Book review : A Minor Deception by Nupur Tustin

A Minor Deception
Joseph Haydn Mystery book #1
by Nupur Tustin
My rating: ★★★☆☆

I love mysteries that revolve around the most famous composers of the 18th century in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and around the great Habsburg dynasty.

That period fascinates me and if in addition to the mystery I also find historical notions and the setting is so well described that it's able to transport me to that place in that time, then the book is really good to me and I rate it 5 stars, especially if I become attached to the characters and miss them after finishing the story.

But this is not the case ! :-(  :-( :-( :-( :-( :-(

I had great expectations with this cozy mystery:
- to start it has an amazing cover, one of the best among the mysteries I've read starring great composers of the 18th century and with a similar setting.....
And THE PLOT IS SO PROMISING:
- the plot involving one of the greatest Austrian composers (Franz Joseph Haydn) and his family (wife and brother), the rich and sumptuous court of Prince Esterházy and the preparation of a musical event on the occasion of the visit of the great empress Maria Theresa. - the synopsis of the mystery also seemed very interesting: the disappearance of a very gifted but very grumpy violinist and with him the disappearance of a precious violin.

_____ WHAT I LIKED :
The only thing I appreciated about this "historical whodunit" is the author's initial introduction of the many characters who actually existed in the story.

For each of them, not only is the name written in full and with a real noble title (if they were aristocrats), but it is also explained what role they played in history and some character characteristics that distinguished them.

In addition to this, the author has added a short, but still interesting final HISTORICAL NOTE, which explains some things regarding the creation of the mystery, which is naturally purely fictional, but inspired by a real character and events that actually happened.

___ What I LIKED LESS and dampened my enthusiasm (hence 3 stars):

- THE CHARACTERS: although well introduced by the author in a long (but interesting) initial list, none of them were developed in the book.

Of each character I can understand who has a good nature and who doesn't, just through that list, while the dialogues they pronounce are only sterile phrases that do not convey any emotion to the reader nor are they able to give him the perception, in an in-depth manner, of the the soul of each character.

I know that Haydn's wife is an ungrateful shrew and that one of Haydn's brothers always tries to mediate between them and this is clear from the dialogues only because previously the author explained this in the list of characters...
The dialogues are always the same, very repetitive, the same sentences and the same situations.

- THE SCENES: the story is set in Eisenbach in 1766, but it could be anywhere and at any time... I didn't breathe the atmosphere of that place and that time as I did in many other good books.

- REPETITIVENESS and FLAT PLOT: the first 25% of the book took place between the rehearsal room where the violinist behaved rudely and at Haydn's house where he told about this and everyone wondered why.

The second 25% is Haydn's constant thinking about what he could have done differently and what he must do now that the violinist is gone...

When a kind, charming but mysterious character appeared 40% of the way through the book, I thought things were finally getting interesting but they didn't. It's all very boring. The characters always ask themselves the same questions and cannot find answers.

- SOME BIG MISTAKES that an author should pay more attention to when writing about historical settings.
I'll mention just one:
at a certain point the writer says that Haydn takes his pen out of his jacket pocket and corrects the score...
OH MY GOD!!!
Even the chickens know that in 1700 THEY WROTE WITH A NIB AND INK POT, they certainly couldn't keep it in their pocket.
------------------
IN CONCLUSION: Perhaps the series could be nice for young adults, but I don't recommend the series to adults who are fans of mystery books because they would be disappointed.
I have read many series of cozy mysteries with historical settings that are much more captivating and engaging and from which I have even learned historical notions that I didn't know.

Many thanks for reading my opinion and please forgive my English since it's not my native language. :-)

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Book review : Petteril's Corpse by Mary Lancaster

Petteril's Corpse
by Mary Lancaster
Lord Petteril Mysteries series book #2

My rating: ★★★☆☆
3.4 because it was a little better than installment #1 that I rated 3 stars, but I certainly can't round it to 4

Nice enough cozy mystery (but nothing really captivating) to read when you want something less challenging, very short and certainly better than number one in the series which didn't engage me at all.

It would almost be better to read them one after the other, because although there are 2 different mysteries to solve, the main characters have their own personal story that develops over the course of the books.
Since the books are very short, reading them days apart does not allow me to delve deeply into the stories and feel involved neither in the facts told nor the characters.

__ PLOT ___ Regency era England.
The new Lord Petteril and his new assistant April, a former thief on the streets of London, first dressed as a boy and now finally in women's clothes, find a naked corpse with a dagger in the chest, on the road to reach one of Petteril's residences.

