How many odd and nefariously-utilized floorplans can there possibly be out there? Well, according to Uketsu and Strange Buildings, there's at least 11.

But first, let me take moment to shake off the goosebumps. That was intense, and I mean that in the best way possible. Reading Uketsu is always an experience. Once I start, I don't want to stop. I'm always thoroughly enthralled until I reach the very last page, and this was no different.

To understand Uketsu's appeal, you first have to understand what his stories are. Under the giant umbrella of the mystery/thriller genre, they fall onto the mystery side, specifically those that involve puzzles and fair play. As such, the clues are always there and the reader need only be clever enough to figure it all out alongside our protagonist. Now obviously, that did not happen to me and I succeeded in solving not a single iota of anything, but that's where all the fun and appeal lies.

And while I wouldn't go so far as to put Uketsu's books into any sort of horror category, his mysteries definitely feel tinged with chilling and macabre vibes. There is a tension and dissonance throughout that sets the overall tone, and it works to keep me on my toes.

Now, this goes without saying, but you do have to suspend a fair bit of disbelief to enjoy this story. In real life, have you ever come across even a single architectural anomaly that points to crimes and secrets? I don't think so. But the main character in here, after the success of his previous book Strange Houses, had so many people send in their own such house issues that he was able to pick out 11 and turn them into a story. Like, come on. So yes, a healthy suspension of disbelief is a must.

Speaking of that, I find it interesting that Uketsu has bestowed upon his main character the honor of being the writer of his books. I don't see this plot device often, but the few times I have, it blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction. And when it comes to mysteries, the more real and authentic it might seem, the more unputdownable it is.

Needless to say, I was absolutely riveted. The beginning, as each of the odd floorplans was introduced, felt more like a collection of short stories. But then as we went on and the disparate vignettes started to intertwine, the complexity and the addictiveness ratcheted up, until we reached the culmination of everything. And what a culmination it was. My suspension of disbelief skills was thoroughly tested, but I enjoyed every moment of it.

This is the sort of mystery that feels like it might be best read twice back-to-back. Because by the time everything comes together, there are so many elements and characters and floorplans at play, it can be hard to keep them all straight. The book did try to do some recapping, which was helpful, but I suspect if I read it again while everything was still fresh, I'd probably see the story from a whole new perspective.

A quick word of caution—be sure to check the trigger warnings if you're a sensitive reader. There are definitely some dark elements in this story.

Uketsu's mysteries are always so unique and such a celebration of the puzzle within, I can't help but be captivated. There's a part of me that has always clung to my childhood dream of being a detective when I grow up, and reading these books and hunting for clues in the pictures within, I feel like maybe I still can be.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

"We’re not going to leave the island… None of us will ever leave … It’s the end, you see—the end of everything…."

Even amongst the tableau of exceptional mysteries that Agatha Christie is known for, And Then There Were None stands out as something extraordinary. It is arguably Christie's most beloved piece of work, and for good reason.

Right from the start, this story feels unusual and steeped in atmosphere. Ten strangers are summoned to Soldier Island, but when they arrive, the host is missing. The guests look at each other with suspicion. Why are they here? What could be the purpose of such a gathering? Soon a storm arrives and cuts off all ability to leave the island. And they start dying, one by one.

Ah, a locked-room mystery. My word, is there anything better? When done right, it offers such delight and satisfaction, and this story is the quintessential example. No one can get off the island, no one can get on the island. So it must be one of the guests. But which one is it? And how are they doing it?

This is quite an intricate mystery, with many characters and moving parts. There's lots going on on the surface and also underneath, which we'll come to understand later. Christie herself even mentioned that this was a difficult one for her to write, requiring lots of careful planning to come to fruition. But all that meticulousness certainly paid off.

But don't let the intricacy scare you off. It doesn't negatively impact reading experience, it only enhances it. In fact, this is exactly Christie's signature style—simple and straightforward writing, confounding mystery with carefully placed red herrings, and when the reveal comes, there's always that clear and satisfying feeling of a perfect eureka moment.

