four star review – Page 2 – Home

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. Today I am bringing you my book review of Gideon Green in Black and White by Katie Henry. I was kindly sent a copy of this book by Harper Voyager quite a while ago I’m embarrassed to say but I kept putting off reading it because I was interested in the plot but it leans more Young Adult to me than Adult and I haven’t been enjoying YA mysteries as much anymore. So, I kept putting it off but finally in November I read this book and I regret putting off reading it because I enjoyed it a lot.

As usual I will be giving star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.

Gideon Green in Black and White Plot:

Gideon Green in Black and White by Katie Henry follows a boy named Gideon, he is a high school student (right now I can’t remember what exact age he is) who before the novel begins you realise something happened where he and his best friend, Lily, are no longer speaking. Gideon has an interest in everything Noir, films, books, Detectives, everything in that genre is his passion. He even wears his trench coat to school. Then suddenly Lily turns up on his doorstep and tells him she needs his help with a mystery. That’s all I am going to tell you about the plot because I highly reccomend any mystery lovers read it and I don’t want to ruin the experience for you.

I thought this plot was very intriguing, the mystery is weaved in with a lot of other things like the backstory of the characters, high school drama and a few other themes that to be honest I wasn’t expecting to appear in this book. Overall, I liked the mystery part of it more than the inclusion of the other themes but that is my personal opinion.

Gideon Green in Black and White Characters:

Gideon is the main character in this book and as I said above, his character is mainly defined by his love of old mysteries and black and white films but what I really liked about his character is the growth you see. As a character Gideon has a few flaws and the author does not shy away from the reader seeing them, the person who doesn’t see them is Gideon and that’s what I mean when I say growth, if you read this book you will see what I mean.

The other main character is Lily, Gideon’s ex-best friend. To me I think she could have had more character development, it’s there but it’s not as punchy as it is for Gideon and sometimes I actually forgot you were meant to be feeling things for Lily too.

Gideon Green in Black and White Writing and Dialogue:

Gideon Green in Black and White Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because I enjoyed my reading experience. I couldn’t give it five stars because there were a few things I would change, like I said, Lily wasn’t developed as much as I would have liked her to be and there were some themes that distracted from the mystery for me in a negative way. They made sense for the plot but weren’t to my taste.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Gideon’s short-lived run as a locally-famous boy detective ended when middle school started, and everyone else–including his best friend, Lily–moved on while Gideon kept holding on to his trench coat, fedora, and his treasured film noir collection. Now, he’s sixteen and officially retired. That is, until Lily shows up suddenly at Gideon’s door, needing his help.

He might be mad at her for cutting him off with no explanation, but Gideon can’t turn down a case. As a cover, Gideon joins Lily on the school paper. Surprisingly, he finds himself warming up to the welcoming, close-knit staff . . . especially Tess, the cute, witty editor-in-chief.

But as the case gets bigger than Gideon or Lily could have anticipated, Gideon must balance his black-and-white quest for the truth with the full colours of real-life–or risk a permanent fade to black.

Book Reviews, Uncategorized

Book Review: Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens

October 16, 2023October 29, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today.

Today I am bringing you my book review for Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens. A big thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

As usual I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not include any spoilers but there may be parts that come across that way, if you prefer to read a book with no idea before going I would highly recommend reading this review after you have read the book instead.

Last Girl Breathing Plot: 4 stars

In Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens you follow the people of a small town who are still reeling from a tragedy that happened eight years prior to the novel beginning. When a murder is committed Lucy Michaels starts investigating.

my first thought when I started reading this book was “wow, this is darker and more intense than I thought it would be” and usually that type of book doesn’t appeal to me, I prefer the cosier mystery. However, I was surprised by this book. Yes, it is dark and yes it’s got incredible twists and a very fast pace but also it felt real and I felt completely immersed in the story.
It sounds cliche to say I couldn’t put this book down but I honestly couldn’t, I read it on a car trip to wales and when I had to stop reading I couldn’t stop thinking about the book and what was happening in it. I also have to say, I did not guess the identity of the killer.

