What To Read This Summer July Edition

 What to Read This Summer

July Edition

A Lark's Gambit by Lynn Messina-- Regency Romance Cozy Mystery

Thank you NetGalley, Lynn Messina and PotatoWorks Press for the free digital review copy. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.

Trigger warnings:

mentions of rape

sexual assault

victim blaming

drug use

Is that... who?! Verity Lark kissing the Marquess of Ware at a Venetian breakfast? GASP! It's a good thing Mr. Twaddle-Thum can not report on this incident but Lord Colson Hardwicke sees all! This is what he gets for trying to be strong and delays visiting Bethel Street to see Verity first thing upon his return to London after 11 days away. Flash back a week. Hardwicke is away and Verity is determined to be more productive. Twaddle-Thum learns through the network that Verity's former employer, Lord Stechney, is suing his wife for divorce on the grounds of adultery, she suspects with plans to marry a young debutante and secure himself an heir. Say nothing of HIS lecherous ways, gentlemen are not expected to be faithful. The press will forgive HIM but eviscerate Lady Stechney. While Lady S is not blameless, Verity can't let Lord Stechney's reputation go unscathed. She is determined to find something else he is into that will ruin him. While Twaddling, Verity finds herself outside the fishmonger who was suspected of smuggling opium poppy seed pods. It can't hurt for someone to investigate HIM either. Under one of her many aliases, Verity soon discovers an illegal opium parlor for select clientele. While pretending to be a young gentleman partaking of opium, she spies a familiar figure she has been trying to avoid. She feels obligated to follow this person and beaten at her own game, is drawn into yet another investigation. A scientist has died, presumably accidentally, as a result of his experiments but his friends are not convinced. Soon she finds herself investigating with the unlikeliest partner! Not to mention a teal-eyed Lord who makes her feel giddy. 

This story didn't wow me the way I had hoped it would. I was eager to learn about this poppy smuggling fishmonger but the mystery wasn't much of a mystery and it wasn't balanced with enough romance for my personal tastes. There are several plots to keep track of but no evidence of murder for a long time and the investigation kind of meanders. Colson was missing for way too much of the story and when he appeared, he was largely silent. It was mostly Verity and the Marquess doing the investigating. The swoony bits are towards the end and Hardwicke doesn't say much, he doesn't have to, it's all in Verity's head. There are a couple of anachronistic words that take me out of the Regency period. "Hello" is American and didn't appear until the next decade in writing and not verbally until the telephone later in the century. Mauve or mauvine is a synthetic dye color, created accidentally by William Henry Perkin in 1859 while trying to find a medicine to treat malaria. It was a favorite of Queen Victoria. Scratch that- Wikipedia says the word was in use in Verity's time but rare. Crikey sounds too modern Australian. The Online Etymology Dictionary says it dates to 1838 and it's not in the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. One other error - half-boots are women's shoes! That's a dead giveaway that the foppish St. Cleer is not actually a gentleman. Perhaps the attendant knows this and is just paid well enough not to ask questions or tell tales?

I thought we knew who and why and it was just a matter of Verity getting proof and a confession but there was a twist I didn't see coming. I did like how the treatment of women and the laws that kept women in an inferior position were highlighted as part of the plot. It's not gratuitous or hit you over the head but it's there in Verity's thoughts and Delphine's worries. It's there in Hardwicke's thoughts as he contemplates a future with Verity and it's there in the plot. 

The ton's attitude towards the powerless is what drives Verity. She does what she does to bring down the high and mighty, all without access to the law. The ton don't see anyone who isn't worth seeing. They don't consider anyone except themselves, their name, their reputation, their families. Lord Sidmouth doesn't even remember Verity-as-footman preventing a massacre. Even Grint, the under secretary, doesn't go out of his way to help right wrongs or fight injustice. He operates within the letter of the law and no more. The law is biased towards the Lords and his attitude is why bother when they're just going to get away with it? Yet Verity has proven again and again that the high and mighty can fall if their sins are exposed to the world. Hence her dual identity as journalist Robert Lark and Mr. Twaddle-Thum. Verity is determined to fight back no matter what life throws in her way. There are circumstances that were set in motion when she was born and are beyond her control. She shrugs that off and carries on. 