If you're more used to reading modern thrillers, mysteries like this can feel very different. The modern thriller prioritizes outlandish twists and psychological drama, whereas these Golden Age mysteries are all about the inherent puzzle within. In the spirit of fair play, the reader is given access to all the clues, and if you're clever enough, you might just armchair detect your way to the right answer before the book reveals it to you.

The first time I read this, I was left in awe. No no, I think that's too mild of a phrase. I was shaken to my core. I was thirteen at the time, and my homeroom teacher had a collection of Agatha Christie's on his shelf. I'd never read anything like them, and I inhaled the whole lot. So started my love affair with the mystery genre and the Queen of Crime. To this day, Agatha Christie remains one of my favorite authors, and I happily reach for her books again and again.

If you're a mystery reader and somehow this book has escaped your attention, it's absolutely worth adding to your list. It's impossible to understand the landscape of modern mysteries without having seen where they come from. In fact, I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say all the mysteries I've ever loved have probably taken every single one of their conceits from Christie's books. And this one in particular has inspired so many riffs, it would be a travesty to read those without having known the original.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

Huh. So you guys didn't like this one? Well, that's a bit awkward, cause I'm over here having a pretty good time with it.

Now, usually I'm on Outlier Island having to apologize for hating on a book everyone's loving. But this time, it's the opposite. Consensus seems to be that this story didn't quite reach its potential, but you could've fooled me. In fact, I had so much fun with The Ending Writes Itself, I'm kind of sad it's over.

After giving it some thought, I do have a few theories as to why it worked for me but maybe not for a lot of other readers out there, so let me have a crack at explaining.

1. This book is by an author duo, one of whom is V.E. Schwab (of Addie LaRue fame). Schwab is known for writing fantasies with lyrical, descriptive, verbose (take your pick) prose, and this is definitely not that. Truth be told, I actually wasn't that big of a fan of Addie, so it was a relief to read something from Schwab that was less long-winded and more straightforward. But if you're a big Addie fan and came here looking for more of the same, this may not have anything to offer you.

2. Across the board, I'm a big fan of stories that peek behind the curtain into the world of writing and publishing. And if that peek happens to be a bit satirical and tongue-in-the-cheek? Even better. So I had a great time following along as these writers competed to finish a dead author's greatest work. But I can also see how, if that topic doesn't interest you, then this would seem like much ado about nothing.

3. This is a riff on And Then There Were None, and I think in order to fully understand and enjoy the way this tale unfolds, you do have to have read the classic first. Otherwise, this doesn't really make much sense and can come off as somewhat random and unhinged. I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan, and And Then There Were None is one of my all-time favorites by her, so this was right up my alley. This isn't the first riff I've come across, nor is it the best, but it is a fun one and definitely scratched my infinite itch for anything Christie related.

So there you go. Hopefully that gives you a better idea of whether this book might be for you. But if my experience is any indication, sometimes you can never tell. At the end of the day, we are all individual readers, and the only way to know for sure if you'll like a book is to pick it up and see for yourself.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

"A table surrounded by suspects in a house full of secrets? I wouldn't miss it for the world. Time to give that jar of hornets a good old shake."

Oh my! The Murder at World's End had no business being so much fun.

I feel like murder mysteries are a dime a dozen. And the ones that purport to kick off a whole series of murderous shenanigans? Well, that's pretty much all of them. But most end up being meh to middling, with the sort of lackluster implementation that makes me question if I still even like the genre, let alone want to come back for more. So when I find one that actually grabs me, I get pretty darn excited.

We kick off this story with a little tie-in to Halley's Comet, and my interests were immediately piqued. It was such an unusual start to a murder mystery, I couldn't help but be intrigued. Then we're introduced to our main character Stephen and our setting of Tithe Hall, and our murderous little adventure is off to the races.

Every component of this story—the characters, the dialogue, even the mystery itself—felt a little bit different than your usual fare. And that unexpectedness kept me on my toes. It automatically means that I was paying more attention and I was more invested because I had no idea where it was all going. And I couldn't gobble it up fast enough.