Last Girl Breathing Characters: 4 stars

The main character in this novel is Lucy Michaels, she is a young girl still struggling with the grief of losing her brother during a dam break 8 years ago. She us at the centre of this book, she knows everyone in the town and has deep connections with many of the people connected with both events. Sweat I liked most about her character was the rawness and realness behind her. She wasn’t perfect, and she didn’t pretend to be. Court Stevens wrote her as a believably flawed character and I liked that. There are many other characters in this book but I don’t want to go into discussing them here because it would definitely reveal some spoilers.

Last Girl Breathing Writing and Dialogue: 4 stars

As I said before this book fully immersed me in its story and I believe that is a testament to an excellent writer. This is the first Court Stevens book I have read but I enjoyed her balance between tension and mystery combined with building strong community connections and separating their good features from the mystery.

Last Girl Breathing Overall: 4 stars

I gave this book four stars overall because I really enjoyed this novel and it surprised me how much I enjoyed it.

Blurb/Synopsis:

When the answers to a present-day murder lie in the past, one teen girl must examine a tragic event to prevent more lives from being lost. No one expected it to rain that much. But the rain kept coming, the dam broke, and lives were lost. One was Lucy Michaels’s little brother. She was there and while she saved the lives of many young boy scouts, despite being a child herself, she couldn’t save him.

Now eight years later, Lucy is preparing to graduate from high school and compete in the air rifle competition at the Olympics when her stepbrother goes missing right before his most important football game. The search is focused on the same plot of land where her younger brother died, and she can’t help but draw parallels.

When the search for a missing person becomes a murder investigation, Lucy knows the secrets she holds about what her stepbrother was up to that day could help find the murderer. The clues quickly connect Lucy’s ex-boyfriend to the murders, but he couldn’t be guilty… could he?

Everyone involved has their own secrets and revealing hers to the wrong person could put her life—and her whole town—at risk. Last Girl Breathing is a page-turning hunt for the truth as Court Stevens once again creates nonstop suspense with characters who will break your heart.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Murder Most Royal by S J Bennett

October 9, 2023October 5, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a wonderful day today.

I am bringing you my book review for Murder Most Royal by S J Bennett, the third in the Queen Investigates series.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.

I hope you all enjoy! Let me know in the comments if you have read this book and what you thought of it.

Murder Most Royal Plot:

Murder Most Royal is the third book in the Queen Investigates series of murder mystery books. In this one Queen Elizabeth II gets involved in a murder investigation after the hand of a wealthy man, known to the Queen, is found washed up on a beach.

I have read all of the books in this series so far, and I absolutely plan to continue with it, but this was probably my least favourite of them so far. The second one, A Three Dog Problem, is my favourite. I enjoy the series because of it’s unique premise but for me this one, although it threw you straight into the action with the discovery of the hand, was the most complicated and confusing. This was good in the fact that it was fun trying to work out all the threads and I’m not ashamed to admit I didn’t manage to guess what happened before it was revealed.

I liked that this book took a different route than the first two, in the first two of the series it is revealed very early on who was murdered and how but this book was more complicated because you had the who but there was no actual body.

Murder Most Royal Characters:

There are two main characters in this series, the first being Queen Elizabeth II and the other being her assistant Rozie.

In the first and second books Rozie is the one who the narration focuses on, she is the main investigator with some input from the Queen. However, what I liked about this third book in the series was that Rozie took a backseat on the investigation while the Queen was more actively investigating. It made the book stand out and feel fresh while still keeping the overall cosy feel of the series.

Murder Most Royal Writing and Dialogue

Murder Most Royal Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because it was a very enjoyable read in a very quirky series that fits very well in the cosy crime genre.

Blurb/Synopsis:

December 2016 – A severed hand is found washed up on a beach next to the Queen’s estate at Sandringham. Elizabeth has become quite accustomed to solving even the most complex of murders. And though she quickly identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring, the search for his killer is not so straightforward. St Cyr led an unconventional, often controversial life, making many enemies along the way in the quiet, rural world of North Norfolk, where everyone knows each other’s business.

But when a second man is found dead, and a prominent local woman is nearly killed in a hit-and-run, the mystery takes an even darker turn. With the Christmas break coming to an end, the Queen and her trusted assistant Rozie must race to discover how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Or the next victim may be found even closer to home.

Agatha Christie meets The Crown in MURDER MOST ROYAL, the much-anticipated third book in the ‘Her Majesty The Queen Investigates’ mystery series by SJ Bennett – for fans of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin.

Monthly Wrap Ups

September Wrap Up!

