Bookblog of the Bristol Library: London Bridge is Falling Down by Christopher Fowler

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: London Bridge is Falling Down by Christopher Fowler: Reviewed by Jeanne Once again, the Peculiar Crimes Unit—an office devoted to investigating incidents that other departments don’t want t...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Missing by E.A. Jackson

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Missing by E.A. Jackson

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair

  

My Christmas Eve read was an early copy of Fire Must Burn, the eighth book in the Sparks and Bainbridge series by Allison Montclair, which I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to read via NetGalley. The latest in this excellent historical mystery series is due to be released on 6 January 2026 by Severn House. Severn House has been a reliable source of good mysteries and thrillers for more than 40 years. I was concerned when I saw that the firm had been acquired recently by Joffe Books, since consolidation of publishing houses often means authors lose their contracts and readers lose favorite series. However, Joffe also has a considerable interest in crime fiction, I know because I subscribe to their newsletter, and my fingers are crossed that the author list at Severn House remains unchanged. Or expands. Expansion would be good, too.

Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge continue on their quest to match the lovelorn members of the post-war London populace via their marriage bureau, The Right Sort. On the personal front, Gwen is settled into her own house away from her demanding in-laws and enjoying her flourishing relationship with Iris’s Cambridge friend Salvatore Danielli, or Sally, as everyone calls him. It is lovely to see her relaxed and enjoying life. Iris on the other hand is still grieving the loss of her fiancé and is drinking far more than she should.

Her life is further complicated when her manager from her wartime British Intelligence service contacts her and tells her that one of her Cambridge friends is suspected of being a Russian agent. The Brigadier wants Iris to find a way to coax her friend, recently returned from China, into subscribing to the services of The Right Sort and to match him with a British agent who can dig more deeply.

Neither Iris nor Gwen appreciate having their service exploited in this way but see no way of avoiding it. Iris has not seen Tony Danforth for nearly 10 years but she remembers him with affection and can’t believe that he would betray his country. She manages to visit a bookstore at the same time he does, he loves books too, and her assignment proceeds as expected. Until Tony’s apartment is bombed and he is severely burned. The questions of why and how become the next investigation of the intrepid Sparks and Bainbridge.

Flashbacks to the mid-1930s and Iris’s days at Cambridge describe her history with Danforth, which help explain her feelings about Danforth now. There are some informative bits about the status of women at Cambridge. Despite allowing women to study at the university, Cambridge did not award full degrees to women until 1948, about the time of this story.

As usual, Gwen and Iris combine their disparate skills and jointly work through the criminal problem as well as answer a couple of questions that arise along the way. Their developing friendship is a highlight of these books.

The societal inequities to which women were subjected during the first half of the 20^th century (and sometimes still are) is an ongoing theme for Montclair. Unfortunately she has no shortage of material. This title highlights some of those injustices while spinning a very good mystery with some fine plot twists. Starred review from Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly calls the book “a treat.”  Recommended!

 

·         Publisher: ‎Severn House

·         Publication date: ‎January 6, 2026

·         Edition: ‎Main

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎256 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎144831593X

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1448315932

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/4pVGpRe  

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: A Case of Mice and Murder: The Trials of Gabriel Ward by Sally Smith

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Of Mice and Murder (Raven Books, June 2025) has been getting raves from readers of historical mysteries since it was released. Now it is popping up on favorites of the year lists and I was determined to see what the buzz was about.

It is, as everyone says, a wonderful story. Set in May 1901, the quirky Sir Gabriel Ward KC, an outstanding addition to the pantheon of amateur sleuths, literally stumbles across the body of Lord Norman Dunning, Lord Chief Justice of England, as Ward was attempting to enter his legal office in the Inner Temple. Dunning was in popular opinion amazingly average and the last person to be murdered. But here he was, expired and not of natural causes.

By law the Temple is not part of the City of London and London police are not allowed to enter without invitation. The author goes into some detail about the history of the Temple and provides a helpful map. To keep the police at bay for a few days, Ward was given the task of investigating the death accompanied by a police constable to take notes. Ward was on the verge of an important piece of litigation that needed his full attention and he did not welcome this new and strange assignment. Indeed, he did not welcome anything that disrupted his long-established routine. His outstanding intellect was recognized by his colleagues however and it was felt if anyone could find an answer to this peculiar event, it would be Sir Gabriel.

