Emily OrganBesprekingen

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love that the main character is a woman in an unusual job for the time period. The secondary characters are interesting as well. This was a good follow-up to the first book and the villain wasn't immediately apparent. I will definitely continue reading the Penny Green series.

I'm still enjoying this series. Penny is an interesting character and I enjoy the historical aspects of the series. I'll continue on with the next book.

I still gave this four stars even though I'm not so sure I'm liking the direction Penny's personal life is taking. I still enjoyed the mystery and the history lessons, but I'm disappointed in the direction that the relationship between and James is going. I'd be fine with it if he wasn't engaged. I also feel bad for Mr. Edwards. I'd like to think he has a chance, but it feels as though Penny is just stringing him along. Her character becomes less likable as these relationships progress. I'll probably try at least one more book and see where things go.

I have read all of the Penny Green series up to this point and this is by far my least favorite. The mystery was quite convoluted and was solved almost by accident. All of the police involved except James are presented as either corrupt or idiots and he wavered into the idiot category. Also, I am tired of the relationship between Penny and James. He's engaged to be married and Penny knows that. He has been very clear that he has no plans to break the engagement. It's time to move on.

London, 1883 and the body of actress Lizzie Dixie is found in Highgate Cemetery. But how is that possible when she had drowned in the River Thames five years earlier.
A very enjoyable well-written mystery and I like the main characters as well. Look forward to reading the next in the series.

It's now 1884 and Penny Green and Inspector James Blakely team up to try and catch the person who is killing people in the Rookery part of London.
An enjoyable, well-written mystery with some very likeable characters

During a burglary in Fitzrovia a woman is murdered. Later a man is killed in an opium den in Limehouse. Is there any connection between these two deaths and the following murders. Penny Green believes so and tries to convince Inspector James Blakely of Scotland Yard. But danger lurks for them both.
Another well-written mystery in this series

London in 1884, brings the marriage of Inspector James Blakely closer. But in Bermondsey a man is discovered to have been poisoned and his wife no longer in the area. But the case is not as straightforward as it at first seemed. Inspector Blakely with the help of news-reporter Penny Green do their best to solve the case.
Another enjoyable well-written mystery in this series, with its cast of likeable characters.

In November 1884 Penny Green with other newspaper writers are invited to the newly finished Hotel Tempesta. For dinner and an overnight stay. A hotel with seemingly a cursed history. So does it come as a surprise that the next morning two people are found dead. Various motives are investigated by the policee including Inspector James Blakely, with the help of Penny.
Another enjoyable well-written mystery in this series with its delightful characters

London 1884 and after spending time setting up a electricity display inventor Simon Borthwick kills himself. But why and who are the people he refers to in his suicide note. Reporter Penny Greens wants to find out. Meanwhile she is sent to a murder scene to write a report concerning the progress of the police. As usual she involves Inspector James Blakely of Scotland Yard.
Again another enjoyable and well-written mystery.

1885. Newspaper reporter Penny Green is convinced that two deaths at the Shoreditch Workhouse are suspicious even though the police and the coroner do not. She persuades Inspector Blakely to help her investigate. (Obviously he has no other cases to deal with).
Unfortunately I have become increasingly irritated by the character of Penny (starting in the previous book) and so found the book difficult to read.

1932. Annabel Churchill widow of DCI of Scotland Yard decides to buy a private detective agency in the village of Compton Poppleford in Dorset. Soon she is employed by the godson to investigate the death of a Mrs Furzgate.
Unfortunately I didn't take to the two main characters or the sense of humour style of writing.

London 1884 and Fleet Street reporter Penny Green is tasked to go undercover into the household of Victorian industrialist Alexander Glenville to find information on his working practices. Unfortunately for Penny a death occurs.
A well-written slow paced mystery, another enjoyable story in this series.

When Penny Green reports on the story of an escaped elephant breaking into the grounds of Lunhill School she is drawn into the mystery of the death of one of the teachers.
An enjoyable short mystery.

Merged review:

Penny Green is tasked to report on the death of a Dr. Campbell and interview his widow for the newspaper.
An enjoyable short story, well-written.

When a young thief grabs her bag, Penny Green never expects that pursuing him will result in finding him dead shortly after. When she learns there have been two similar killings, she suspects there may be a serial killer at work in St Giles Rookery. Another killing confirms her fears and she must team up with inspector James Blakely once again to uncover the truth.

This takes place shortly after the events of the first book. Penny is still healing from being shot, and she has taken on the task of compiling her father's diaries and letters into a book. This means she must reevaluate how she views her father as she learns more about her father's travels. It was interesting to see her grow as a character in this side plot.

The main plot takes us into the darker side of the Victorian era. The atmosphere of the majority of the story is one of dark tension. The threat of a killer looms over every page and is fast paced.

It was lovely to have Inspector Blakely back as he works so well with Penny. The attraction between them still exists, which is slightly worrying given that he is engaged to be married. His frustration at being a step behind the serial killer was understandable and made him more sympathetic.

