Today, I'm excited to be part of the blog tour for Vivian Conroy's A Lady Alkmene Mystery series! Not only do I have a review for the first book in the series - A Proposal to Die For - but also the latest book - Fatal Masquerade.
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A Proposal to Die For (A Lady Alkmene Mystery, #1)
The first book in the new Lady Alkmene Callender Mystery series
A murderous beginning
With her father away in India, Lady Alkmene Callender finds being left to her own devices in London intolerably dull, until the glamorous Broadway star Evelyn Steinbeck arrives in town! Gossip abounds about the New York socialite, but when Ms Steinbeck’s wealthy uncle, Silas Norwhich, is found dead Lady Alkmene finds her interest is piqued. Because this death sounds a lot to her like murder…
Desperate to uncover the truth, Lady Alkmene begins to look into Ms Steinbeck’s past – only to be hampered by the arrival of journalist, Jake Dubois – who believes she is merely an amateur lady-detective meddling in matters she knows nothing about!
But Lady Alkmene refuses to be deterred from the case and together they dig deeper, only to discover that some secrets should never come to light…
The twenties have never been so dangerous
Review:
When Vivian first reached out to me about the Lady Alkmene Mystery series, I was intrigued. Not only did I like the cozy mystery aspect but the 1920s feel as well.
The Result? A Proposal to Die For is the prime cozy mystery read. Combining an intricate mystery, feisty, determined main characters, and an irresistible setting, A Proposal to Die For turned out to be the perfect way to spend a Fall afternoon.
A Proposal to Die For introduces the dynamic albeit slightly mismatched sleuthing duo of Lady Alkmene and Jake Dubois. Lady Alkmene and Jake Dubois have such great chemistry. Honestly, they reminded me a bit of Temperance Brennan and Booth with their goodnatured bickering, and as a HUGE fan of the show Bones, that was a big win for me. I feel that the best words to describe Lady Alkmene would be mischievous and strong willed. She knows it's not "appropriate" for a lady of her caliber to go sleuthing but that doesn't stop her one bit. She's always finding ways to sneak around the watchful eyes of her father's staff. Jake, on the other hand, is tough, mysterious, and just a teensy bit cocky/arrogant. I especially loved that he showed Lady Alkmene a different side to her city and her life - one that she hadn't geared much witness to over the years.
The mystery in this was a lot of fun! There were a surplus of potential bad guys and enough twists and turns to make any cozy mystery reader happy. I especially liked how Vivian Conroy introduced several settings though it. From the bustling city to the cozy country side inn, there wasn't a time where I didn't feel as if I was right there with Lady Alkmene and Jake, solving crime.
The only aspect that didn't always mesh with me was the writing. Sometimes the dialogue and internal monologue of Lady Alkmene appeared stilted - even a bit awkward. However, in the long run of things, not the biggest of issues.
In all, if you love cozy mystery (and I mean who doesn't?), you're sure to enjoy this one!
When Vivian first reached out to me about the Lady Alkmene Mystery series, I was intrigued. Not only did I like the cozy mystery aspect but the 1920s feel as well.
The Result? A Proposal to Die For is the prime cozy mystery read. Combining an intricate mystery, feisty, determined main characters, and an irresistible setting, A Proposal to Die For turned out to be the perfect way to spend a Fall afternoon.
A Proposal to Die For introduces the dynamic albeit slightly mismatched sleuthing duo of Lady Alkmene and Jake Dubois. Lady Alkmene and Jake Dubois have such great chemistry. Honestly, they reminded me a bit of Temperance Brennan and Booth with their goodnatured bickering, and as a HUGE fan of the show Bones, that was a big win for me. I feel that the best words to describe Lady Alkmene would be mischievous and strong willed. She knows it's not "appropriate" for a lady of her caliber to go sleuthing but that doesn't stop her one bit. She's always finding ways to sneak around the watchful eyes of her father's staff. Jake, on the other hand, is tough, mysterious, and just a teensy bit cocky/arrogant. I especially loved that he showed Lady Alkmene a different side to her city and her life - one that she hadn't geared much witness to over the years.
The mystery in this was a lot of fun! There were a surplus of potential bad guys and enough twists and turns to make any cozy mystery reader happy. I especially liked how Vivian Conroy introduced several settings though it. From the bustling city to the cozy country side inn, there wasn't a time where I didn't feel as if I was right there with Lady Alkmene and Jake, solving crime.
The only aspect that didn't always mesh with me was the writing. Sometimes the dialogue and internal monologue of Lady Alkmene appeared stilted - even a bit awkward. However, in the long run of things, not the biggest of issues.