The local magistrate, Robert Lindon, has no idea how to proceed with such a heinous crime. Of course Petteril too doesn't know how to proceed, but curiosity pushes him to help, naturally with the assistance of the enterprising April.

Identifying the body is difficult enough. Suspecting that the culprit is one of the local nobles, some of whom were Petteril's childhood friends, is even more difficult.
___________________________

MY OPINION ABOUT THIS INSTALLMENT #2

---> 😃 😃 As I already said above, this second book was more engaging than the first, not only because I now know the main characters and I am starting to be more curious and interested in the development of their personal lives, but above all here the mystery was finally more complicated and only at the end I got an idea of who the culprit could be, but I still wasn't sure.

There are at least 7 suspects and each time the events bring new clues that could incriminate one or the other.

---> ☹️ ☹️ Unfortunately, being a short book, the plot is interesting but not sufficiently developed to involve me passionately.

---> ☹️ ☹️ We also have a couple of romantic moments that are so short and flat that they didn't give me any emotion.

---> ☹️ ☹️ No ironic and funny jokes and this is another point that doesn't allow me to get excited about this series.

---> ☹️ ☹️ Another thing that disturbs me a little is that in book #1 WARNING SPOILER referring to BOOK #1 !___ we met (Ape, i.e. April disguised as a boy) and she looked 10 years old... then once identified as a girl she looked between 14 and 18 years old. In this second book, which is set a few weeks or at most a few months after the events of book #1, April looks between 16 and 20 years old.
On the cover of book #1 there is a child (Ape), on the cover of book #2 and in the following ones, there is clearly an adult girl... EXPLAIN TO ME HOW A girl dressed as a boy can look 10 years old and then 20 ?
The writer could have described a young 15 year old petty thief boy who would later turn out to be a 20 year old girl...but the way the author put the story really doesn't make much sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ) SPOILER END___ ___

I don't know if I'll read the following books in the series, I still have to decide.

Curious about BOOK #1 review ? Then read it : BOOK #1 "Petteril's Thief"

Thanks for reading my opinion and please forgive my bad English since it's not my mother language.

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Book review : Petteril's Thief by Mary Lancaster

Petteril's Thief
by Mary Lancaster
Lord Petteril Mysteries series book #1

My rating: ★★★☆☆
3 full stars, which bodes well for the next books in the series

I couldn't get into it until after 50% through the book.

This is a long short-story ( only 157 pages ) and I know that I always find short story unsatisfying ( except those by Agatha Christie ), because there's no enough time to develop characters making them impressive and then the topic ( be it a mystery or a romance ) is always solved very fast without many details.

However after the first half of the book there has been an unexpected twist that finally took my attention and being this the book #1 in a series, I suppose all characters and events will get more interesting and captivating in the following short books.

____ THE PLOT ____  
In the spring of 1812, Piers Withan is dragged from his beloved Oxford to be the new Viscount Petteril.
Burdened by responsibilities he doesn’t want and the remnants of a family who don’t want him, he is saved from an irredeemable mistake by Ape, the small thief burgling his house.

The former Viscountess Petteril, Piers' aunt and wife of the late Lord, is now looking for an important family heirloom, a gold necklace with rubies that has disappeared.
However, the necklace was not among Ape's stolen goods, so who was it?
Are the culprits other criminals or someone within the greedy and indebted family?

---->  clean language
---->  suitable for cozy mystery lovers and young adult mystery lovers

_____________________________


____ ABOUT THE MYSTERY ____
the mystery is really light and not at all challenging, which is obvious in a short story, however there could have been a little suspense at least for two or three pages.
Usually this disappoints me, but the writer concentrated a pinch of suspense on another topic:
the private sphere of the characters and therefore I never thought of abandoning the book, I wanted to know the solution to "their problem"!

____ ABOUT THE CHARACTERS ____ 
I suspect Mary Lancaster was inspired by a classical mystery, none other than "These Old Shades" by Georgette Heyer, but while I didn't like that book, I've found the same topic here interesting, but I need to use a spoiler to better explain :
___ WARNING: SPOILER____ As in Heyer's book, a rich nobleman finds a boy living on the streets, takes him home and takes care of him by giving him a job on his staff.
In the course of the story the boy turns out to be a young woman, who, having lived for many years as someone of the male sex, no longer wants to go back to living with a feminine lifestyle, made up of clothes with petticoats and a bodice and behaviors more suited to the female sex (as well as different types of tasks within a staff of servants).
-----> While in Heyer's book I couldn't stand the girl, because she was in love and obsessed with her savior and I couldn't stand the fact that despite the huge age difference, they eventually became a couple, in Lancaster's book the girl feels grateful and attracted to her savior , but not in an obsessive and mean way towards the other characters.
Furthermore, the age difference here is acceptable, given that Petteril is also a young man and above all he is a lovable and kind-hearted guy. ___SPOILER END ____

