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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Netgalley read.
A woman is murdered and displayed in a very gory fashion at a cemetery. The man that first discovered the dead woman gets crushed by an omnibus and his sister doesn’t think it was an accident and along with Inspector Bell from Scotland Yard they set out to solve the case.
It’s pretty dark and maybe a little graphic for some, you can start reading it as some of it is right at the start with the discovery of the body, and it gets darker still.
A few too many anachronisms that took me out of it at times. But still enjoyable, even if I could use more Gemma. Hopefully she has more to do in the second book of the series.
I got the audio book and at first I wonder if I would make it through as the narration was a little, over dramatic but I got used to it and/or it got better.
CW, rape, violence against women, violence against pregnant people, drug use.
A woman is murdered and displayed in a very gory fashion at a cemetery. The man that first discovered the dead woman gets crushed by an omnibus and his sister doesn’t think it was an accident and along with Inspector Bell from Scotland Yard they set out to solve the case.
It’s pretty dark and maybe a little graphic for some, you can start reading it as some of it is right at the start with the discovery of the body, and it gets darker still.
A few too many anachronisms that took me out of it at times. But still enjoyable, even if I could use more Gemma. Hopefully she has more to do in the second book of the series.
I got the audio book and at first I wonder if I would make it through as the narration was a little, over dramatic but I got used to it and/or it got better.
CW, rape, violence against women, violence against pregnant people, drug use.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder
Minor: Drug use
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you Negalley, Irina Shapiro and Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing for the audio Arc of The highgate Cemetery Murders.
Narrated by Imogen Church
The Highgate Cemetery is a Historical mystery thriller set in the Victorian Era of London. You get a nice punch of the storyline within 5 mins of the narrative with the murder victim. From then on in, it's a nice build up of investigation from a nurse, Gemma Tate and Detective, Sebastian Bell. The POV of the story is from them which works really well.
Its hard to believe that within the Victorian times, that women were not recognised as intellectual beings and Im glad to say that the dynamics between Miss Tate And Mr Bell becomes very respectful as Bell recognises that he is dealing with a very intelligent, observant person. And to quote Bell when he was questioned regarding women's status within the community. " women can be anything they want to be " Irina has a lovely writing style, covering the times, building suspense and leaving you wanting to find out who was the perp. The pay off was wonderful.
This audiobook was narrated by Imogen Church and I really love her voice and the way she places expression in the right places. I do however find that I have had to speed this book up to 1.5.
A good 4 star book and looking forward to reading more from Irina.
Narrated by Imogen Church
The Highgate Cemetery is a Historical mystery thriller set in the Victorian Era of London. You get a nice punch of the storyline within 5 mins of the narrative with the murder victim. From then on in, it's a nice build up of investigation from a nurse, Gemma Tate and Detective, Sebastian Bell. The POV of the story is from them which works really well.
Its hard to believe that within the Victorian times, that women were not recognised as intellectual beings and Im glad to say that the dynamics between Miss Tate And Mr Bell becomes very respectful as Bell recognises that he is dealing with a very intelligent, observant person. And to quote Bell when he was questioned regarding women's status within the community. " women can be anything they want to be " Irina has a lovely writing style, covering the times, building suspense and leaving you wanting to find out who was the perp. The pay off was wonderful.
This audiobook was narrated by Imogen Church and I really love her voice and the way she places expression in the right places. I do however find that I have had to speed this book up to 1.5.
A good 4 star book and looking forward to reading more from Irina.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am giving a review on the audio book edition of this title which I received as an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
I will be honest, I almost had to DNF this book within the first few minutes due to the narration which is really hard to listen to. I would have fallen asleep for one but also the performance affected the story too much which to me is a huge problem for audition narration. Walking the line between bringing a book to life but not allowing for the reader to create the world in their head is a hard one and this fails completely.
However, I sped up the speed of the narration to 1.25 which is the first option within NetGalley. Usually that speed is really fast and I prefer 1.15 usually in other platforms, but this narrator speaks so slowly that 1.25x makes it sound like typical speed. It also thankfully changes the impact of her characterizations making them sound more typical which is needed.
As for the book itself it was great for those who like historical fiction as well as a good murder mystery. Now this isn’t a cozy mystery so beware! It is gritty, dark and some themes can be really triggering to some and the book does not come with content warnings at all.
It is chock full of history that’s weaved seamlessly throughout the book and great crime solving. The only big issue is the wrap up of the crime. It seems like an afterthought. With such a detailed book to end in manner that is so jarring that it comes off like another author quickly finished the work.
I'm having a hard time rating the book as I am specifically rating the audiobook. But I also don’t want to penalize the author for a job well done.
So a 4/5 for the book itself
And a 1/5 for the narration
Why does the narration matter? Well you want people to actually consume the whole book and it makes it very hard to do so as narrated. So do yourself a favor and speed it up from the start
I will be honest, I almost had to DNF this book within the first few minutes due to the narration which is really hard to listen to. I would have fallen asleep for one but also the performance affected the story too much which to me is a huge problem for audition narration. Walking the line between bringing a book to life but not allowing for the reader to create the world in their head is a hard one and this fails completely.
