A review by escapistlit
Death In The Spires by KJ Charles

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? Yes

5.0

hello, kj charles stan here. and yet again an amazing new novel from this historical romance icon. 

but, this is not a romance, it’s a historical mystery/thriller! our hero is a a queer disabled clerk turned amateur sleuth, trying to uncover secrets of an event in his past that ruined his life. 

tho not a romance novel, charles’ proficiency with romance writing is evident in how the characters and relationships are written - the feelings and yearning and angst. oh the angst. most mystery novels i’ve read, i usually find the characters and their characterization and interpersonal relationships lacking. not the case here. 

jem is a great character. he’s definitely an amateur sleuth. he makes bad decisions and suffers the consequences and uncovers more than he ever expected to. i was engrossed with the mystery and the flashbacks to the past. 

the ending was super satisfying. loved how the threads were tied up and the opportunity for a future, but not a sequel, the characters can live out their lives without another book (but i would be the opposite of opposed to charles writing a bonus short story or epilogue as she’s done previously for some of her books, even the trad pubs. i just want snapshots of jem post-this book 🥺) 

another amazing read from charles. 

thank you to the publisher for the review copy