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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Amory's at it again. This time when Milo's distressed former nanny writes of trouble in her current household Milo and Amory come to the rescue. Great descriptions of the clothes and the parties. However, subtle and definite signs of the impending war. This series is a must for anyone who loves the between the wars time period.
This is the best Amory Ames novel so far. (And I know I said that about the last book, but this series keeps improving.)
Amory Ames and her newly reformed husband are returning from their second honeymoon when a message from Milo's childhood nanny sends them scurrying to Paris to investigate another murder.
Milo's past comes more to light in this book, though for once it doesn't involve former lovers. (Well, it kind of does. But mostly not.) Attractive men throw themselves at Amory. People get held up at gunpoint.
You know, the usual.
But what makes this book fun is that Amory and Milo are starting to act more like a team. The best part was where Milo talks about their early romance from his perspective. Inbetween dramatic murders and endless descriptions of evening gowns, Ashley Weaver has enlisted the reader's support for her detective duo and this book is no different. Heck, I think more time is spent on their flirtation and personal arguments than the murder. But is adorable so I forgive.
Anyway, the mystery wasn't perfect. It truly is Milo and Amory who push this plot forward, as I could have cared less about who killed the perfumer.
In other news, however, I feel the urge to go out and buy super fancy perfume and maybe an evening gown or three.
Due to school starting and the arrival of Hurricane Harvey, I am a bit behind on my reviews. Today, I sat down to knock out the six that I need to do and realized I have been on a huge mystery kick. Five of the six reviews are for mysteries, including The Essence of Malice. While I generally think that is beneficial for comparison purposes to have read a lot of the same genre close in time, I feel that doing so in this case was a disservice for The Essence of Malice. I read the first book in the series, Murder at the Brightwell, when it was published in 2014. I missed the next two and picked up the series with The Essence of Malice. Sadly, I feel like I missed a lot by not reading books 2 and 3, and I had trouble following certain threads of the story and especially felt I was missing a basic understanding of Amory and Miles’ relationship. Having read two other mysteries recently where I had also not read the entire series but had no trouble leaping into the books without feeling like I was missing fundamental facts, this was a disappointment to me. Moreover, Milo is a cad, and half the time I wanted to shake Amory and tell her to have more self-respect and be less dithering. Those concerns aside, I enjoyed the setting, Europe in the mid-1930’s, and the plot was entertaining. I love perfume, and the main focus of the plot was the death of a famous parfumier. The details related to creating perfumes and layering them (a favorite thing of mine to do) were fascinating. I had figured out the “bad guy” midway through the story, but I still enjoyed the resolution and felt the mystery was wrapped up nicely. Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Back in book 3, I became convinced that Milo is some sort of government agent, but had figured out how to do his job without making Amory completely miserable. Well, I still think he’s an agent, but he has stopped trying to develop a partnership with Amory and he’s back to making her miserable. I imagine most readers love the tension, but I just feel badly for Amory every time her husband lies to her.
I liked the mystery here and enjoyed the sleuthing. I find Amory fun and interesting. She’s brave and intelligent…these books would be brilliant if Milo would actually be her partner.
I liked the mystery here and enjoyed the sleuthing. I find Amory fun and interesting. She’s brave and intelligent…these books would be brilliant if Milo would actually be her partner.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Essence of Malice is the fourth Amory Ames mystery. Amory is an amateur sleuth and as a lady of leisure she has the time to devote to various mysteries that she encounters. At this point in the series Amory's marriage to Milo seems to be more stable; however, there are still instances where Amory feels frustrated by her husband and his secretive nature. I am more convinced than ever that Milo is a spy and I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't much more development in this area. As much as I have enjoyed this series, I feel like it has reached a bit of a plateau. At the start of the series, the conflict between Amory and Milo propelled each book forward, but at this point I feel like there wasn't much new with their dynamic. In my opinion something needs to change with the main characters or the series may become stale. I like the mystery aspect, but I am reading the series because I like Amory, which is why I think the characters need to be shaken up a bit.
What I did like about their relationship in this book, is how the Paris setting allowed Amory and Milo to reflect on their honeymoon and the early days of their marriage. There was one moment where Milo even offers his thoughts on their relationship and it was so lovely, added some much needed depth to Amory's mysterious husband. As this series is written in Amory's point of view, I find Milo to be an unknowable character, so this sentimental moment was a really great way to develop his character and I would really like to see more of these in future books since it strengthens both his character as well as Amory's through her reactions to them.
Aside from the subdued nature of Amory and Milo's relationship in The Essence of Malice, this latest instalment offers the same hallmarks that have made the previous books so enjoyable. There is great attention to period detail and the setting is always opulent. The mystery, like those previous, are relatively tame and makes this a rather comforting read for all that it centres around a murder. If you enjoy Miss Fisher's Mysteries this is an excellent series to follow-up with. Amory might not be as independently minded, but she has her own unique style, and Amory's fashion sense is sure to draw parallels to the intrepid Miss Fisher.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
What I did like about their relationship in this book, is how the Paris setting allowed Amory and Milo to reflect on their honeymoon and the early days of their marriage. There was one moment where Milo even offers his thoughts on their relationship and it was so lovely, added some much needed depth to Amory's mysterious husband. As this series is written in Amory's point of view, I find Milo to be an unknowable character, so this sentimental moment was a really great way to develop his character and I would really like to see more of these in future books since it strengthens both his character as well as Amory's through her reactions to them.
Aside from the subdued nature of Amory and Milo's relationship in The Essence of Malice, this latest instalment offers the same hallmarks that have made the previous books so enjoyable. There is great attention to period detail and the setting is always opulent. The mystery, like those previous, are relatively tame and makes this a rather comforting read for all that it centres around a murder. If you enjoy Miss Fisher's Mysteries this is an excellent series to follow-up with. Amory might not be as independently minded, but she has her own unique style, and Amory's fashion sense is sure to draw parallels to the intrepid Miss Fisher.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
I love the plot and the mystery, but I feel as if Weaver is letting Milo walk all over Amory without any repercussions. If anyone treats you like that in a relationship, it's unhealthy and you should leave immediately, I don't care how good the sex is. Honestly, if Amory left Milo and just struck out on her own, I'd be okay with that.
The book was occasionally very repetitive, going over the same facts of the case again and again.
The book was occasionally very repetitive, going over the same facts of the case again and again.
My least favorite so far... I’ve enjoyed the cozy feel of the prior books in the series and this one didn’t have that vibe. But I still liked it and I’ll read the next!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
These characters are kind of growing on me. I will stick with the series for now.