There is a chaotic element to the way this story unfolded, and while I normally shy away from such a thing (neat and orderly for me, please), it totally worked here. Add to that the zippy writing and the actually laugh-out-loud dialogue, and the whole thing gave off such a wacky and spirited vibe.

Regarding the mystery itself, my bar is high. I've read a ton of mysteries, so it's rare for any of them to surprise me. And this did not. In fact, the book made what I assumed was an unforced error, which clued me in pretty early on. [View spoiler below] But that didn't affect my enjoyment one bit.

In fact, the way the mystery unfolded, with its attention to clue-gathering and focus on science and facts, was particularly appealing to me. It's always fun when a mystery lets you play along by giving you all the same clues that its fictional detectives have so that you can also have a crack at it. And it harkens back to the style of the Golden Age of mysteries, which prioritizes the inherent puzzle of the whodunnit over more modern fixations of outrageous twists and psychological drama.

Maybe my only warning is that there is a small amount of swearing in here. I personally think that swearing in the right place and the right time can add emphasis and even a bit of comedic relief, and this book got it right on both counts. But I know not every reader agrees, so just be aware if you're sensitive to that.

So yes, no doubt about it, I enjoyed this very much. And I'll definitely be counting down the days until book 2 is out and in my hands.

I didn’t have anything to say to that. I just stood opening and closing my mouth like a fish pulled out of the ocean and slapped on the deck.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

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[Spoiler] As soon as Temperance joined their investigative trio, the gig was up. The series is titled "Stockingham & Pike" and the only possible way she's not on the bill is if she dunnit.

Who can know what will come? Today, a kingdom. A life where you eat and drink from dreams. Tomorrow, the dirt of the grave to rub on your mouth.

Talk about a powerful, compelling, utterly riveting story. When people say reading is an exercise in empathy, surely this is the consummate example of that.

Some books really get to you. And I knew from the very first page that Good People would get to me. How could I not read a story about immigrants who gave up their home, their language, their culture, everything they knew and loved, all to move somewhere foreign and build a new life for their family, and not feel something stirring in my immigrant heart?

Rahmat and Maryam remind me of my parents, working so hard to give their children the opportunity of a better life. And Omer and Zorah remind me of myself, with all that intense pressure to succeed and the constant push and pull between the old and new. And if this book was just about the immigrant experience, I would've loved it already. But it was so much more.

It's written like a mystery, and bit by bit, we learned what happened to Zorah and her family. I feel like my heart was pounding the whole time, wanting to know more, yet afraid of what I will learn.

As is every great book ever written, it's not about the plot, it's about the characters. And the ones in here are so flawed and so real, it was almost too much to take at times. I felt for every single person in here as their human nature (and so ours too) was laid bare on the pages.

The format added to the appeal. It's written like a documentary, told via interview transcripts with the different friends and acquittances of the family. You would think with so many different viewpoints and narrators, it would get confusing. But it wasn't. The focus was always solidly on the family, and they remain the center of our story.

The unusual structure paved the way for the goal of this story, which was to provide a composite, often disparate view of the family. Are they the good immigrants, working hard to achieve the American Dream? Or are they old and stubborn, unable to change and assimilate in a new country? Are they humble in their achievements? Or do they allow their children to spoil and run wild?

As the story progressed, I didn't know what to think. Every new page was another color in the kaleidoscope, but how did they all fit together? I've seen mysteries done a lot of different ways, but this was such a unique and bold take on the genre, and the journey and resolution were altogether nothing short of striking.

We touch upon so many worthwhile topics along the way. Everything was seamlessly woven in and done with such a subtle and deft hand, that it never felt forced or preachy. There is no black or white, only so many shades of grey in between. And I nodded along to every insightful morsel, gobbling it up and storing it in my mind to mull over in the days and weeks to come.

For how thought provoking this book was, it was also eminently readable. I know there's been a recent trend to bill every vaguely interesting book as a one-sit read, but it's no exaggeration here. Once you start, you won't want to stop. This was such a fast, engrossing read, the hours will fly by until you've reached the very last page.