As I have already said, the characters do not have much chance of being well developed in short stories, but Mrs. Lancaster, the author, managed to define each of them so well with just a few descriptive traits (of their way of being and thinking). This is what convinced me to continue with the story, also wanting to read the next books...
I have read several books by Mary Lancaster, I usually love her writing style and I know she will manage to develop the characters and their backgrounds, book by book, making them more and more interesting.

__ THE MAIN CHARACTER ____ Piers Withan, the knew LORD PETTERIL:
what I like about him is the fact that not being destined to inherit the title, he was able to follow his nature as a lover of books, dedicating himself to study and teaching.
However we discover that he is not just a bookworm, but having grown up with a brother and two older cousins, he has learned to defend himself both verbally and physically.

He is an intelligent and kind young man ( handsome too ) and relates to his new staff in a very friendly way, offering to help them with "a certain thing" in which humble people at that time were usually lacking (find out by reading the book!)

___ THE SECOND MAIN CHARACTER __ APE, the young thief and street urchin:
despite having to look after himself from an early age, stealing under the directives of dangerous criminals, we immediately see his desire to have an honest life.
This character immediately won me over for his inner wisdom despite his young age and will be the character who will give you the most surprises in this first book and in the next one and perhaps even the ones after (yes, I have already peeked into the plots of the back covers !! )

___THE OTHER SIDE CHARACTERS __
some amiable and some unbearable, but I'll be happy to meet them all again in the next Petteril's adventures.
humor and ironic jokes !
What I usually like in cozy mysteries, where obviously the mystery is light and the suspense is minimal, is the humorous atmosphere that usually permeates the whole story: funny moments, ironic jokes every now and then... that playfulness , which makes the reader smile and laugh and keeps him glued to the book because he is having fun, even though there is no complicated puzzle and no love story.
So: no complicated mysteries, no love stories (but who knows in the future...), no humour.
This explains my miserable 3 star-rating.
I'm confident though, the series will improve.

THANKS FOR READING my opinion and please be lenient with my English, it's not my mother tongue.

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Book review : The Crimson Cavalier by Mary Andrea Clarke

The Crimson Cavalier
by Mary Andrea Clarke
The Crimson Cavalier series book #1

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,7 stars rounded up to 4.

Very nice lighthearted read, though suitable for "cozy mystery" readers and for young adults.

It was so refreshing to me reading it after
 the dark mystery I read before. It was just what I needed and what I was looking for, but as I said it's a good read if you're just looking for "this" kind of read.

___ THE PLOT IN SHORT __ Late 18th century London.
When an aristocratic citizen, a magistrate, is murdered on the road to Bath, along which carriages are often attacked by highwaymen, Miss Georgiana Grey's alter ego, the Crimson Cavalier, is suspected of being the killer.
The Crimson Cavalier, who steals to donate the money obtained from the stolen goods to the most needy, is innocent as regards the murder, but having robbed the magistrate just the previous evening and having his ring, puts her in serious danger.
The only thing left for her to do is discover the real killer, before being arrested and taken to the gallows.
-------------------------------------

The story immediately begins with a hint of adventure: the attack on a carriage, the collection of the stolen goods, the indignant aristocrats, the usual melodramatic ladies beyond all reasoning, an escape by the bandit, an unexpected encounter that makes the good bandit fear of being discovered, an embarrassing and funny situation...

A series of situations that reminded me a little of the old films, set in 1700, which were so fashionable in the 30s, 40s and 50s (for example the Scarlet Pimpernel TV series or Scaramouche) and this immediately put me in a good mood, because I knew that there would be no dramatic scene, no death among the good people (in this kind of story only villains get the worst, while all good people survive and can live happily, hurray!!!! ).

____ THE CHARACTERS ____ 

---> Our heroine, Georgiana, is an aristocrat who robs the rich to help poor people. She naturally loves adventure and the thrill of risking being discovered and caught.
She is immediately likable because she is an independent person who, despite the rules of etiquette of the society of the time, has no problem openly saying what she thinks, opposes forced marriages and stands up to an affectionate but very bigoted brother,  who wants to impose a husband on her at all costs.