It's not so easy to keep calm and carry on after this adventure. I thought Verity was rather silly and stupid in her investigation. I figured the Marquess was at the opium parlor for the same reason she was and why she didn't think of that, I don't know. He IS a Marquess and his son IS a spy so it would stand to reason that his son got the job because of his father's connections and if the Marquess has those kinds of connections, then perhaps he works for the Home Office too somehow? OK I was a little off there but she should have thought of that. Verity acts far too recklessly and makes a rookie mistake that heroines TSTL make all the time. It nearly costs her her dignity and her life. One scene was far too much for my tastes, especially for this kind of light novel. My heart was in my throat and I was worried Verity wouldn't easily be able to extricate herself from this perilous situation. I was mad about how she got out of trouble.

Colson Hardwicke is utterly besotted with Verity. He understands her very well and is trying hard to give her the space she needs to be independent and think about what their future together might look like - or not. He's making plans to work within the law to allow her to be as independent as possible. (He hasn't told her yet). He has a very calm temperament and accepts that things are not always as they appear. I like him almost as much as Kesgrave! Verity is very much in love too but she won't admit it. She's funny when she tries to outrun her emotions. She is fiercely independent and determined not to give herself up. She's afraid of a future with Hardwicke and secretly afraid of one without him. She thinks everything is more fun when he's around. He makes her giddy inside and he understands what she's thinking without speaking about it. They're true partners. He has her back even when she thinks she's alone. He gets along well with Delphine and Freddie. He belongs as part of their family group as if they've always been a quartet. Verity is also still keeping a part of herself closed off to Hadwicke but her defenses are crumbling! She's far more vulnerable in this novel. Between her misadventure and her romance, she has a lot of bottled emotions that come pouring out. She's more used to being a fighter, being the strong one who protects the weak but there's nothing wrong with letting someone else care for you once in awhile, if they're the right person. Hardwicke is indeed the right person. 

Of course Delphine sees through Verity's pretense. Delphine is very worried about Verity. Delphine wants to care for her best friend and help Verity overcome her demons. Delphine would be happy keeping everyone she loves wrapped up in cotton wool safe and home. Things she can't control make her anxious. She's a good friend, not berating Verity for something Verity is already beating herself up over. Verity needs to accept Hardwicke so Delphine can marry Freddie and have babies. Robert Lark may not be Verity's older brother but she does have a brother in Freddie. He knows she's stubborn, independent and reckless. He doesn't try to control Verity's behavior and is as eager for a story that will sell papers as she is. But, Freddie is there when he needs to be, a calming, comforting brother who loves his sister.

The Marquess is far more astute than Verity realized early on in her opium investigation and she's far more self-involved than she would admit. The Marquess would prefer Verity be more biddable and not engage in dangerous activities but he is also very much aware than his son has rejected all the suitable simpering misses the Marchioness has thrown at her younger son. However, the Marquess is blinded by class prejudice and loyalty to old school ties. He refuses to admit an old friend, one he hasn't really been close to in years, could be a murderer. Verity, of course, knows, from long experience, the upper classes are more likely to be villains - even if it's merely representing a pocket borough like Frothmere does or neglecting the poor. Of course Bea knows better than anyone how many murderers come from the <i>ton</i> and everyone seems to be aware of that thanks to Twaddle-Thum. The Marquess is a stubborn old coot but he learns and grows as the investigation continues. Unlike most peers, he wants his son to be happy and recognizes that what HE wants is not what's best for his son. Unlike most peers, the Marquess is willing to admit he's wrong and changes his mind. He's still grumpy and high and mighty but he's old. Inside he's still young at heart and game for an adventure. 

