Heather Redmond

This is the third in the author's series of whodunnits where the young Charles Dickens is solving murders in mid 1830s London as he attempts to start a writing career, and is gathering his material for what would become Sketches by Boz. Here he becomes involved in murderous events surrounding the counting-house of Emmanuel Screws and Jacob Harley, after the latter's body is found dead dangling in chains from the former's upper window. All family members of both elderly bankers come under suspicion as Dickens attempts to solve the killings without the help of his fiancée Kate Hogarth, from whom he is temporarily estranged due to a misunderstanding over a baby whom he has temporary acquired in odd circumstances involving a fire and a case of mistaken identity. I enjoyed this book and the links between this and Christmas Carol are of course much more obvious and ubiquitous than for the previous two novels. I was disappointed that Mr Hogarth Snr was not prepared to trust Charles and I could see how this breach would be difficult for he and Charles to ever fully mend. All turns out well in the end though, with some colourful characters along the way. The Americanisms here were a bit less grating too, so that was a plus.… (meer)

An imaginary and imaginative look into the lives of Mary Shelley and Jane Clairmont as fictional amateur sleuths.

Death and the Sisters is author Heather Redmond’s entertaining first book in her new historical mystery series featuring a young Mary Godwin and her stepsister Jane Clairmont in a time before the scandal that rocked society and changed the literature of the time occurred. Although the events of the story predate the women’s later notorious relationships with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley by a mere two years, he figures prominently. However, this story belongs to the sisters.

The plot involves the puzzling murder of a young poet (not a historical figure). It is the creative framework to introduce the two sisters and explore what their relationship might have been like as very young women still in their formative years. The author uses great skill to present what feels like a true-to-life depiction, with both sisters speaking their minds about the other in alternating chapters and viewpoints. The dialogue seemed authentic to the time and place, and the narrative even read like a novel of the period in style. I thought this was brilliant, and my only sticking point was initially having trouble remembering which sister’s chapter it was and who was speaking.

The author does a fantastic job of re-creating the London of the girls’ childhoods: the early 1800s. Theirs was a middle-class family living above their bookstore, which, at the time, was their livelihood. Money was scarce, and they were often in debt. They were situated in a far less salubrious neighborhood than the setting of most modern novels of the Regency era, and I found this view vastly more interesting and atmospheric.

The story, coming as it does before the historical shoe is about to drop, immediately drew me into the midst of the Godwin family, Shelley, and an entertaining mystery. I recommend DEATH AND THE SISTERS to readers of historical mysteries, mysteries featuring historical figures or female amateur sleuths, or readers who themselves have sisters.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.… (meer)

I found this mystery very well written and the author does a superb job of creating a sense of historical London. The oscillating chapters between Mary and her sister kept me from fully immersing myself in the story. While the chapter headings informed you of the switch I didn't find a change in tone or voice to switch me to that character's POV, so I was often left confused. I found it a bit tough to get going with this read as there are many characters with varying relationships so the character list in the beginning was a necessity. Knowing nothing of Mary Shelley's life, I found the backstory created by this novel to be fascinating and definitely worth the read. My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy.… (meer)