---> Luckily in the story there is also the usual maid/best-friend Emily, 100% trustworthy, who supports Georgiana and helps her to extricate herself from the messes of her double life.
Even the rest of the servants, despite not knowing the secret of the Crimson Cavalier, constitute a reliable staff always ready to obey their mistress' orders.

---> In addition to the over-protective brother with blinders, we naturally also have the spinster cousin who lives in Georgiana's house, to ensure that the life of our young girl, with a bizarre and slightly rebellious character, always proceeds on the right path.
I must say that this character got on my nerves several times and I would have liked her to be thrown out of the house... but then meddlers, the "know it all" ones, are part of life and how could a character like that be missing? His participation was a given.

---> The male counterpart of our heroine... you were expecting it, right? I understand you and I tell you that he is aristocratic, handsome, kind, protective and very intelligent and intuitive.
His name is Mr. Mawell Lakesby and of course the author is very good at making us hope for something romantic throughout the book...
I don't want to lead you to read this book hoping for a romance, I remind you that I defined the book as "cozy mystery" and unfortunately no romance occurs (maybe I should have put a spoiler warning, but I don't want to give false illusions), even though his interest in her is clear.
I also love his sparkling eyes and his veiled smiles and his gallantry, never artificial but always dictated by honesty and attraction for her.
Of course, I hope there will be at least a hint of open courtship in the next book.

___ YOU CAN READ IT AS A STANDALONE __ This book is the first in a series of 3, but it's also readable as a standalone.
I will also read the next ones, when I once again need light, worry-free reading.

___ COZY MYSTERY ___ The cover and the plot already tell us that it is a cozy mystery.
The language is clean, there are no violent scenes, there is no blood, there are no sex scenes and there are no kisses.

----> Overall, the story was always engaging, from the first to the last page, and I was really curious to know who was responsible for the murder.

----> However, the final solution arrived a little too hastily and this, together with the fact that there wasn't even an open courtship on the part of the male co-protagonist towards the female protagonist, reduced my score: this is why I rated it only 3,7 rounded to 4 stars.

___ HISTORICAL SETTING BUT NOT A HISTORICAL READING __  Although it is set at the end of the 18th century, it has no historical references and there are no characters who actually existed. This also reduced a little my score, but as I said the settings with carriages, bandits, guns and parties with ratafia, tea, gloves and fans, give the story a little of suggestiveness making reading enjoyable.

___ CONCLUSION____ : do I recommend it?
Yes, BUT ONLY to those who love COZY MYSTERIES, i.e. LIGHTWEIGHT and CAREFREE WHODUNITS.
I have read some negative reviews, but I think the books should be evaluated in their genre, comparing them with other books of the same genre.
This mystery obviously cannot be compared with other more intense and dramatic historical mysteries or with strong and impressive scenes and with a much more elaborate plot and mystery, it wouldn't make sense!

:-) Thanks for reading my opinion and forgive my English. It's not my language and while it's easier for me to read in English and make sense of it, it's not at all easy to speak and write correctly.

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Book review : A Dangerous Past by Clare Jayne

A Dangerous Past
Campbell & MacPherson Historical Mysteries #3
by Clare Jayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book by book the series is getting more interesting and this time I'm happy to give this mystery 4 stars !
It was finally an involving reading both referring to the mystery and the private life of our hero and heroine.

___ THE PLOT ___ We are in Edinburgh at the end of the 18th century and this time, despite the intention of no longer dealing with investigations, Ishbel is called to investigate a murder by her dear and affectionate maid.
What will Ewan do? Will they be able to overcome their disagreements and solve a new case despite the ill will expressed by the aristocracy towards them?
To complicate matters, Ewan's sister arrives in town, determined to end her brother's relationship with Ishbel.

:-( ---> This time too, to my regret, there were no historical figures who actually existed (unlike the first book in the series) and no real events were mentioned. A shame, because in my opinion this makes reading books with a historical setting more interesting and with added value.

:-) ---> __THE MYSTERY__ In any case, I enjoyed reading it, because the mystery was more complicated than in the first two books and although at a certain point I formulated the right hypothesis about the culprit, the author was good at misleading the reader's hypotheses.
Finally, in the second-last chapter, I clearly understood who the killer was even before reading the revealing lines, but this did not diminish my pleasure in reading the book and I never found a point where I was bored, on the contrary I wanted to turn the page, because in addition to the culprit and how the murder was committed, the personal history of the characters is also interesting.