October 2, 2023September 29, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I am bringing you my wrap up for September. I will tell you all now, my reading has taken a backseat because I have now started my final year of my PhD and that is what is taking precedence over everything else at the moment. I was still happy with everything that I got read this month, it wasn’t much but the books I did read I enjoyed more than I have been recently.

Wrap up!

Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood – I did not read, I have to say I was really feeling big fantasy reads this month and as this book is definitely not one of those I wasn’t at all interested in reading it right now.
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson – I did not read – I really want to finish this series but I didn’t get enough time this month!
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace – I did not read, I have seen mixed reviews for this book. I am still very interested in reading it thought.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout – I did not read this. I hoped I would get to this one, I am drawn to it at the moment (spoiler for my October TBR) hence why I am keeping it on my TBR and I will hopefully read it next month instead
Well Met by Jen De Luca – I did not read, another romance and I was not feeling this genre this month
Finale by Stephanie Garber – I did read this! I have finally finished this series and I LOVED it. My review of this book is coming in October so look out for that.
Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman – I did not read
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard – I did not read this either
The It Girl by Ruth Ware – I did not read this, actually I did a huge unhaul where I got rid of 107 books and this was one of them.
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft – I did not read
Book Lovers by Emily Henry – I did not read
Murder Most Royal by S J Bennett – I did read this book, another series I am now up to date with

I hope you enjoyed my wrap up, what was your favourite read in September?

Book Reviews

Book Review: A Very Lively Murder by Katy Watson

September 18, 2023September 6, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today.

Today I am bringing you my book review for A Very Lively Murder by Katy Watson.

I will be giving star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not include any spoilers.

I hope you enjoy my book review!

A Very Lively Murder Plot:

A Very Lively Murder is the second book in the Three Dahlias series by Katy Watson. This book follows Posy Starling, Caro Hooper and Rosalind King as they once again must team up to solve a murder mystery. In this book they are on the set of the new Dahlia Lively film, of which Posy is playing the leading lady, when it becomes clear that Rosalind is receiving death threats and then someone gets murdered.

I loved this book. I enjoyed the first one, The Three Dahlias, but I liked the second one more because I already felt as though I knew the characters and also their relationships with each other were already established too. We, as readers, were able to get stuck straight in to the murder itself. It is hard to say a lot about this book’s plot without revealing any spoilers but what I can say is that there are so many twists even I didn’t solve the mystery before the end, and that is unusual.

A Very Lively Murder Characters:

As in the first book, the main character we follow is Posy Starling. She is an actress who wants to get the press back on her side after a difficult time as a child star. I like Posy, she is young and vibrant and it is fun to follow a character as they are finding out who they are themselves and we get to go on that journey with them. In this first book Posy felt like a leader but for me, in this second book Rosalind felt like a stronger character. More of the plot was focused around her and her backstory and I loved that we got to see more of her life.

A Very Lively Murder Writing and Dialogue:

A Very Lively Murder Overall:

This book was definitely a five star read for me, I am already excited for any future books from this author.

Blurb/Synopsis:

One murder mystery movie. Three Dahlias. And a whole cast of suspects…

Ex-child star Posy Starling is finally filming her dream role – Dahlia Lively in The Lady Detective movie. But things take a nightmare turn when a prop weapon is replaced with the real thing – with almost fatal consequences for her fellow Dahlia, Rosalind King. There’s something very wrong on the set of The Lady Detective – which means it’s time to call in Caro Hooper, so the three Dahlias can investigate.

In between filming scenes, signing autographs for locals, photoshoots in London, talk show appearances and jetting off to France for an impromptu party, the three Dahlias do what they do best – surrupticiously sleuth. And very soon the evidence starts to point towards one particular co-star…

But before they can prove it, another murder rocks the production. And this time, with a storm raging, the river flooded and the bridge washed out, there are no police to rely on so it’s up to the three Dahlias to stop a murderer in their tracks… before another victim is claimed.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell

September 11, 2023September 6, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today! I am bringing you my thoughts on the book The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell, which I read in August.

For this book review I will be giving a star rating to four different categories and writing a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not include any spoilers in this book review.

The Good Thieves Plot:

The Good Thieves follows Vita, a young girl who sets out to reclaim her Grandfather’s property that has been stolen, to do this she recruits three others to join her heist.