The second plot thread is just as perplexing. Years ago, legal publisher Herbert Moore found a manuscript for a children’s book with no letter or explanation on his doorstep. He examined it briefly and discarded it in the nearest bin, from which his young daughter retrieved it and read it, enthralled. Moore decided to publish it as a Christmas one-off and found himself with a runaway bestseller. He had made some inquiries as to the author that came up empty and despite some reservations continued to publish the book. Now a young woman has come forward claiming authorship of the book and Moore hasn’t a legal leg to stand on. In desperation he has turned to Ward for help.

Sally Smith spent all her working life as a barrister and later King's Counsel in the Inner Temple. Her deep knowledge of the history of the Temple and understanding of its operations give the story a commanding sense of authenticity. The references to new-fangled forensic tools such as fingerprints and the mentions of the limitations placed on women’s lives sets the context equally well. Those same limitations offer clues to the resolution. The dual mystery itself is nicely constructed, and Sir Gabriel is a vivid personality with whom I can easily identify.

Fortunately for us all, there is no need to wait for the second book in the series; it is available for purchase now. Library Journal starred review. Highly recommended.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Raven Books

·         Publication date: ‎June 17, 2025

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎336 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1639736921

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1639736928

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/3MIybxm

 

  

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Lesa's Book Critiques: A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

 Lesa's Book Critiques: A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

The Hard Word: A TARNISHED ENGLISH KNIGHT: PHIL LECOMBER'S MIDNIGHT STREETS

 The Hard Word: A TARNISHED ENGLISH KNIGHT: PHIL LECOMBER'S MIDNIGHT STREETS

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Dead in the Water by Mark Ellis

Dead in the Water by Mark Ellis (Headline Accent, 2023) is the fifth book in the DCI Frank Merlin historical mystery series. Set in 1942, after the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies, the conflict is in full swing and seems never ending to the folks on the Home Front. Merlin and his limited personnel are inundated by one crime wave after another. He gets pulled into what might be an art theft when one of the negotiators to the sale of some rare da Vinci drawings turns up dead. The timing is just too pat for the death not to be connected to the sale of the sketches that one young man insists were stolen from his family by the Nazis about 10 years earlier. The provenance of the drawings isn’t clear, but the timing lends credence to the claim of theft. And the Nazis were known to have sticky fingers for classic art pieces. On the other hand, the amount of cash stolen might explain homicide aside from the artwork.

Consideration of espionage is inevitable under the circumstances. Whose spy is where and are they double agents or triple agents? Are they in any way involved with the art sale and subsequent murders? Then the cash that was taken from a locked wall safe: Only two crooks were known to be able to crack a safe of that caliber. Where are they? The potential murderers and possible motives and blameless bystanders are legion and hard to keep straight.

A compelling side plot deals with a black U. S. soldier, whom an Alabama lieutenant of the military police adjudged guilty of a crime without further investigation. Merlin was aghast at the blatant injustice and stepped on more than a few political toes to stop the execution of an innocent man.

This series consistently offers a strong authentic setting that faithfully describes life in London during the first years of the war. Crime ran rampant and the police could do little to stop it, with most of its personnel gone off to war. This particular title is involved and has almost too many characters to easily keep sorted. Fans of historical mysteries will want to read these books, starting with the first one. The sixth title is due to be released at the end of May 2025.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Headline Accent

·         Publication Date: ‎April 25, 2023

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print Length: ‎384 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1786159880

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1786159885

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4kbHDVm

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

The Rap Sheet: Lauded in London

 The Rap Sheet: Lauded in London

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Alias Emma: Ava Glass

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Alias Emma: Ava Glass: Alias Emma is the first book in a relatively new spy fiction series. Emma Makepeace has always wanted to be a spy. Her father who died befo...

Lesa's Book Critiques: THE MAYFAIR DAGGER BY AVA JANUARY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: THE MAYFAIR DAGGER BY AVA JANUARY