:-) --->__THE CHARACTERS__ in addition to the characters already known, we meet new members of Ewan's family, thus expanding the list of recurring characters.

:-) ---> The love story between the two protagonists and their relationships with friends and family become more and more interesting: sometimes complicated, sometimes indispensable even for the inner growth of the character himself.
Book after book the author enters more and more into the private life of each of them, weaving bonds and plots that capture our interest.

__ANOTHER POSITIVE POINT__ unlike book 2 this book does not end with a cliffhanger, but has a fully satisfying ending.

__ READ THE BOOKS OF THE SERIES IN ORDER from the first to the sixth __ Each book in the series is quite short (readable in a couple of days) and the 2nd and 3rd could have been a single book even if with 2 different mysteries to solve.
I continue to recommend reading the 6 books of the series in order from 1 to 6, since part of the entertainment is due to the personal story of the characters and unlike other authors, this author does not summarize the story of the characters in each book and starting to read a book chosen at random among the 6 would not give full satisfaction in reading.

__ RECOMMENDED FOR WHO? __ For those who love cozy mysteries, a light read that provides good entertainment.

(AS ALWAYS I beg your pardon for English errors, since it's not my mother tongue )

If you are curious to know something more about BOOK#1 and BOOK#2, you can read my review here :

BOOK #1 "Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma" :

BOOK #2 "The Dead Duke" :

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Book review : The Dead Duke by Clare Jayne

The Dead Duke
Campbell & MacPherson Historical Mysteries #2
by Clare Jayne
My rating: 3,5 of 5 stars

I liked it and I realized that after the end of the first book in the series, I missed the 2 main characters and their friends more than I thought I would.

Compared to the first book of the series, here the inclusion of historical characters and historical facts is missing, of course it's set in the past ( the end of the 18th century), but it's pure fiction.
If there had been a historical part I would give it 4 stars instead of 3.5.

__THE PLOT__ Edinburgh 1888.
Ewan and Ishbel get involved in a new murder case by someone close to their circle of friends.

Thinking they can offer justice to people who, being from lower social classes, often cannot obtain it, they agree to investigate, scandalizing the bon ton society.
But such scandals in certain circles can totally ruin people's lives, especially if they are women...

___ WHAT I LIKED __ This second book is more focused on the investigations to solve the mystery of a murder and an unjust accusation and until the end you can't actually understand who could have done it, as the author has inserted many false leads.
The mystery was resolved in a logical way, the solution was actually simple, but until the end the two new detectives did not have the necessary elements to understand.

The investigations were interesting to follow also thanks to the fact that our two protagonists involve other people (already introduced to the reader in the first book) in the search for clues, thus forming a good teamwork.

The friendship/love interest relationship between Ishbel and Ewan also intensifies and overcomes several tensions and becomes increasingly solid.

___SOCIAL ISSUES ADDRESSED ___ Despite being a cozy mystery (suitable for YA but also adults), I noticed that the writer always brings a social theme to the fore, in a light and fun way, but she still manages to make young people who approach this reading reflect ( and perhaps we adults should also stop and reflect).

The two themes proposed in this second installment are:

1 ____ homosexuality, which at that time sentenced people to hanging (and sentenced people to prison until "modern" times and is still considered a crime in 64 countries around the world!)
I read a review where a person was annoyed by this, but I repeat: the author is very delicate, the book is cozy in all respects, there is nothing scandalous or shocking.I read a review where a person was annoyed by this, but I repeat: the author is very delicate, the book is cozy in all respects, there is nothing scandalous or shocking.
I really liked the fact that as often happens, the protagonist also had difficulty accepting something that she didn't know and didn't understand, but then she understood that what really matters is how a human being behaves towards others and what it's in his heart.

QUOTE:
" It no longer mattered to her that she could not understand Mr Chiverton’s feelings regarding men and women. If he could consistently be so kind and good-natured, in the face of so many people acting in the opposite manner, then she was glad to consider him a friend. "


2 ____ prejudices about women's intelligence and abilities.
At that time, a woman's brain was not considered as capable as a man's and a woman who was interested in matters that were usually a male competence (for example asking questions about thefts and murders), not only aroused amazement, but big scandal. Punishment: being removed from good society.

If we think about it, this is still a current theme, in fact even nowadays, in certain environments considered masculine, women have to work twice as hard to demonstrate their qualities and receive the right appreciation.
And still in some countries women are considered little more than nothing and are still killed if they do not behave in a manner appropriate to a certain religious or social ideology.