However, I sped up the speed of the narration to 1.25 which is the first option within NetGalley. Usually that speed is really fast and I prefer 1.15 usually in other platforms, but this narrator speaks so slowly that 1.25x makes it sound like typical speed. It also thankfully changes the impact of her characterizations making them sound more typical which is needed.
As for the book itself it was great for those who like historical fiction as well as a good murder mystery. Now this isn’t a cozy mystery so beware! It is gritty, dark and some themes can be really triggering to some and the book does not come with content warnings at all.
It is chock full of history that’s weaved seamlessly throughout the book and great crime solving. The only big issue is the wrap up of the crime. It seems like an afterthought. With such a detailed book to end in manner that is so jarring that it comes off like another author quickly finished the work.
I'm having a hard time rating the book as I am specifically rating the audiobook. But I also don’t want to penalize the author for a job well done.
So a 4/5 for the book itself
And a 1/5 for the narration
Why does the narration matter? Well you want people to actually consume the whole book and it makes it very hard to do so as narrated. So do yourself a favor and speed it up from the start
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When her brother dies, leaving behind cryptic notes, nurse Gemma enlists the help of inspector Sebastian to solve the mystery. Already burdened with a high-profile murder case, Sebastian reluctantly teams up with her. As they decipher the clues, their journey takes them from aristocratic estates to the gritty streets of London. Can they uncover the truth and emerge unscathed?
This gripping mystery includes fascinating characters and a compelling plot. It’s immersive and kept me guessing right until the end. The audiobook narration was enjoyable.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This gripping mystery includes fascinating characters and a compelling plot. It’s immersive and kept me guessing right until the end. The audiobook narration was enjoyable.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A mystery set in victorian London. A nurse, Gemma Tate, seeks the assistance of police inspector Sebastian Bell after the death of her brother, which could be linked to his assigned case.
The story telling had me gripped from the first page. The descriptions of victorian London really set the scene and a plot twist I didn't see coming!
Would definitely read more Tate and Bell mysteries.
The story telling had me gripped from the first page. The descriptions of victorian London really set the scene and a plot twist I didn't see coming!
Would definitely read more Tate and Bell mysteries.
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
|| Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review ! ||
I was hooked, basically. The story is extremely gripping that it's hard to put the book down.
Beware that while it's not overly described and we don't see the bad things happening, what is done to the victims is very hard to hear and it's not for everyone's heart. But this story really relate to what could happen to victims that are considered in the low ranks, and how easy it is for the police to rush a case aside because they don't care about the victim...
This story gives justice to multiple victims and it feels good to see how things go and the final decision for the culprit ! The inverstigation was donne well, it wasn't that easy and we get both Gemma and Sebastian's point of view to get to know the whole story. The case wasn't really rushed and culprit quickly found, and I don't remember reading any shortcuts the author could have made to make the investigation easier, so it was indeed very satisfying.
I really liked Gemma and Sebastian's own stories, as well as how they got to know each others and are just starting to get close.
The epilogue gives hint of what we could get in book 2 and it's intriguing! It'll be hard to wait on book 2 when this book 1 is only getting released by the end of the month... so it says a lot on how much I enjoyed this book!
I was hooked, basically. The story is extremely gripping that it's hard to put the book down.
Beware that while it's not overly described and we don't see the bad things happening, what is done to the victims is very hard to hear and it's not for everyone's heart. But this story really relate to what could happen to victims that are considered in the low ranks, and how easy it is for the police to rush a case aside because they don't care about the victim...
This story gives justice to multiple victims and it feels good to see how things go and the final decision for the culprit ! The inverstigation was donne well, it wasn't that easy and we get both Gemma and Sebastian's point of view to get to know the whole story. The case wasn't really rushed and culprit quickly found, and I don't remember reading any shortcuts the author could have made to make the investigation easier, so it was indeed very satisfying.
I really liked Gemma and Sebastian's own stories, as well as how they got to know each others and are just starting to get close.
The epilogue gives hint of what we could get in book 2 and it's intriguing! It'll be hard to wait on book 2 when this book 1 is only getting released by the end of the month... so it says a lot on how much I enjoyed this book!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TW: R@pe
Thank you @NetGalley for the free ARC. I didn’t have any expectations going into this story but was quickly drawn in by the plot. Taking place in 1850 England, the author does a great job at setting the scene and really creating an immersive atmosphere, describing two murders simultaneously. This one was easy to follow and very mysterious. There’s a heartwarming relationship that slowly blossoms and I can’t wait to dive more into that in the next installment. I didn’t have it all figured out from the beginning but once they put the pieces together, I almost want to re-read the story from the beginning. 4/5⭐️
mysterious
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
1858. The body of Hon. Miss Adelaide Seaborne, is discovered in Highgate cemetery by Victor Tate, minutes later Tate is dead. The police conclude that his death is an accident. Inspector Sebastian Bell is assigned the case of Adelaide, while twin sister Gemma Tate investigates the death of Victor.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its likeable main characters. A good start to this new series.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its likeable main characters. A good start to this new series.