Lesa's Book Critiques: THE MURDER OF MR. MA BY JOHN SHEN YEN NEE AND SJ ROZAN

 Lesa's Book Critiques: THE MURDER OF MR. MA BY JOHN SHEN YEN NEE AND SJ ROZAN

Lesa's Book Critiques: TRAITORS GATE BY JEFFREY ARCHER

 Lesa's Book Critiques: TRAITORS GATE BY JEFFREY ARCHER

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Companion by Ann Granger

I was a huge fan of British author Ann Granger’s Mitchell and Markby contemporary mystery series in the 1990s. When I couldn’t find a new title, I moved on to other authors, not realizing Granger created multiple series characters. One of them is Elizabeth Martin, daughter of a village doctor who died unexpectedly, leaving her destitute in mid-19^th century Victorian England. In the series debut The Companion (Minotaur, 2007) a family connection in London offered Lizzie a position as her companion and Lizzie had no alternative but to accept it. Julia Parry, widow of Elizabeth’s godfather, is still distraught about the loss of her previous companion, who walked away without notice two months earlier. The police report to the family a couple of days after Lizzie’s arrival that the corpse of a young woman they believe to be the missing companion was found in a construction site. The cause of death is plainly homicide.

Inspector Ben Ross of Scotland Yard is assigned to the case. He is from the same county as Lizzie and he reminds her that they met when they were children. He realizes that Lizzie is better able to elicit information from some potential witnesses and the two compare notes. Lizzie tries to hide her investigation from her new employer, as she sees that her benefactor is more concerned about her reputation than her unfortunate former employee. She also recognizes that the position that looked like a haven may not be a good place to stay for any length of time.

Granger was an old hand at plotting by the time she wrote this mystery, with more than 20 books to her credit; her experience shows in the even pacing and convincing dialogue. The clues are well placed and as in the best of mysteries the culprit is hiding in plain sight. The 1860s London setting is gratifyingly realized with period detail worked seamlessly into the narrative. Granger did her research and fortunately didn’t feel the need to tell us all about it. The character of Lizzie as protagonist is someone I could unequivocally support. For fans of historical mysteries. Readers of Tasha Alexander, David Dickinson, Charles Finch, Robin Paige, and Deanna Raybourn especially should consider these books.

Published as A Rare Interest in Corpses by Headline Books in 2006. The ninth in the series was published in audiobook and ebook forms in July 2023.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Minotaur Books, June 12, 2007

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎320 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎0312363370

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-0312363376

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Observations by Gaslight: Stories from the World of Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay Faye

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Observations by Gaslight: Stories from the World ...:   Reviewed by Jeanne Faye uses the now near-standard Sherlockian premise of a box of papers tucked away and newly discovered that contai...

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair

Alan Gordon is a lawyer, author, lyricist, and librettist, an interesting mix of career interests. Between 1999 and 2010 he wrote eight books in the Fool’s Guild mysteries, set in early 13th century Europe, and in 2019 launched a new historical series under the name Allison Montclair. In September 2020 I burbled in this space about the debut of Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, in 1946 London, England. https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/2020/09/aubrey-hamilton-reviews-right-sort-of.html

Since then Gordon has released three more volumes of their adventures as well as a separately published short story. The fifth is scheduled to be published next summer. The fourth is The Unkept Woman (Minotaur, 2022), which focuses more on the personal lives of the main characters than on their marriage bureau and its clientele. Iris Sparks, who worked in covert operations during the war, is startled to find that her past has come alive again. First she realizes she is being followed on her way to the office one morning. Her shadow is not especially competent so Iris knows it’s no one professionally trained but she cannot think who might be interested in trailing her. Her musings on this subject are pushed aside when she returns to her apartment to find an earlier paramour has returned and is planning on hiding there.

In the meantime widowed Gwendolyn Bainbridge decides to take formal action to claim her inheritance, which would result in independence from her in-laws. The interview with the lawyer who might undertake the job for her highlights just how unusual the idea of a woman starting her own business was for the time. It was hilarious, as Gwen conscientiously reveals the sideline in homicide she and Iris have inadvertently developed. He assures her that anyone involved with as many murders as she seems to have been will not be viewed as responsible enough to manage her own affairs by the judiciary so she agrees to avoid murders for the duration, a bargain she is unable to keep as the story unfolds.

The authentic backdrop of post-war London with its bombed-out buildings and shortages of every kind is one of this series’ high points. Gordon’s research is impressive. Gwen and Iris are charming creations and I am looking forward to their next adventure, when I hope attention returns to their burgeoning enterprise. Highly recommended.

Starred review from Publishers Weekly.

  

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Jeanne Reviews: Midnight Riot aka The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant is a young mixed race probationary constable in London.  He and his friend Lesley are hoping for better assignments but at the moment they’re on call as extra warm bodies when needed—as they are one blustery evening when a body turns up in Covent Gardens. The somewhat inebriated discoverer of said body believed at first it was just a passed out drunk until he noticed it was missing a notable feature—namely, its head.