___ CAN ONE READ THIS BOOK AS A STANDALONE? __ Since the case from the first book is mentioned several times (and the verdict of the trial is in book 2) and because of the cliffhanger ending of this book, it is best to read all book of the series in order from 1 to 6 (6 books in total).

The advantage of reading this series, now that it is already fully published, is that I have already been able to get the next book (I have already almost finished reading it).
But if I had to wait a whole year to read the continuation of a book that ended on a cliffhanger... I would have been angry and this is another reason why I round to 3 stars and not 4.

__DO I RECOMMEND THIS? __ If you're looking for some light entertainment, this will keep you good company!

(NOTE: I'm Italian and I write in a language I don't know well, please forgive any errors in form or grammar)

If you are curious to know something more about BOOK#1 you can read my review here :

BOOK #1 "Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma" :

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Book review : Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma by Clare Jayne

Lady Tinbough's Dilemma
Campbell and MacPherson Historical Mysteries #1
by Clare Jayne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A nice cozy mystery, suitable for young adults.
I only rate it 3 stars because I expected it to be more engaging and it would have been very interesting if the author had made it just a little longer by going deeper into the themes she had included.

__THE PLOT __ Edinburgh at the end of the 18th century.
Two young people, a boy and a girl who have just met, find themselves investigating the mystery of an emerald necklace stolen from a friend of her aunt's.
Obviously neither of them has experience in this type of thing and what starts out almost like a game turns into something much more serious when they learn of a murder as a result of another reprehensible act.

__ CHARACTERS __ I liked the two characters and it would have been easy to become fond of them if the author had developed in a deeper way their emotions and their inexperienced approach to life and society of the time with all the ensuing difficulties (mentioned here, but not sufficiently developed to make the book impressive).

She is a wealthy orphan who rejects the idea of marriage due to her parents' bad example. Added to this is the fact that at the time, as until the beginning of the 20th century, a man by marrying a woman became her master and could dispose of the woman and her goods as he wanted, also having every right to beat her if deemed it appropriate (interesting thought to reflect on, since today women still suffer a lot of abuse even in the most developed countries).
Ishbel therefore prefers to take refuge in books and at university (where at the time women could only attend lectures) despite this excluding her from being willingly accepted by the rich and aristocratic society.

Ewan lives a type of life opposite to hers, he frequents the social life with his friends and yet his good character can be glimpsed.
He is an affable boy with everyone, who does not feel uncomfortable with the less well-off, whom he treats in a friendly manner, including his valet and the rest of the staff of his house.
Another virtue of Ewan's is that he does not misjudge Ishbel for her interests which are so different from the demands of society at the time, but rather wins her affection by being sincerely interested in what she likes and by attending the lectures together with her, despite the contrary opinion of his best friends (another important point on which young adults can reflect and learn: there is not only physical attraction, but a sincere sharing of interests and the importance of following one's own ideas and desires without being influenced by the judgments of those around us, both society and relatives or friends).

___ THE HISTORICAL PART ___ as I have already said, everything could have been developed in more depth and a nice interesting novel could have come out of it, in any case, as a light read, I also found an interesting idea in the historical part.
---> The story begins with Ishbel and Ewan who for personal reasons participate in the trial of a robber called William Brodie, a character who actually existed and also known as Deacon Brodie, because he was named Deacon in 1781, i.e. leader of the trade, in Edinburgh.
The interesting part is that this character went down in history because of his double personality and double life: a wealthy business leader in Edinburgh by day and a thief by night with 2 lovers and 5 children that no one knew anything about.
---> It was precisely this character, tried and hanged in Edinburgh in 1788, who inspired the well-known writer Robert Louis Stevenson to write the novel "The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde".
--> The writer tells this in a short epilogue, but if like me you love doing some research on the web, in Wikipedia you will find the story of his life and how he was discovered and captured and where his house and the pubs dedicated to him are located.

__ MYSTERY PART __ the mystery could have been compelling, because from a simple theft we move not only to murder but to the theme of abuse of women (unfortunately a problem that is still current). However, the writer is still inexperienced and has not been able to put enough twists and clues to create enough suspense for the reader. I have read cozy mysteries that were certainly more engaging despite being light reads.

__ IN CONCLUSION all in all it was pleasant and if there weren't such a large number of books to read and so little time, I would read some other books in the series, but it won't happen anytime soon because I give priority to books that I think will give me stronger emotions.

( NOTE : being this book available in English language only, I'm writing my review in English, but it's not my mother tongue, so please be lenient with my text :-) thanks )

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