Lord Samuel Ingelthorpe was a well-respected brilliant scientist working on a formula that would reduce salts from the opium poppy seed to make into a powder to induce medically assisted sleep. (Obviously not a great idea given what we know now but in 1816 they lacked effective medicine. One character does fear a widespread addiction and thinks the substance should be controlled by the government. This character is not entirely wrong but the motive is questionable.) Inglethorpe was working on his formula when he died. But did he die by accident from taking too much of his medicine or was he killed? A brilliant scientist is not going to die from his own experiments - not for years anyway. Even the Marquess can see that! Plus Inglethorpe's journal is missing and surely that means he was killed for he never would have parted with it in his life. This scientist was a good man who wanted to do a public service for as many people as possible. His death is a tragedy and a real blow to scientific advancement of medicine. 

Lord Stechford is evil. Pure evil. He is imbued with so many privileges he thinks he is immune to consequences. He doesn't even think about consequences. To him, women are property, playthings and body parts for his own personal use. He's trying to divorce his wife on the grounds of adultery yet he's a disgusting, lecherous man who thinks nothing of terrorizing maids in his employ, raping scullery maids because why not? They're dirt beneath his boots and cheating on his wife. He has the law on his side. Lord Stechford has created a situation where his wife is eager for love and starved for attention. Her lover, Lieutenant David Herbert, is young, good looking, attentive and wealthy. While Lady Stechford has turned a blind eye to her husband's abuse of the female staff, she doesn't deserve a husband like that and she does deserve a lover who is good to her. I am so happy Verity is working to bring down this evil man but so outraged he'll get away with the divorce, even if it costs him a fortune. He'll be free to marry Miss Dinsmore. Miss Dinsmore is young and rich. She seems more sensible than her mother. Her mother is blinded by titles and can't see how miserable her daughter would be married to Lord Stechford ... or any other gentleman of the ton other than those who are already taken. 

Strunk, the fishmonger, is up to no good. He has already been spotted smuggling opium poppy seeds in sardines (now trout, thanks to further research on behalf of Lynn Messina) and now he's smuggling them OUT? He's also in charge of a very large secret making him very wealthy indeed. It's not clear where he's getting the raw materials though. Is someone financing his operation or is it that easy and cheap to buy opium poppies and opium? 

Rupert Frothmere is a minor MP representing a pocket borough on behalf of his patron, Viscount Wolverton. Frothmere has little power and influence but is considered good ton. He was once school friends with Lord Hardwicke's father, the Marquess of Ware. Verity suspects Frothmere is up to something. She has it on good authority Frothmere is in need of money. His lavish Venetian Breakfast certainly must cost a pretty penny. Is Frothermore a villain or really stupid or perhaps a stupid villain? He acts dumb so maybe he is innocent but he was in the right place at the right time to lead Verity to the missing notebook. But did he steal it or did he blab to someone else? Perhaps someone in the Home Office stole his idea? Or maybe it was his wife? Wives are always more clever and more aware of their circumstances than their husbands would believe. 

Lester Hopkins, the farmer, is involved in the intrigue somehow. He has come into money recently to help fix up his house. Who paid him? Interestingly, he can't recall specific details and can only provide a general description of the man. Curiously other farmers have a limited recollection as well. Can Verity figure out who this mysterious lawyer is, find him and trace the money back to some Lord or another or to the fishmonger and then someone higher up? Is Lord Wolverton really involved? Hatch, a man of business, is mixed up in this somehow. Is he acting on behalf of his employer, pretending he is or acting for someone else or perhaps he's innocent? Nicholas Almond, a young apothecary's apprentice is certainly complicit. He's more afraid of his father than the law but also eager to prove himself to his father. What does he know and will he tell all in a court of law?

Lord Sidmouth is an idiot. He's a rattle who can't keep his mouth shut. He's a Lord who could care less about the little guy even though the title was created for him. He doesn't notice those who are beneath him and is best friends with the disgusting Lord Stechney. 