I was very excited to read this novel, after enjoying some of Katherine Rundell’s other books earlier in the year, and ‘heists’ are a favourite topic of mine to read about. I enjoyed how this book focused on the build up with a much energy as it had for the actual heist part. This novel wraps you in it’s atmosphere from the very first chapter, with the sensory descriptions and well researched setting.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did her other book, Rooftoppers, but I still enjoyed it and I would recommend it as a nice, light read.

The Good Thieves Characters:

Vita is the main character in this novel. Although she is young she is motivated by family loyalty, it is obvious from early in the story that Vita would do anything for her family. Driven with a sense of justice and her headstrong personality she shows her intelligence, creativity and bravery by creating a plan to steal back what was taken from her family.

The Good Thieves Writing and Dialogue:

I knew already that I liked Katherine Rundell’s writing style but I especially like how the writing doesn’t feel young, it is just as complex a plot as it would be in an older age bracket.

The Good Thieves Overall:

I gave this book four stars.

Blurb/Synopsis:

From award-winning author Katherine Rundell comes a fast-paced and utterly thrilling adventure driven by the loyalty and love between a grandfather and his granddaughter.

When Vita’s grandfather’s mansion is taken from him by a powerful real estate tycoon, Vita knows it’s up to her to make things right.

With the help of a pickpocket and her new circus friends, Vita creates the plan : Break into the mansion. Steal back what’s rightfully her grandfather’s. Expose the real estate tycoon for the crook he truly is.

But 1920s Manhattan is ever-changing and full of secrets. It might take more than Vita’s ragtag gang of misfits to outsmart the city that never sleeps.

Award-winning author Katherine Rundell has created an utterly gripping tour de-force about loyalty, trust, and the lengths to which we’ll go for the ones we love.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Anatomy a Love Story by Dana Schwartz

August 21, 2023July 17, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my review for Anatomy by Dana Schwartz.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not give any spoilers.

Anatomy Plot:

In this novel we follow Hazel Sinnett, a wealthy woman who wants more than anything to become a physician, but she doesn’t just want to help with healing, instead she wants to do the operations. In the process of infiltrating the all male lecture classes she meets Jack Currer, a resurrection man but there is much more going on then either of them know.

I enjoyed this novel a lot more than I thought I would do, I was gripped for most of the novel. The atmosphere was very intense and dark and as a reader I was waiting for each new thing to be discovered. However, towards the end I did find the story a bit dragging, very satisfying but a little slow.

Anatomy Characters:

Hazel Sinnett is a lady, she has lived in a castle her whole life but her life isn’t exactly happy. She is a headstrong woman who will stop at nothing to become the physician she wants to be, no matter what society thinks of it. I liked how her character knew what was right and wrong and even though there was a lot of conflict because of ti she always followed her heart.

Jack currer is a ressurection man, he steals corpses in the night and sells them, but he only does this because he has no other choice. I liked how his character developed throughout this novel, I want to say so much more but I can’t without giving away too many spoilers so you’ll have to read the book to find out what Jack is like.

Anatomy Writing and Dialogue:

Anatomy Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because although the ending was a little slow I really enjoyed this novel and I bought the second one to read soon.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Edinburgh, 1817. Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.

Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect.

Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then.

But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.

A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Art of the Dying by Ambrose Parry

August 14, 2023July 17, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my review for The Art of the Dying by Ambrose Parry, the second book after The Way of all Flesh.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not include any spoilers.

Art of the Dying Plot:

Art of the Dying is the second book in a series following Will Raven, an aspiring Doctor, and Sarah Fisher. In this book Raven has returned to work for Dr James Simpson and realises that there are people out there who want to blame Dr Simpson for the death of a patient, teaming up again with Sarah Fisher to uncover what happened they realise there is something more sinister going on in Edinburgh.

This book is my favourite of all the books I have read so far this year, I was pulled into the middle of the unfolding events and a readers we can see the side of the protagonists and get deeper glimpses into the backstory of the villain. There is a lot of emotion coming through this novel, it makes you question everything you know about these characters and people in general. Such as, are people truly evil? Or did something cause their actions?