In all, if you love cozy mystery (and I mean who doesn't?), you're sure to enjoy this one!
Grade: B
A Proposal to Die For is now out1
Source: eBook provided by publisher
Buy Links:
Fatal Masquerade (A Lady Alkmene Mystery, #4)
Lady Alkmene and Jake Dubois are back in a gripping new adventure facing dangerous opponents at a masked ball in the countryside. Masked danger…
Lady Alkmene Callender has always loved grand parties, but when she receives an invitation to a masked ball thrown by Franklin Hargrove – oil magnate, aviation enthusiast and father of her best friend, Denise – she’s never seen such luxury. The estate is lit up with Chinese lanterns in the gardens, boats operated by footmen float across the pond and the guest list features the distinguished, rich and powerful!
But below the glamour, evil is lurking. When a dead body is discovered, it forces Lady Alkmene to throw off her mask and attempt to find the true killer before Denise’s family are accused. If only her partner, Jake Dubois, weren’t hiding something from her…
This case might just be more dangerous than either of them could have imagined.
Review:
After reading A Proposal to Die For I was excited to read another book by Vivian and return to the world of Lady Alkmene and Jake Dubois. Luckily, Fatal Masquerade proved to be an exciting addition to the Lady Alkmene Mystery Series. Combining together a new mystery as well as a mystery from the past, Fatal Masquerade had me dying for the big finale the whole way through.
Just like the first one Fatal Masquerade almost immediately jumps into action. It's the classic case of a murderous dinner party...a certain number of people arrive at the start of the night and one less walks out by the end. Everyone is a suspect - EVEN Lady Alkmene who was unlucky (or lucky?) enough to find the dead body! In addition to the murder mystery, Jake has arrived to the party with own mysterious intentions - ones that he absolutely refuses to tell Lady Alkmene about. That caused for some interesting tension and drama, as not only was Lady Alkmene bitter about not being in the know but it was always fun to guess what exactly Jake was hiding.
Lady Alkmene was just as strong willed, nosy, and bent on crime solving as in the first one. I just utterly love her spunk - she's a woman who knows what she wants to do in life and won't let anyone stop her from having her fun. I also enjoyed the mysterious vibe Jake took on this. It added a new fun layer to his character. The side characters introduced added to the overall enjoyment of the book; however, I will say I just couldn't stand Lady Alkmene's friend Denise. I understood that she had a lot to be angry about, but gosh, was she abrasive and reckless at times....to the point where I even began to get slightly annoyed.
In all, Fatal Masquerade is another fun, fast paced addition to the Lady Alkmene Mystery series. And with the cliffhanger like feel of the ending, I will most definitely be tuning into the fifth book!
Grade: B
After reading A Proposal to Die For I was excited to read another book by Vivian and return to the world of Lady Alkmene and Jake Dubois. Luckily, Fatal Masquerade proved to be an exciting addition to the Lady Alkmene Mystery Series. Combining together a new mystery as well as a mystery from the past, Fatal Masquerade had me dying for the big finale the whole way through.
Just like the first one Fatal Masquerade almost immediately jumps into action. It's the classic case of a murderous dinner party...a certain number of people arrive at the start of the night and one less walks out by the end. Everyone is a suspect - EVEN Lady Alkmene who was unlucky (or lucky?) enough to find the dead body! In addition to the murder mystery, Jake has arrived to the party with own mysterious intentions - ones that he absolutely refuses to tell Lady Alkmene about. That caused for some interesting tension and drama, as not only was Lady Alkmene bitter about not being in the know but it was always fun to guess what exactly Jake was hiding.
Lady Alkmene was just as strong willed, nosy, and bent on crime solving as in the first one. I just utterly love her spunk - she's a woman who knows what she wants to do in life and won't let anyone stop her from having her fun. I also enjoyed the mysterious vibe Jake took on this. It added a new fun layer to his character. The side characters introduced added to the overall enjoyment of the book; however, I will say I just couldn't stand Lady Alkmene's friend Denise. I understood that she had a lot to be angry about, but gosh, was she abrasive and reckless at times....to the point where I even began to get slightly annoyed.
In all, Fatal Masquerade is another fun, fast paced addition to the Lady Alkmene Mystery series. And with the cliffhanger like feel of the ending, I will most definitely be tuning into the fifth book!
Grade: B
Fatal Masquerade is now out!
Source: eBook provided by publisher
A mystery and it's in the 20's, yes please! Sounds delightful! I'm glad you enjoy both of these.
ReplyDeleteI love the art style of those covers, that kinda retro style always draws me in. Plus I love good country house/ English countryside type of mystery. :) Looks fun!
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