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A review by beebliobibuli
The Body in the Garden by Katharine Schellman
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Recently widowed "Lily Adler" makes her comeback to the London society after being away for a while. Little does she know on what she's going to stumble on her first reception of the season.
Overwhelmed by the guests and the atmosphere, Lily seeks refuge in the gardens, moments later she overhears a blackmailing quarrel, but can't identify who's been arguing. Retreating slowly, she's surprised by the sound of a gunshot that:
- Makes a victim
- Marks the start of a quite unusual team of amateur investigators.
The plot is quite interesting, as the police is bribed into closing the case for lack of evidence, for you know, London's finest can't be at the center of a scandal, let alone a murder! This situation made it hard for Lily and Co. because, now, things needed to be done in the atmost secrecy.
I found the start to be a bit slow, what with all Lily's facial expression described almost in every chapter, but soon enough, the book picked up its pace, as more characters were introduced making the list of suspects longer than ever! There were also some pretty good twists making harder to discern the real culprit, misleading me and adding to the intensity of the story.
As you might've noticed, many readers complained about Lily's character in many of their reviews, yes indeed, she can be a pest, but for once, I really enjoyed this kind of main character as she really proved to be smart, exposing herself and her friend to as less danger as possible.
Unlike the readers mentioned above, Miss Oswalds character had the skill to set my teeth on edge and gave that insuppressible desire to slap her everytime she opened her mouth, but unfortunately, I should resign myself to my fate and tolerate her presence, because it seems she's going nowhere in the next installments.
So, it seems like I've found a new exciting mystery series set in regency London, with a smart main character, a humble, brave navy captain and an insuffrable brat for companions!
Overwhelmed by the guests and the atmosphere, Lily seeks refuge in the gardens, moments later she overhears a blackmailing quarrel, but can't identify who's been arguing. Retreating slowly, she's surprised by the sound of a gunshot that:
- Makes a victim
- Marks the start of a quite unusual team of amateur investigators.
The plot is quite interesting, as the police is bribed into closing the case for lack of evidence, for you know, London's finest can't be at the center of a scandal, let alone a murder! This situation made it hard for Lily and Co. because, now, things needed to be done in the atmost secrecy.
I found the start to be a bit slow, what with all Lily's facial expression described almost in every chapter, but soon enough, the book picked up its pace, as more characters were introduced making the list of suspects longer than ever! There were also some pretty good twists making harder to discern the real culprit, misleading me and adding to the intensity of the story.
As you might've noticed, many readers complained about Lily's character in many of their reviews, yes indeed, she can be a pest, but for once, I really enjoyed this kind of main character as she really proved to be smart, exposing herself and her friend to as less danger as possible.
Unlike the readers mentioned above, Miss Oswalds character had the skill to set my teeth on edge and gave that insuppressible desire to slap her everytime she opened her mouth, but unfortunately, I should resign myself to my fate and tolerate her presence, because it seems she's going nowhere in the next installments.
So, it seems like I've found a new exciting mystery series set in regency London, with a smart main character, a humble, brave navy captain and an insuffrable brat for companions!