Art of the Dying Characters:

The two main characters in this novel are Dr Will Raven and Sarah Fisher. Raven is a man with many secrets who owes many debts and often he is a character that does not get understood by the people around him, they believe he is stubborn and cold but in this book you can see how there are more things that soften him than first thought. Sarah Fisher is a very smart woman who stands out in the male Edinburgh society, she dreams of practising medicine but struggles against male opinions on this. I like her character because she doesn’t stand back and let lies be spread around, she starts investigating and does not stop until she gets to the truth.

Art of the Dying Writing and Dialogue:

Art of the Dying Overall:

I gave this book four stars because it was may favourite read so far this year and has cemented this as one of my favourite series’

Blurb/Synopsis:

Edinburgh, 1850. Despite being at the forefront of modern medicine, hordes of patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. But it is not just the deaths that dismay the esteemed Dr James Simpson – a whispering campaign seeks to blame him for the death of a patient in suspicious circumstances.

Simpson’s protégé Will Raven and former housemaid Sarah Fisher are determined to clear their patron’s name. But with Raven battling against the dark side of his own nature, and Sarah endeavouring to expand her own medical knowledge beyond what society deems acceptable for a woman, the pair struggle to understand the cause of the deaths.

Will and Sarah must unite and plunge into Edinburgh’s deadliest streets to clear Simpson’s name. But soon they discover that the true cause of these deaths has evaded suspicion purely because it is so unthinkable.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens

August 7, 2023July 17, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my book review for Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens, the second book in the Murder Most Unladylike series.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try my best to avoid any spoilers.

Arsenic For Tea Plot:

In this book we are back with Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells as they look for their next case to solve. They are staying at Daisy’s home during the school holidays and somebody ends up being murdered.

I enjoyed the different set up of this book, compared to the first in the series, the location being Daisy’s home made the stakes higher because of the personal connections between Daisy and the suspects. The location also had an isolated feeling that Deepdean School did not have.

Arsenic For Tea gave me the same feeling that a good Agatha Christie would, a limited group of suspects each with their own secrets and motives. However, for me, the ending let this book down. I felt that the resolution, although plotted very well throughout the novel, did not give me the satisfaction that I look for at the ending of a murder mystery.

Arsenic For Tea Characters:

The two main characters in this series are Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong, two best friends who met in the first book as they started at Deepdean School. In my review for the first book, Murder Most Unladylike, I mentioned how I struggled to like Daisy as a character because she was bossy and always sure she was correct, this is a character trait that has continued in Arsenic For Tea so I am still not keen on her as a character, but on the other side I do like Hazel’s character. Hazel is a smart and logical thinker, although sometimes she judges people with her emotions, and she is the character whose head we are in throughout the series.

Arsenic For Tea Writing and Dialogue:

The writing in this series is very enjoyable even as an adult aged reader. The pacing is perfect for the style of story.

Arsenic For Tea Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because it was a great continuation of the series and I am interested in reading the rest of the series.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy’s home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy’s glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy’s birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn’t really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious.

Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill—and everything points to poison.

With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem—and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth… no matter the consequences.

Book Reviews

Book Review – The Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine

July 24, 2023June 19, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today.

Today I am bringing you my book review for the middle grade mystery, The Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not reveal any spoilers in this review.

The Clockwork Sparrow Plot:

This middle grade mystery follows Sophie, a store girl at the newly opened Sinclairs department store who becomes involved in solving the mystery after there is a break in. The first half of this book spends a good deal of time setting up the characters and the store and the way their lives are and the relationships between them which I did find a bit boring to begin with. However, once the mystery began to take place I became hooked in the story, and each chapter ups the stakes in a delightful way for mystery lovers.

The Clockwork Sparrow Characters:

There are three key characters that you get introduced to early on. Sophie, the shop girl who I found to be a very likeable character, there are a lot of secrets surrounding her background that I am hoping the rest of the books in the series will explore. Then there is Lil, who wears clothes and works in shows and is employed by the store for this. Lil is a very bright, excitable character with fun ideas. Then there is a young boy who is a porter at the store who joins Sophie and Lil to help solve the mystery. Each of these characters work so well with each other, the story wouldn’t work without them.

The Clockwork Sparrow Writing and Dialogue:

Although this book is middle grade I felt that the writing felt challenging for this age range and mature which I thought was what this story needed.

The Clockwork Sparrow Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because it sets up characters brilliantly and I am looking forward to continuing the series.

Blurb/Synopsis:

You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store!

Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villians to justice…