While trying to not freeze to death waiting on the Murder Investigation Team to do its work, Peter catches sight of a potential witness to the crime, one Nicholas Wallpenny.  He begins with his best interview techniques and the gentleman turns out to be a veritable fount of information:  he saw the whole thing and can describe exactly how the crime took place and even offer a description of the murderer.

There’s just one problem:  Nicholas is a ghost. Which he proves by vanishing.

The next thing Peter know is that he’s been assigned to Inspector Nightingale as… well, an apprentice.  Because apparently ghosts are real, magic is real, and the Things That Go Bump in the Night are also real—and dangerous. Nightingale is a one man department, so it’s not exactly a plum assignment but since the alternative was the Case Progression Unit (in which one sits and types in reports for other officers all day), Peter is willing to give it a shot.

He’s going to be for a heck of a ride.

By the way, Nightingale is a wizard—not like Harry Potter.

One of the first things I noticed was how funny this book is.  It’s not slapstick, but wry observations on London, the police, and life in general.  I also got caught up in the storylines, even if sometimes I didn’t quite understand what was going on. (The titular Rivers of London have personas and complicated relationships.)  I really wanted to know how it all was going to turn out.  Aaronovitch has a strong grasp of folklore and the history of London which he uses to full advantage.  I was also enchanted by the mini-tours of various sections of London as commented on by Peter.  It reminds me a bit of the wonderful Christopher Fowler series The Peculiar Crimes Unit aka Bryant and May.

Fun and addictive, I think I’ll be reading the whole series.

 Rivers of London aka Midnight Riot 

Moon Over Soho 

Whispers Under Ground 

Broken Homes 

Foxglove Summer 

The Hanging Tree 

Lies Sleeping 

False Value 

Amongst Our Weapons (April 2022)

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Unforgotten by Clare Francis

While most crime fiction authors begin their working lives doing something other than writing, Clare Francis may have the most atypical pre-publishing career that I have heard about. Francis was a record-setting yachtswoman, sailing solo across the Atlantic and becoming the first woman to captain a yacht in the Whitbread Round the World Race. She wrote three accounts of her sailing adventures and then turned to fiction. Her first book, Night Sky (Heineman, 1983), was a top Sunday Times bestseller and spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Her first crime novel, Deceit (Soho Press, 2001), was adapted into a BBC television series and then a Lifetime television movie.

I found her latest book Unforgotten (Macmillan, 2002; Open Road Media, 2016) an intriguingly structured and absorbing tale. Solicitor Hugh Gwynne has been working on a personal injury claim for four years, pursuing significant damages for his client Tom Deacon who had been in a fiery car crash years before, resulting in severe psychological trauma. The insurance company was unwilling to negotiate a reasonable settlement, and the case has finally worked its way into a London courtroom. Deacon is a problematic individual, his mental equilibrium shaky at the best of times. Gwynne is caught up in managing him while the barrister presents their case and the expert witnesses they have lined up.

About a third of the way into the book, a significant plot twist changes the course of action dramatically. Francis’ skill as an author shines here, timing the surprise for maximum impact. The pace of the story shifts from leisurely to brisk, almost breakneck. The taut narrative creates a sense of urgency; every sentence furthers the action, there is not a spare word. It’s impossible to say much more without revealing too much of the story line.

Reviews on Amazon and GoodReads are mixed. Some readers did not appreciate the bombshell Francis casually tossed into their laps. Others were as enthralled as I was. An original and well-executed piece of suspense.

 

·                     ASIN: ‎ B01C82QS6M

·                     Publisher: ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (April 19, 2016)

·                     Publication date: ‎ April 19, 2016

·                     Language: ‎ English

·                     File size: ‎ 2934 KB

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Lesa's Book Critiques: DEATH AND THE CONJUROR BY TOM MEAD

 Lesa's Book Critiques: DEATH AND THE CONJUROR BY TOM MEAD

Cozy Up With Kathy: Death and the Conjuror - An Interview Excerpt, & Giveaway

Cozy Up With Kathy: Death and the Conjuror - An Interview Excerpt, & G...: I'm pleased to welcome Tom Mead to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Tom writes the Joseph Spector Locked Room Mystery series. DEATH AND THE CON...

In Reference To Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Albert Gate Mystery

 In Reference To Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Albert Gate Mystery