Overall, this was a good follow-up to the first book. I did find the end a surprise, with no very many clues pointing to the identity of the killer

I would recommend this to readers looking a Victorian mystery series.

The main character is so annoying she ruins the entire book½

i hated the first book, but thought I would give the author a second try...hated this one too.½

A quick fun read - historical detective novel with a female reporter as the main sleuth, set in Victorian England, so from that angle interesting. The plot kept moving, but the necessary romantic plot was getting tedious.

When an actress is found shot to death five years after she was believed drowned to death, it is a shock to London society. Penny Green, a news reporter, knew Lizzie Greenand agrees to help Detective Inspector Blakely to investigate in exchange for the exclusive story. She quickly learns the actress' life than she knew and learning the truth, a danger she wasn’t expecting.

Having read this at least three times since I first was introduced to the series, I think it is safe to say I really enjoy it. It is a well written, atmospheric mystery with some interesting characters. Penny, through whom we follow the narrative, is a bold, independent woman, but not so much she doesn’t fit into the world and time. Her actions and thought process were believable.

Her colleagues at the newspaper added a bit of fun as well. I especially liked the addition of a typewriter being introduced and how divided the reporters are on how useful it will be. Detective Inspector Blakely was a charming, earned character that I really want to know more about.

This is a well-paced mystery that I would recommend to anyone looking to start a historical mystery series.½

I wanted to like this book, I liked the concept and the setting...but felt that the author told me the story, rather than showing me the story. I was never absorbed in the story, it felt more like I was reading the clifnotes version, rather than the actual tale.

The setting was believable, and I liked little additions like rules for cycling. The characters were likeable.
However, I found plot holes and off moments in the story. I really don't like wondering "Why did they allow her to do that?" and then realise "Oh! so it is because she doesn't do the other thing instead, which would give the answer in the first half of the book!" Also, I couldn't believe Penny with all her blunders managed to stay undercover for so long!
The ending was also quite sudden. They make an appeal in the newspaper, and then it jumps to the big reveal, which was quite Hercule Poirot-ish in tone. Makes me want to re-read a few narrated by Hastings and see if he was quite as clueless as Penny Green, at the end.
And I still did not get WHY the girl (The rich one - to avoid spoilers) had to die the way she did anyway? Couldn't the murderer find a more efficient and less messy way of doing away with her? And the way the poison was hidden - was it necessary? I don't think so...
I think it may have been a case of the writer having an interesting idea but execution becoming problematic.
Everything said and done - it was an OK read.

This is my second Penny Green book and it was WAY better than the first one I read. This one got all the elements right. The murderer at the end was completely unexpected. It was a page turner with great pace. I also liked how the characters and relationships developed, right up to the cliffhanger of an ending. I particularly appreciated the extra historical information at the end, which was fascinating. Obviously a lot of research had gone into writing this book.

I pre-ordered this because I was invested in the characters and needed to know what happened next in their lives. There is a good balance between the main storyline of the poisoner, and the love interest. I had to keep reminding myself that this is set in the 19th century since emotions are so stilted and muted. The merry-go-round hunt for the poisoner was quite interesting. Unfortunately I latched on to a question asked in innocence halfway through that pointed to the murderer - that is what happens when you are an avid reader of the genre! The ending is good to keep readers hooked onto the lives of Penny, Francis and James and I will probably buy the next one to see what develops.

Oh, how I wish I had started this series with the first book! That said, I really enjoyed reading the Inventor. I didn't really know exactly what I would find and learn in this book beginning in 1884 with a young lady as a reporter for the newspaper, but the story-line was excellent. Everything in this book was well-matched to its time, not to mention a really strong heroine reporting. The Inventor is placed in the time of working with electricity and I'm sure a lot of references were spot on. If not quite in their time, there are notes at the end of the book with dates, names, companies, and even references to what was going on in botany at the time Penny's father disappeared on a hunt for new plants.

This book has over 350 pp. yet I read it in one day. So dedicated to the story I was I simply couldn't put it down. I definitely want to read the previous books Limelight, The Rookery, and The Maid's Secret, (Books 1, 2 & 3 in the series).

A lot of history of Britain especially regarding the work with electricity, chemicals, filaments, but one can just imagine from the descriptions the appearance in a live show of fairies lit up with small lights in their performance. But unfortunately this didn't last on the first live trial. Instead, misfortune soon overtakes witnesses as the man who has created this effect for whatever reason commits suicide. A sad ending. But why? Our intrepid reporter Penny Green is witness, and also as a reporter will certainly be investigating why this happened. When she starts to receive threatening notes, the whole book takes a turnaround. It still is featuring electricity in its earliest days, but the who would single out Penny for very nasty threatening notes and even telegrams? Everything she does for the paper is followed up with threats, but still she can rely on help from her various contacts.

Seriously, I could not put this book down, in fact when I went outside to check on some noises (we live where there is considerable wildlife), I realized I had taken my book out with me!

When George was 11, he dreamt the day of his death – and now it’s here.

That much is included on the author’s website – and that much, I remember. But, honestly, although I finished the book, it seems that I thought it only so-so at the time, and now cannot remember another thing about it.

3 stars