A review by bmbriar
The Wages of Sin by Kaite Welsh

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read this mostly in one sitting, and couldn't put it down. As a lover of the hyper-specific genre "woman* in medicine in the Victorian Era also solves crimes", I was excited to find a new series to dive into. 

The main strength of this book was its protagonist. Sarah is so well drawn and beautifully flawed while also being incredibly loveable. She also not a very good detective, which was actually quite refreshing to read. The focus is more on her emotional arc than on the actual mystery, but they worked very well in service of each other. 

In terms of the mystery itself, there was one element that I thought was drawn out a little too long after it had been made obvious
(that Lucy was Professor M's sister)
but in terms of the murder itself, I found the reveal satisfying in that I hadn't called it, but everything immediately slotted into place. 

I'm already looking forward to reading Sarah's next adventure! 
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