A lot of the humor comes from the domestic situation. Lucy, Delphine and Verity's maid, has had it with the revolving door of politicians, Dukes, Duchesses, Dowager Duchesses and villains. She has insisted they hire a new servant, a footman, George. George's origins are mysterious, he doesn't speak much but he's willing to work hard and defend the household. Lucy keeps airing her own grievances disguised as looking out for George's welfare. Now the ladies, Freddie and the servants have frequent Round Table discussions about the running of the household. Cook is uncomfortable, Verity is bored, Freddie is amused and Delphine takes it all seriously. It sounds like Lucy is running the household with an iron fist in conjunction with Delphine's velvet glove. They're funny and yes the round tables are boring but necessary. 

While I didn't love this book as much as some of the others, (I missed Bea and Kesgrave), this is still one of my favorite series. I look forward to learning what Verity gets up to next.

What to Read This Spring

 ​What to Read This Spring

A  Very Irish Mystery by Verity Bright-- 1920s Cozy Mystery

Thank you Bookouture, Verity Bright and NetGalley for an e-ARC. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.

The Byron Detective Agency members (Eleanor, Clifford and Hugh) are in Dublin for a bit of sightseeing and to meet a man who may have answers about what happened to Ellie's parents all those years ago. While visiting Finnegan's brewery, Ellie gets lost on the way to the restroom and overhears an argument between the brewery owner and a woman. Later, on the tour, just as the guests are about to taste a sample of Finnegan's famous brew, the tour guide opens the barrel and the very dead body of company owner, Fergal Finnegan, falls out. The company Head of Operations hires the Agency to investigate discreetly without alerting the Garda, the Irish police. They must delve deep into company business, family drama and politics to untangle this complicated murder. In the meantime, their contact person, Samuel O'Sullivan, is a no show. Will Ellie ever get answers to the mystery of her parents' disappearance? 

This trip to Dublin didn't appeal to me as much as the trip to Venice. The characters don't get in any real sightseeing and the travelogue consists of them walking around the city and investigating and eating. The brewery setting didn't interest me at all. I did enjoy learning the history of Ireland in the 1920s though. The mystery was way too complicated. There was a lot going on and I never guessed most of it. Some of it was guessable but not all of it. The Byron Detective Agency is back to making lists of their suspects and motives on page and it slowed down the mystery a bit.

I really read these books for the characters. Ellie surprised me a bit by being the tough one on the case. She endears herself to the Irish people by having an Irish title, enjoying the local simple pub food and not being a snooty English Lady. In her search for answers about her parents, she shows more emotions. That subplot ends of a cliffhanger and I NEED to know what happened!

Hugh also surprised me by being the emotional one in the group. Now he's no longer a police officer, he can reveal his private, personal feelings on certain situations. It's obvious how much he loves Ellie and wants to protect her but knows he loves her because she is who she is. He's devoted to her and will follow her and try his best to assist her investigations and keep her safe without wrapping her up in cotton wool. Clifford does way too much unnecessary explaining in this story. I would think many readers are familiar with Dublin and those who aren't could look up the places mentioned. The mystery is long enough without adding info dumping. 

Gladstone is adorable as always. He makes a new friend, Alma, the Glen of Imal Terrier. I was picturing a Yorkie, or worse a Teacup Yorkie when Alma first appeared on the scene. The Glen of Imal, like Gladstone, is low to the ground but solid/heavy. I don't think I've seen one in real life but I can tell from the TV and photos they're larger/longer than the Scottish varieties of terrier you see more often in the U.S. I don't think they're small and light enough to climb up a lady's legs and dress. Alma is very sweet and very un-terrier like. I was happy to see Gladstone make a new friend. The two are just so CUTE together! 