This story worked on every single level—riveting and unputdownable, a terrific mystery, but also underneath, many many layers to think about and digest. It's one of those books that indelibility changes who you are, and the version of you after will forever be slightly altered from the version before.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

Perhaps a day will come when I can resist a reference to my favorite Agatha Christie, but it's not this day. And so from the moment I saw the title to this book, I knew I had to read it.

Let's start by setting the correct expectations though. Any similarities to Agatha Christie or And Then There Were None really begins and ends with the fact that both books contain quite a few dead bodies and one title is a pun of the other. But that's it. On every other front, you should really think of this story as not at all related to its namesake.

What this is though is a blend of murder mystery and romance, all set to the coziest of atmospheres and quaintest of villages.

The mystery itself was quite fun and interesting. Georgie's beloved Buncombe-upon-Woolly is gripped in the throes of crime. As more and more residents pop up dead, Georgie can't help but be concerned. Surely five suspicious deaths in a year seems a bit much. And so she has no choice but to stick her nose where it doesn't belong and sleuth out what's really going on.

I liked the mystery. I thought it had clever twists and turns and red herrings of the sort that every mystery reader would approve of. There were quite a few moments throughout when it took me by surprise, and even though the investigation was conducted in the bumbling way this sort of story usually is, it all came together in the end with much satisfaction.

But when it came to the romance, I was less certain. To be fair, I think this is in large part due to the fact that I'm just not crazy about the cozy genre. The writing and the characters ooze a sort of preciousness and by golly jolliness that feels distinctly inauthentic. And so when two of its characters come together, it feels even more fake.

With Georgie especially, although she is so smart in other respects, she exhibits a sort of cluelessness with Sebastian that is immensely grating. There are only so many demure "you can't possibly like me" a reader can take before having had enough.

I'm a little surprise because Martha Waters comes from a romance background and this was her first mystery, But go figure, I wasn't that into the romance and my vote goes solidly to the mystery side of things.

By the way, could this be the start to a mystery series? Now that the ridiculous romance has been all sorted out, I wouldn't mind reading more of Georgie and Sebastian's adventures.

"Why should I need to read about a fictional cozy village full of homicidal maniacs when I am already inhabiting one?"

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

The first book in a historical murder mystery series, A Gentleman's Murder has a lot of potential, but not all of it is fully realized.

Let's start with what I enjoyed. The mystery itself was an interesting one, done in the style of the Golden Age that I'm a huge fan of. Because the murder takes place in a location with limited access, we immediately have a finite list of suspects and the feel of a locked room mystery. As the investigation proceeds, there are clues and red herrings aplenty, and it was fun to see it all unfold.

Eric Peterkin, our main character and residential amateur sleuth, is a sympathetic and likable lead. He is half-Chinese at a time and place where diversity is not an asset, and the exploration of the difficulties and bigotry that he faces is done with complexity and deftness. He is also a war veteran and suffers from PTSD, which is very much a focal point of this story.

Here, though, is where I think my personal preferences kept me from enjoying the story more. I don't tend to gravitate towards war historical fiction, and this is very much that. Even though we are post The Great War, Eric and every major player in this mystery is a war veteran, and their trauma shapes the bulk of the narrative.

I also found the first half to be quite slow in pace and rather grueling to get through. We are introduced to all the characters in one go, and they all blended into each other in my mind. I had a hard time keeping them apart, which became especially problematic since they are the main suspects in our murder.

The other thing that made it feel slow is that what starts out as a murder in the present quickly becomes an investigation into another murder in the past. And so now, not only am I having trouble keeping straight who is who in the present, but also how they all related to each other in the past.

Fortunately, somewhere around the halfway point, I found myself settling into the story and starting to enjoy it more. What began as an introduction to all the characters and their backgrounds had coalesced into a more plot-driven mystery, and I was finally able to what I do best in a story like this—and that's to don my detective cap and armchair detect away to my satisfaction.

