THE INNOCENTS - Bridget Walsh

A series of murders are occurring in Victorian London and it's brought theatre workers Minnie and Albert together again. These current murders bear a striking connection to a historic tragedy in which nearly 200 children were killed in a theatre - though it does take a little time for Minnie and Albert to make this connection. And of course,  working in the theatre themselves, they have some unique insights into how things work, both on and backstage, as well as 'front of house.'

I enjoyed the historical aspects here. As a retired theatre professional, I do enjoy reading fiction with people who work in the field. Of course the author needs to get the details right or I get caught up in what's wrong instead of following along with the story.

There is some time spent with a performing monkey (and its kidnapping and ransom demand), which is a little strange, but performing animals, particularly monkeys, was fairly common in the Victorian days. I appreciated this bit.

With hundreds of grieving family members, there are plenty of suspects who could be look for revenge and author Bridget Walsh keeps us guessing. I hadn't figured out our murder until Minnie did, though I probably should have guessed it.

I actually enjoyed this book more than the first volume.  I think that familiarity with our central characters, and understanding their dynamic really helped. We also didn't need to spend much time setting up the characters so we could actually spend more time with the mystery. 

The Victorian er is a great setting, and connecting the mystery to a grand theatre works really well for me.

Looking for a good book? The Innocents is the second book in the Variety Palace Mysteries by Bridget Walsh. The history feels accurate, the story well-written, and the characters charming and flawed the way real people tend to be.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

The Innocents

author: Bridget Walsh

series: Variety Palace Mysteries #2

publisher: Gallic Books

ISBN: 9781913547523

paperback, 275 pages
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE - Ian Fleming

Image
 Well this was a surprise. I am by no mean a big James Bond fan.  I was, however, a teenage boy in the 1970's so spies, action, and beautiful-falling-out-of-their-skimpy-costumes-women were the kinds of movies I went to see with my friends.  And while the movie version of You Only Live Twice came out a  little early for me, you can be sure I went back and rented it when I was in college. But it's only been recently that I've decided to read the originals - the books that the fanciful movies were made from. My surprise, then, is that this book bares almost no resemblance to the movie of the same title. As Wikipedia says (I went to look it up, wondering if my memory of the movie was wrong): "( You Only Live Twice ) is the first James Bond film to discard most of Fleming's plot, using only a few characters and locations from the book as the background for an entirely new story." James Bond's wife, Tracy, was murdered shortly after their wedding.  The killer ...
Read more

FORGED IN DREAMS AND MAGICK - Kat Bastion

Image
Isobel MacInnes is an archeology student. She's strong-willed and determined and she's a rising star with a bright future in archeology ahead of her when she touches an old box that has been handed down by chieftains for centuries and is transported to 13th century Scotland. Here is alpha male, Iain, clan leader who takes an immediate, protective liking to Isobel.  Isobel's aggressive nature is not unusual in the 21st century but in Iain's time it is quite unusual, but Iain seems to have great respect for a woman who can match his intensity. They are, they realize, soulmates. But in a cruel twist, shortly after recognizing that they are meant to be together, Isobel is whisked away once again, centuries earlier, now in Pictish-era Scotland. Here, Isobel meets Velloc, a Pict chieftain; an alpha male; and her new soulmate. It will take some time, but she will manage to get back (forward in time) to see Iain again, who will help her to understand a few things about that box...
Read more

SILVER ECHOES - Rebecca Rosenberg

Image
Rebecca Rosenberg's Silver Echoes is compelling historical fiction based on real people and events set in the early 20th century. We mostly follow Silver Dollar Tabor - the daughter of Horace and Baby Doe Tabor who made their fortune during the silver mine boom in Colorado and were among the country's elite. Silver hopes to use her family's fame as a springboard and take the world by storm as an entertainer, but fame would allude her, especially after the death of her father and the loss of the mines (and therefore an income). Determined to make something of herself in the entertainment world, and to get back some of the Tabor fortune, Silver takes any job that's offered, leading her into the circus, working with dangerous animals. As if life wasn't challenging enough for Silver, she struggles with a personality disorder and has even given her alter ego a name - Echo LaVode - and will introduce herself as such when she's under Echo's control. Silver/Echo tr...
Read more