novel from Christine Trent will delight fans of historical mysteries.

Queen Victoria, still mourning her late husband Prince Albert, has found solace in John Brown, an enigmatic palace servant who dabbles in the occult. Undertaker Violet Harper is invited to attend one of Mr. Brown’s readings, during which he implies that Buckingham Palace will soon be shrouded in death’s dark veil. Well acquainted with death, Violet shrugs him off as a charlatan—until his sinister divinations begin to prove true…

The aristocratic young friends of the queen’s daughter are dying mysteriously. The deaths merely buttress the queen’s enthusiasm for Mr. Brown’s ominous talents. Is Mr. Brown an innocent court favorite, or does he have a malevolent plan that involves both the queen and Violet? Or does Violet suspect the wrong man entirely?

Book 4: The Mourning Bells

One of Victorian London’s most respected undertakers, Violet Harper has the new duty of accompanying coffins from various undertakers on the London Necropolis Railway for respectful funerals and burials in Surrey. But on her fateful first trip, the mournful silence of the train is shattered by the shrill ringing of a coffin bell—a device that prevents a person from being buried alive.

Inside the noisome coffin Violet finds a man wide-eyed with fear, claiming he was falsely interred. When a second coffin bell is rung on another trip Violet grows suspicious. She voices her qualms to Inspector Hurst of Scotland Yard, only to receive a puzzling reply that, after all, it is not a crime to rise from the dead.

But Violet’s instincts are whispering that all is not well on the London Necropolis Railway’s tracks. Is this all merely the result of clumsy undertaking, or is there something more sinister afoot? Determined to get to the heart of the matter, Violet uncovers a treacherous plot and villains who will stop at nothing to keep a lid on her search for the truth…

Book 5: Death at the Abbey

While on a much-needed respite with her husband Sam in Nottinghamshire, undertaker Violet Harper is summoned to Welbeck Abbey by the Fifth Duke of Portland to prepare a body. His Grace is known as the “mad duke,” and Violet has more than an inkling of why when she arrives at the grand estate and discovers that the corpse in question is that of the duke’s favorite raven, Aristotle. Many of the duke’s servants believe a dead raven is a harbinger of doom, and the peculiar peer hopes to allay their superstitious fears with an elaborate funeral for his feathered friend.

But Aristotle’s demise is soon followed by the violent murder of one of the young workers on the estate. Wishing to avoid any whisper of scandal, the reclusive duke implores Violet to conduct her own discreet investigation. In her hunt for evidence, Violet wonders if the manner of the raven’s death might provide a crucial clue in solving the crime. . .before someone else—including herself—risks an untimely fate.

Book 6: A Grave Celebration

Violet Harper and her husband Sam are attending the long-anticipated opening of Egypt's new Suez Canal. The canal is the mastermind of the brilliant French engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps. Fireworks, galas, and canal cruises are all part of the planned festivities at ports along the way.Tensions abound across the various European delegations in attendance. The Prussians, Dutch, French, British, Austrians, and Russians all have political grievances against each other, made worse by internal struggles inside Egypt itself. All of this animosity is forgotten, though, in the midst of clinking glasses and deafening cheers. That is, until a seemingly innocent Egyptian is found stabbed during an evening of fireworks. To keep the grisly affair out of the international newspapers, de Lesseps and the Egyptian viceroy, Isma il Pasha, insist that there be no investigation, but Violet is determined to make a quiet inquiry. Who may have wanted the man dead? Or, rather, who didn t have hatred for the French, whose total mastery of the Suez Canal meant they would be controlling canal shipping for the foreseeable future? Was the man the simple victim of a local criminal? Or is someone conducting a vendetta against the great man de Lesseps himself? When a delegate's servant is also found murdered, it becomes obvious that there are evil forces among the revelers, who will stop at nothing to keep Violet from discovering the truth.