To be fair, I think my lukewarm experience here isn't that uncommon when it comes to first books of murder mystery series, even among ones that eventually go on to become my favorites. There's something about needing to establish setting and atmosphere and the main characters that just drags it down a bit. And more often than not, it's the author's debut or their first attempt at the murder mystery, and so there's some growing pains to work through as well.

All in all, now that I've gotten acquainted with Eric Peterkin and his sister Penny, I wouldn't be opposed to reading a second book. I'd be curious to see where this series goes.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

In just two books, Uketsu has established himself as one of the most innovative mystery writers in recent memory.

Diving into one of his books is a bit like jumping into freefall. You can never quite anticipate it and you never know where you're going to land. But the journey, short and brief though it may be, is sure to delight and exhilarate.

And so Strange Houses is just like that. We open into a discussion about the blueprint of a house. At first glace, it looks to be a lovely and charming home, but when you peer a little closer, certain features don't really make sense. Then the more you look, the more it seems the house is hiding something dark and maybe even a bit sinister.

I totally inhaled this. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. Everyone talks about one-sit reads like we've all got unlimited, uninterrupted time at our fingertips. But with this book, you can actually read it in one go. I think I got through it in just under three hours, which is totally doable, if not in one continuous chunk, then at least over the course of a day.

What can I say, there's just something really fun about hunting for clues in pictures. Like, I know I'm an adult now and I should only be reading serious literature with words in it, but come on, who doesn't love pictures in their books? It totally harkens back to the carefree childhood days of Where's Waldo? and Hidden Objects.

I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. The first half focused on the blueprints and the architecture of the houses, and it was really fun to follow along as the characters discussed and deciphered the meaning behind unusual features, coming to conclusions I should've seen, but somehow didn't.

The second half got a bit convoluted. There were so many characters, I had to flip back and forth a few times to make sure I got everything and everyone straight. And the explanations and reveals really tested my suspension of disbelief skills, possibly to a level heretofore unseen.

I'm looking at the ratings for this book, and I totally understand why they're a bit lower. But for me, I really didn't mind the wackiness. I already had to suspend my disbelief to read Uketsu in the first place. After all, no real person would hide sinister clues in pictures nor build houses in this way. So to even buy into the author's premise was already a leap, and I was happy to follow thereafter to wherever he took me.

I cut my teeth in mysteries with Agatha Christie, and while the two of them have very different styles, Uketsu and Christie both fully embraced the spirit of the genre. At its heart, a mystery is meant to be a puzzle, one where we the readers must don our detective caps, try to solve it for ourselves, and when we inevitably fail, marvel at the way it all comes together.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Then again, maybe the reason why her investigation is going so well is because no one expects a tea expert to also be an expert at solving murder mysteries.

The mystery here was undoubtedly a fun one. But the real question is, how did I feel about Vera? Well, the verdict's still out on that.

Let's start with the mystery. What really worked for me was its simplicity. Sometimes, it feels like authors kind of go crazy trying to cram as many twists and turns and red herrings as possible into one story, and the result is so convoluted, it leaves you more confused than anything else. But with this one, we have just a few "suspects" and so as a reader, you're really able to settle in and enjoy the ride without being overwhelmed by too much intricacy.

And when we get to the big reveal, it's very satisfying. The simplicity makes everything easy to understand and hence the eureka moment feels like it has a bigger impact. So kudos to Jesse Q. Sutanto for doing such a good job on that, which can often be the most challenging component in a book of this genre.

But where I ran into trouble is with Vera. She's very abrasive, to the point of being unlikable. Now before you all come at me to explain what satire is, I get what the author was trying to do. Vera is meant to be a fun, tongue-in-the-cheek representation of the sort of overbearing and overreaching Asian parent we all know and love. And believe me, I know them intimately.

But Vera's personality is taken so far in the direction of being bossy and pushy and just plain wacky that it's hard to see her humanity. In other words, the satire turned into a caricature, and that just didn't work as well for me.