None of the new human characters are particularly likable. Ellie's first new friend is Mrs. Cullen. I admire her stance on women's rights and she seems to have risen from the working class which is wonderful, but... she's scary! She's formidable and seems to like to have things her way. Mrs. Cullen has the blood of Celtic warrior women running through her veins and seems to fancy herself a modern day version. She doesn't often let anyone else speak much and she just commands. She's friendly though and not necessarily a bad person but I don't quite like the way she talks about her sons. The eldest was the apple of her eye and she dotes on him and he cares for her back. Yet everyone else says she spoiled her youngest and made him what he is so I blame her for what happens with him. 

Fergal Finnegan was a businessman and a successful one but there is a hint, early on, that he did something questionable, not quite ethical, to achieve his success. Surely someone hated him for some reason to want to kill him! Way too many people actually... He enjoyed thumbing his nose at Society yet he wanted to be rich. He did a lot of things that were not so great just to spite random people who don't matter. As long as people love his product it shouldn't matter to him what they think of HIM. Yet he was very good to his mother and seemed to love her or maybe he understood her money would flow more freely if he showed her attention and kindness. 

Mary O'Leary, Mr. Finnegan's secretary is a sharp woman. She's outspoken and wants to help find Mr. Finnegan's killer. She seems to have a history with one or both of the Finnegan brothers though. It might be past or present and could provide her with a motive for murder.

Fergal's brother Liam is spoiled, lazy and nowhere near as driven as his brother. Liam just wants money so he can live the life of a gentleman. He's not even second generation removed from the fortune let alone third so no go Liam. He comes across as entitled and whiny and I wouldn't put it past him to have argued with his brother, accidentally killed Fergal and then covered it up to save his own skin. He should have been man enough to pick up where his brother left off and run Finnegan's easily. He simply doesn't want to put in the work Fergal did to achieve success. He's far more lazy than Fergal. His wife is a much stronger personality. Ellie overhears her arguing with Fergal in his office just before Fergal's body was discovered. This woman is a gold digger, obviously, and gold digging on behalf of her husband. 

Brídín is a force of nature but different from her mother-in-law. More... a piece of work! Brídín is selfish. She goes to bat for her husband when they want money but belittles and mocks him every chance she gets at home. Why does she show such contempt for her husband? He actually deserves her derision but there are ways to express it without mocking in front of strangers! Her actions and words make Liam out to be a suspect in Fergal's murder! I think Liam is too weak to murder someone but if he did kill his brother accidentally, he would call Brídín to help and she would take care of the problem. I don't think she'd be so dumb as to hide the body in a keg for all to see though. No, not unless she wanted to frame her husband. She's contemptuous of the sleuths as well, seeming to think she's more clever and better because she's Irish and they're English. (Well, clearly Ellie has some Irish heritage!) Liam and Brídín are incredibly snobby and rude as well. 

Mr. Dwyer, Head of Operations seems like a weasel to me. While he hires The Agency to investigate Mr. Finnegan's murder, he seems to think they're only in it for the money and he also seems to be pushing them along to finish up the investigation. There are also certain places he doesn't seem to want them to go or people to talk to. He's a shady character for sure and he's near the top of my suspect list. If he's not the murderer, he's up to something and it's not good. Or possibly he was up to no good and that's the motive for murder?

Mr. Canavan, the head cooper, had beef with Mr. Finnegan and was overheard threatening him. Mr. Canavan had means and opportunity but what was his motive? Even when we learn that, I can't see murder as the solution. He seems more like the type to strike out with his fists and have a good fight, wanting his opponent to face him rather than resort to murder. Plus it would be too obvious given the murder weapon and where the body was found. Canavan strikes me as smarter than that. 

George Gaffney, a rival brewer is a person of a lot of bluster, swagger and ego but inferior product. He SAYS he doesn't care and provides a good reason for him NOT to have killed Fergal. Plus how would he get on the property without anyone knowing about it? I'm not so sure he can be trusted but I'm also not sure he's the murderer. Mrs. Cullen seems to think he's so cutthroat he would murder a rival but there's personal feelings involved there. He seems sincere to me at least as much as he's capable of. His secretary, Orla, is pretty tough. She's efficient, highly capable of anything and willing to get her hands dirty if necessary. Hmm? Maybe SHE offed Fergal somehow on behalf of her employer?