About the Author

Photo Credit

Christine Trent is the author of the Lady of Ashes historical mystery series, about a Victorian-era undertaker, as well as the author of three other historical novels. Her novels have been translated into Turkish, Polish, and Czech. She writes from her two-story home library, where she lives with her wonderful bookshelf-building husband, five precocious cats, a large doll collection, entirely too many fountain pens, and over 4,000 fully catalogued books. She and her husband are active travelers and journey regularly to England to conduct book research at historic sites.

Find Christine Trent: Website | Facebook

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang & Giveaway

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang
ARC, e-Book, 352 pages
Lake Union Publishing
August 1, 2017
★★★★★

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review with TLC Book Tours

Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned—and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

Desperate for answers and dreading her own engagement to a wealthy gentleman, Allene returns to her passion for scientific discovery and recruits her long-lost friends, Jasper and Birdie, for help. The investigation brings her closer to Jasper, an apprentice medical examiner at Bellevue Hospital who still holds her heart, and offers the delicate Birdie a last-ditch chance to find a safe haven before her fragile health fails.

As more of their friends and family die, alliances shift, lives become entangled, and the three begin to suspect everyone—even each other. As they race to find the culprit, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper must once again trust each other, before one of them becomes the next victim.

Wow! A Beautiful Poison runs in so many different frantic directions, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat the whole time and I loved every minute of it!

I have historically been let down by historical mystery type books in the past, so I tread carefully when choosing to read one. They have tended to move rather slowly and force all the resolution within the last few pages and feel rushed. Oftentimes I find the reveal to be rather expected. I can tell you that in A Beautiful Poison you start out right at the heart of the first murder and it upholds that pace clean through to the very end. While the eventual reveal is brought about toward the end (as it should) the plot carries through to the end with tying up the loose ends with how that reveal affects the main characters. At no point did it feel slow or plodding; there actually isn’t a good point in this book to put it down, so plan to stay up reading it all night! I spent the better part of 2 days reading it and was ready to pick it back up each time I was forced to put it down and stayed up much later than I should have reading it.

In some ways, A Beautiful Poison reminds me of a book I read and loved earlier this year from the genre: A Deadly Affection by Cuyler Overholt. In that book a thread of the story is about trying to figure out a medical condition using only the techniques of that time period, and that is much the same here. Our sleuths spend much time in the medical examiners office (good thing one of them works there or it might get weird!) trying to follow the clues of the deceased to figure out if there was foul play or natural causes in their deaths and what the manner of death was. This takes place in 1918 so the medical knowledge was less than it is now and it was fascinating seeing how they went about procedures and such. Additionally, there was the ever present threat of the Spanish Flu affecting those fighting overseas and eventually in the city of New York that was quite dangerous seeing how that affected their quest. Every step of the way felt true to the time period for me; I was never pulled out of the story feeling that a modern method was being included. The author is a physician also, so I would tend to believe that she knows her medical history!

This novel really covers many areas: medical and science understanding of the time, the affects of WWI on the United States and how the looming threat of another draft affected families, and the vast gulf between those living the gilded life and those struggling to survive. This is brilliantly shown through the three main characters: Jasper, Allene, and Birdie. All three used to move in the circle of society, however Allene is the only one that remains there now because of a series of events that happened to Jasper and Birdie’s families – which are revealed over time. As these three friends are reunited and Jasper and Birdie become involved in Allene’s life again, the differences between them are vividly illustrated. Jasper and Birdie actually have to work for a living and you see much of them at their jobs!! How often does that actually happen in novels? I enjoyed getting into the factory and medical lab with them.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, there were two parts that did give me pause: the beginning and the end! The first chapter or two felt like I was being thrown into the middle of something that I just didn’t understand, which is essentially the truth. The author chooses to immediately engross the reader in the mystery and introduce us more to the main characters over time. It is just a style different than that which I am used to, and while it still was effective, I was confused for awhile. My issue with the ending is almost insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but I wasn’t happy with the outcome of the minor romance plot point. For me, it was like how things ended up in the Harry Potter series, seemingly out of left field. While that certainly didn’t change the outcome of the story, because it was just character development, I was not happy with that.

All in all, pick up this book, you will not be disappointed!