It isn't just Vera though. All the characters seemed a little bit off, their reactions forced, their conflicts exaggerated, their feeling of being wronged inflated and theatrical. This led to the persistent feeling that everything's for show and we're being sold a story, and that it's more farcical than genuine.

No doubt this story could've benefited from a more deft and subtle sketching out of Vera's character. But maybe that's on purpose. I read one of the author's other books, and it very much had the same over the top vibes, so it could very well be that this is the style Sutanto was aiming for and has achieved.

Thankfully, once the story gets going after the first 100 pages, it becomes more tolerable and even a little bit fun. We now have a mystery to solve, so Vera has something to occupy her attention other than just harassing the unsuspecting people around her. We also get more time with the other characters, which is a welcome reprieve from Vera, though they were often nutty in their own way.

Clearly, my dislike of Vera is in the minority. I see tons of reviewers being charmed by the very facets of her personality I find objectionable and offensive. And my only explanation is that maybe her character hits a bit too close to home for me to find it funny. But if you don't come from a culture with a lot of Veras, then maybe this story would inspire more of the delightful reaction it was undoubtedly going for.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Thursday Murder Club is the series that just keeps giving and giving, and The Impossible Fortune is yet another marvelous installment.

This time, our gang is celebrating the wedding of Joyce's daughter. With so much grief in their lives recently, it's nice to see our septuagenarians come together for something joyful instead. Soon enough though, the groom's best man has disappeared, and that's just the beginning of the chaos and mayhem that awaits our group.

This was a fun little mystery, with enough components and moving parts in it to feel like a jigsaw puzzle. Steadily, the pieces come together and slot in, and it's satisfying to follow along and see how it all plays out.

But let's be real. I don't read this series for its mysteries (delightful though they may be), and neither do you. We all read it for the characters, who have slowly but surely worked their way into our hearts over the course of five wonderful books. I count Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron, and Ibrahim as old friends now, and the feeling of warmth and affection rushes back in every time I open one of these books.

Richard Osman has taken something we fear, something that's coming for us all—growing old and feeble—and written it with such sensitivity and sly humor, we have no choice but to love it. I can only hope, when I've reached this age, that I can still live with the sort of dignity and purpose and joy that Osman has so carefully sketched out for his endearing characters.

At this point, Richard Osman should be considered a national treasure, and he must never ever stop writing. Even though I've just finished this book, I'm already waiting with bated breath for the next one. It cannot come soon enough.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I'll say this—I never have cause to complain about the mystery components in Holly Jackson's stories. It's the other parts that has me feeling more iffy.

But first things first, I just can't get over the cleverness of this premise. Jet is attacked and left for dead, but she miraculously survives though she only has seven days left before her resulting brain aneurysm will rupture and kill her. She wants to use her last days to figure out who killed her. Along with her childhood best friend and sidekick, Billy, they go around sticking their noses where they don't belong, trying to suss out her killer before it's too late.

Holly Jackson's mysteries always feel a little retro à la Nancy Drew, and Not Quite Dead Yet falls right into that camp. There are clues, secrets, red herrings, and surprises galore, and of course I gobbled it all up. At a time when other authors of the genre can't be bothered to put any real clues into their mysteries and rely more on wacky twists to drive their stories along, reading Holly Jackson's is a breath of fresh air.

It was so much fun to armchair detect, mulling over all the clues, spotting the red herrings, and seeing what I could figure out all on my own. And Jet's childhood best friend/sidekick Billy makes for the perfect Bess/George to Jet's Nancy, and their smidgen of romance was minor enough so as to not distract. Of course if you're a mystery enthusiast, you'll probably see most of it coming from a mile away, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

But what does make it less enjoyable is the writing style. This is Jackson's adult debut (after a few YA books, including the famous A Good Girl's Guide to Murder), and well, it doesn't really feel any more adult than her previous books. Jet is supposedly 27 years old, yet if you took ten years off her age, you could conceivably have the exact same story. She and every single character in here reads either like a sullen teenager or is sketched through the eyes of one.