Isabel, Fergal's wife, is English. She's suspicious merely because she's English and married Fergal for his money. I don't believe she killed her husband but he doesn't seem like a lovable man. Being English at this time, she probably wasn't a very good trophy wife with anti-English sentiment running high. I don't think divorce was legal in Ireland at that time either so she's stuck, unless she just leaves quietly and Fergal doesn't strike me as the sort of man who would allow her to leave. She says they ended up falling in love and seems sincerely sad he's dead and Ellie believes her so put her near the bottom of the list too. Hugh believes she truly does want the killer caught and hanged but he's cautious about WHY she wants that. She seems to loathe Liam and his wife. Could Isabel be the murderer and framing Liam?

Nora is a tough character to like. She's sympathetic but she's made some questionable choices in life. Of course she was stuck between a rock and a hard place and made those choices out of necessity but when it becomes a matter of murder, the sleuths and the reader have to wonder if she was involved. How far would she go to protect one she loved? That would mean we're looking at two different murderers though. I think Nora has an idea who did it but she doesn't think the suspect everyone else thinks did it could have done it. Most of the suspects did not have a motive to kill the second victim - unless the second victim knew who the real killer was. 

Enter a brand new suspect, Irish mob boss, Daniel Donohue. Donohue is a Robin Hood figure to some and an evil extortionist to others. People love him or hate him - no in between. They fear him and he makes certain people have a reason to do what he wants when he wants. However, Fergal was worth more to Donohue alive than dead. Maybe Donohue sent a goon to teach Fergal a lesson and the situation got out of hand and the goon went overboard? Donohue is a scary dude and I'm certain people have died because of him. Conor McCloskey is another complicated figure. How is he connected to Finnegan's and Fergal's murder? WHO is telling the truth? Or are they all lying?

Pat Byrne, the security guard, is the only likable new friend. He and his wife anyway. Pat is helpful in assisting the sleuths with their investigation. He's not blindly loyal to Finnegan's and willing to look the other way to see justice done because he WAS loyal to his old friend Finnegan. His wife, Kathleen, also wants to see justice done but a new law in Ireland has changed jury duty for women from mandatory to optional so that no women will OPT to sit on a jury. With Mrs. Cullen, Kathleen and her suffragist friends, I think The Byron Detective Agency could muster an auxiliary branch in Ireland easily enough!

Fitz, Mrs. Cullen's driver, is a teetotaler of all things. Jobs are hard to come by in Ireland at this time so he needs the job. Fitz isn't very friendly and seems to resent sweet Alma. HE wasn't willing to risk his life to rescue her. Liam borrowed Fitz to drive him around and pick him up from a trip out of town on that fateful day. As Ellie moves through the city, she spies a shadowy figure lurking around. Could Fitz have seen him too? Could Fitz hold the key to the mystery? He doesn't seem to care one way or the other that his boss's son is dead. He's not an agreeable person and doesn't get involved in helping to try to solve the mystery. Perhaps he hated Fergal for rising to the top when Fitz and many others are struggling to get by and if so, he doesn't want Fergal's killer brought to justice? He's not a well-developed character and this is all speculation on my part. 

Ellie is in Ireland to meet with Samuel O'Sullivan to learn more about her parents' fate but he's a no show. Where is he? What does he know? WHO is he? His name seems to be familiar to people in Dublin but elicits a strange reaction. He was an Irish Civil Rights activist so the people should like him.

While I didn't love this story as much as some of the others, I am grateful to Mark and Bookouture for honoring Laura's hard work and publishing the book posthumously. Laura will be much missed because of her talent in creating wonderful, lovable characters who get into some incredible adventures! I wish this series could go on forever!