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Reading Reality
• 5 Minutes for Books

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Lydia Kang:

Control (Control #1)

Catalyst (Control #2)

Quackery

The November Girl

Find Lydia Kang: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Giveaway!

I have 1 copy of A Beautiful Poison up for grabs for someone from the USA or Canada.  Please enter through the Rafflecopter below.  Giveaway is open through August 12th. Good luck!

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Tuesday, August 1st: Reading Reality

Tuesday, August 1st: Reviews from the Heart

Wednesday, August 2nd: 5 Minutes for Books

Thursday, August 3rd: The Maiden’s Court

Friday, August 4th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, August 7th: Write Read Life

Tuesday, August 8th: Kahakai Kitchen

Tuesday, August 8th: A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, August 9th: Readaholic Zone

Thursday, August 10th: Black ‘n Gold Girl’s Book Reviews

Friday, August 11th: I Brought a Book

Monday, August 14th: Broken Teepee

Tuesday, August 15th: Books a la Mode

Tuesday, August 15th: Books ‘n Tea

Wednesday, August 16th: Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind

Thursday, August 17th: A. Holland Reads

Friday, August 18th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Monday, August 21st: Just Commonly

Tuesday, August 22nd: A Bookish Way of Life

Wednesday, August 23rd: Mama Vicky Says

Thursday, August 24th: Just One More Chapter

Friday, August 25th: Kritter’s Ramblings

Tuesday, August 29th: From the TBR Pile

Friday, September 22nd: Writer Unboxed – author guest post

Date TBD: Reading is My SuperPower

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: A Deadly Affection by Cuyler Overholt

A Deadly Affection by Cuyler Overholt
Book 1 in the Dr. Genevieve Summerford Mystery
Unabridged, 16 hr. 18 min.
Recorded Books
Carly Robbins(Narrator)
September 6, 2016
★★★★★

Genre: Historical Mystery

Source: Received audiobook from publisher for review

In 1907 New York, a psychiatrist must prove her patient's innocence...or risk being implicated in a shocking murder

As one of the first women practicing in an advanced new field of psychology, Dr. Genevieve Summerford is used to forging her own path. But when one of her patients is arrested for murder-a murder Genevieve fears she may have unwittingly provoked-she is forced to seek help from an old acquaintance.

Desperate to clear her patient's name and relieve her own guilty conscience, Genevieve finds herself breaking all the rules she's tried so hard to live by. In her search for answers, Genevieve uncovers an astonishing secret that, should she reveal it, could spell disaster for those she cares about most. But if she lets her discovery remain hidden, she will almost certainly condemn her patient to the electric chair.

I’ve always been hit-and-miss with my enjoyment of historical mystery novels. They tend to fall into one of two categories for me: trying to hard to play CSI in an historical setting or perfectly striking a balance between propelling the mystery forward while still staying within the bounds of historical reality. Too often I find the former and that has kept me away from the genre more often than not. I am pleased to say that I’m glad I took the risk on A Deadly Affection because it blew me away! I will absolutely be reading the rest of the books that come out in this series and here is why.

I loved the heroine, Genevieve Summerford. She was a “modern woman” and forward thinker, but it didn’t feel like she was always trying too hard to be WAY ahead of her time, which is an issue I often have with my historical heroines. She is a female doctor in the field of psychiatry (which is modern enough at that time) and she is trying something new, group therapy for women who are otherwise painted with the masculine brush of expectation. Throughout the novel, Genevieve is intermittently unsure of herself and her path and then finds confidence when things go right or she begins to put pieces together. Basically, to me, she felt like an everyday woman caught in the middle of a tough situation and finds ways to grow from it and come out of it for the better. It was someone that I could identify with even if she would have lived 100 years ago.

The field of medicine and psychiatry were still in the stages of exploring things that we take for granted today. Overholt walked the magical line of keeping the reader just off of knowing exactly what was going on with the medical portion of the storyline so that you wanted to know more and didn’t feel like it was old news that you were just playing along with. I never entirely felt like I knew what was coming and I enjoyed the feel of learning about it along with the characters. The drama of this novel played out like part medical drama and part police procedural which the author balanced rather evenly.

There is just a touch of romance here, but it isn’t a focal point of the story. At this point, it’s more of an important element of backstory and to help understand the characters, but I could see it coming into play later on in the series, whether as actual romance thread or as a roadblock/point of contention between characters.

The plot and pacing are spot on here. There was never a time with this novel that I felt bored or prone to skim though. There was enough twists and turns to the story that you were kept on your toes and never quite were able to pinpoint what the resolution to the murder mystery was going to be (that is one of my other pet peeves with the mystery genre in general is when you can solve it way too early in the story).

I will eagerly await book two which will be released later this year, although I might try to hold off to get it on audiobook because it was a great performance as well.

★★★★ ½☆

The narrator was able to relay the author’s pacing well in this audiobook presentation. There is an interplay between slow or fast reading based on the need of the scene. I appreciated the appropriate pause length between sentences – just the right amount of time. Robbins imbues her Genevieve with an earnestness, but also demonstrates fear or hesitation when appropriate. It certainly feels like she spent some time getting to know the characters before recording the passages. There is some voice work here to make characters unique, and this is one of the few times I have found myself feeling comfortable with a narration of characters of the opposite sex rom the narrator. An admirable job that never felt jarring or out of place.

You can check out a sample of the audiobook below:

 

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Second Run Reviews

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Cuyler Overholt:

A Promise of Ruin
(Book 2 of the Dr. Genevieve Summerford Series)
Coming August 2017

Find Cuyler Overholt: Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

Copyright © 2017 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe
Book 1 in the Anna Blanc Mystery Series
Unabridged, 12 hr. 44 min.
Jennifer L. Kincheloe, Ltd.
Moira Quirk (Narrator)
November 14, 2016
★★★★★

Genre: Historical Mystery/Thriller

Source: Received audio download for review as part of the tour with Audiobookworm Productions

It's 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals. Determined to break free of the era's rigid social roles, she buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are covering up. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself.

If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he'll cancel the wedding.

Anna must choose--either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.

Prepare for me to fan-girl all over this review. You have been warned!

I couldn’t get enough of The Secret Life of Anna Blanc from the moment I picked it up! I listened to it every moment that I had: in the car commuting to work, while at work, while running on the treadmill, out-loud while sitting at home with my husband (which made for some extremely comical discussion!). I didn’t want the book to end and I’m thrilled to learn that this is a series and book 2 is coming out at the end of this year so I can inhale more of Anna Blanc!

One of the things that immediately connected me to this book was the style. It reminded me in many ways of the early Janet Evanovich comedy/romance/mystery novels: girl is completely out of her depths trying to solve a mystery and has no idea what she is doing. Beyond that, Kincheloe’s writing style is full of wit and comedic timing. I was constantly laughing either at what one of the characters was doing or how they were saying it.

Anna is delightfully naïve in the world of the underbelly of society, which makes sense because she comes from money. But she wants to get out and see more of the world, not sit around and wait to get old while her father refuses to find a man for her to marry. She is bold and daring and comes up with an over-the-top way to become employed as a police matron at the local police station. Is she qualified? Not in the slightest. Does she get the job because the man hiring her thinks she is nice to look at? Absolutely.

But despite her lack of skills, somehow Anna manages to get the job done…with a lot help from both willing and unwilling friends and accomplices. Officer Joe Singer is one of those sometimes willing and unwilling friends. Thinking back on it now, he really reminds me a lot of Luke from Gilmore Girls: totally in love with the heroine and will do anything to help her, but will go out of his way to make it seem like a hardship and be grouchy about doing it. I loved how Kincheloe played Anna and Joe off of each other and their conversations were some of the best of the book. The author really knows how to write banter between two people who are so at odds with each other but totally into one another.

Oh, and speaking of the writing – hands down, the best parts were when we get inside Anna’s head and what she is thinking, especially when it comes to romance where she is a complete novice. In terms of what happens in the book, it’s no more than PG-13, but Anna’s thoughts are hilarious in where she takes these rendezvous. (It’s even more hilarious when your husband walks into the room when one of these segments is playing out loud and he abruptly walks back out of the room! I credit the author with some entertaining conversations that arose from this over the rest of the week.)

Beyond the mystery storyline, there is a lot to be said about women, their rights, and how they are perceived during this time. Anna attends a rally for women’s right to vote (really just because she wants to do something sensational), which gets her arrested and infuriates her father. On the job there is a lot of sexist remarks made toward Anna or spoken in front of her (lots of conversations about going to the horse stables with Joe and what that means, true or not). Her father and fiancé are appalled with her antics and want her to be well behaved – she even ends up with a bevy of chaperones and the lengths she goes to in order to get around them are hilarious. Then beyond Anna, there is the whole element of the brothel girls and how the deaths of these girls is handled and how these women are treated. It was all very well integrated into the novel as a whole.

I cannot wait for book 2 to be released and will be on my auto-buy list as I had the most fantastic time reading this book. This is an EXCELLENT debut from this author and I have and will continue to highly recommend this book to everyone I talk with.

★★★★★

You know how I was fan-girling hard above? It continues here too!

This was one of THE best audio productions I have listened to and I am even more impressed as it appears it was published by the author, because the quality is that of one of the big name audiobook publishers. It is excellently narrated. Moira Quirk is someone that would now lead me to pick up a book I’m not even interested in because she could interest me in it through her performance (believe me, I have already went and shelved a few of her other works in my Audible wishlist that are paranormal in genre, which isn’t my typical thing). And a performance it truly is. Quirk doesn’t just read the novel, but imbues Kincheloe’s characters with even more life. As I stated above, Kincheloe wrote some amazing characters that I loved, but Quirk brings out their complete nature to where you feel like they are standing in the room next to you. Yes, each character has their own unique voice, but many narrators do that. However, Quirk not only brings a different voice, but you can envision their mannerisms as well just from the way they are speaking. I’m not sure how she does this, but whatever it is, keep doing it! There is quite the range of nationalities and type of personalities in this novel and Quirk makes them all feel truly real, not cookie cutter or stereotyped. And there is singing! Actual singing! That is one of the things that always disappoints me is when a part that is clearly intended to be sung is instead simply read. And while I know that there are often legitimate reasons this has to be done, it does take away from the experience of the book and colors my perception of it.

Loved the book, loved the production, loved the narrator! Go pick up this book in print (if you don’t listen to books), but I HIGHLY encourage you to check out this audiobook production, it is FANTASTIC and you will not regret it!

You can check out a sample of the audio production by clicking the play button!

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• A Bookaholic Swede
• The Lit Bitch

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Jennifer Kincheloe:

The Woman in the Camphor Trunk (Book 2)
(Coming Nov 2017)

Find Jennifer Kincheloe: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Find Moira Quirk: Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook

Follow the Tour!

Audiobookworm Productions Webpage

Mar. 1: Chapter Break (Review, Spotlight, Dream Cast, & Narrator Interview)

Mar. 2: Candid Ceillie (Review & Author Interview)

Mar. 3: The Bookworm Central (Review); Rolo Polo Book Blog (Spotlight & Music Playlist)

Mar. 4: Lilly's Book World (Review)

Mar. 5: The Desert Bibliophile (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 6: A Bookaholic Swede (Review); terriluvsbooks (Review & Dream Cast)

Mar. 7: Working Mommy Journal (Review)

Mar. 8: The Maiden's Court (Review) – Here!; The Bookworm Lodge (Spotlight); A Literary Vacation (Review)

Mar. 9: Babs Book Bistro (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 10: Dab of Darkness (Review); Desert Rose Reviews (Review, Music Playlist, & Dream Cast)

Mar. 11: Literature Approved (Review); Spunky 'n Sassy (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 12: History From A Woman's Perspective (Review)

Mar. 13: Jorie Loves A Story (Review); Bound4Escape (Review)

Mar. 14: A Page To Turn (Review & Dream Cast); XOXO Book Blog (Music Playlist); Ronelle Antoinette (Narrator Interview)

 

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