I've seen this happen before. Authors start out writing YA, then as they and their readers mature, they make the jump to adult fiction, with the hope that their fanbase will follow and grow with them. But the problem is that some authors have trouble making this jump. Either they've gotten so used to writing YA style that they don't quite know how to do adult, or they themselves are not yet mature enough to be able to pull off that voice. Either way, it's a clumsy first attempt, and that's what happened here.

The other issue could be the format. The A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series was mixed media, as if you're reading a dossier of an actual investigation, and it was superbly done. This here though is just regular prose, and it felt considerably less successful. Jackson's reliance on dialogues and extremely short paragraphs (sometimes as short as a sentence fragment) makes it chaotic and at times difficult to follow. It took me three separate tries just to get through the initial chapter, in which we are inexplicably introduced to every single character in the book, all in one go.

Back to the mystery for a second. I know I said I have nothing to complain about, but there is one thing that left me unsatisfied. The main mystery wrapped up just fine, but there were multiple side mysteries that popped up along the way (as is oft the case with books of this genre), some of them quite serious in their own right. And though we find out whodunit in each case, there was no real reckoning for the perpetrators of those crimes within the tale. I found the attitude to just shrug and move on decidedly odd.

Okay, one more thing since I'm laying it all out there. I always get a little weirded out if there is disdain towards animals or children in the pages of a book (and not as a way to forward the plot or the characters). And while the pet in this book was treated with reverence, the attitude towards the baby was such obvious scorn while serving no real purpose, I can only imagine it's the author's own leaking onto the pages. Every time this happened, I was jerked out of the story because it was so jarring and unnecessary, and I really wish editing had caught it.

So now I'm at this awkward spot where I'm not sure where I stand with Holly Jackson. I adored the first two books of her A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series and wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone in need of some modern day Nancy Drew. But it seems with her latest books, she's veering in a direction with her style that doesn't really jibe with my preferences. Time will tell, but for now, maybe I just need to contend myself with rereads of her old books rather than venture more into her new ones.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

I adore this series, and A Conspiracy in Belgravia is another fun one to add to the collection. But that adoration does come with some caveats.

First, the good stuff. I love strong female characters, and this series has it in spades. Charlotte Holmes is as clever and intrepid as ever, readily going about her day sussing out secrets left and right without ever missing a beat. It's so refreshing to follow a heroine who, when faced with adversity, is so confident in her abilities that she just uses her wits to get through any and all situations.

The repartee in here is delightful—Victorian, witty, a touch prudish—and I would often find myself lingering, rereading parts just to savor it some more. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the sizzle between Charlotte and Lord Ingram. Their unrequited love was so sharp and visceral without ever being directly referenced that I had no choice but to swoon.

But I have to be honest. For a mystery series, the mysteries themselves are perhaps its one weakness. There are a few too many characters and subplots, a bit too much complexity in the way of the twists and turns, for this to really be easy to follow along with. And the denouement, in which everything is revealed, doesn't feel so much shocking as vaguely confusing, leaving me wondering where it all came from. Certainly I did not see the twists coming, but I'm not clear how Charlotte was able to either.

Another quibble I have is that not all the points of view were equally riveting. Charlotte, with the force of her personality, steals the show, so whenever we turn away from her to let Inspector Treadles or Livia have a turn, my attention waned. Thankfully, those sections were short, but they did slow the pace a bit for me overall.

But those really are small quibbles, and they don't unduly impact my enjoyment. The characters, their relationships with each other, the nonstop banter in the dialogue, all make this such a charming and interesting read. I hope the too-complex mysteries will get ironed out as the series matures or as we get more familiar with the characters and events at play.

Oh, one more thing to note if you're considering this. The question always comes up if one should read a series in order, and the answer here is a resounding yes! Even though each book has a self-contained mystery, there is so much backstory and character development and relationships throughout the series that to read it out of order would just be a big pile of confusion. And I do speak from personal experience, having done just that on my first go-around and lived to regret it until I finally completed my reread in the correct order.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars