ARC Review - The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas

The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas
The Lady Sherlock series, book four
Published Oct 2019 by Berkley

Format Read: Print ARC provided by publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
As "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," Charlotte Holmes has solved murders and found missing individuals. But she has never stolen a priceless artwork—or rather, made away with the secrets hidden behind a much-coveted canvas.

But Mrs. Watson is desperate to help her old friend recover those secrets and Charlotte finds herself involved in a fever-paced scheme to infiltrate a glamorous Yuletide ball where the painting is one handshake away from being sold and the secrets a bare breath from exposure.

Her dear friend Lord Ingram, her sister Livia, Livia's admirer Stephen Marbleton—everyone pitches in to help and everyone has a grand time. But nothing about this adventure is what it seems and disaster is biding time on the grounds of a glittering French chateau, waiting only for Charlotte to make a single mistake...

My Review: 

As some of you know I read a lot of cozy mysteries for both work and fun and I LOVE a good historical mystery. I'd been intrigued by this series for a while, after hearing amazing things about author Sherry Thomas's skill as a writer. I also love the imagined twist on the character Sherlock Holmes.  So, when given the opportunity to read The Art of Theft, I couldn't pass it up, even though it is book four in the series.  

As such, my review will be more of a teasing spotlight, as like I will recommend to you, I intend to go back and start this series properly with book one, A Study in Scarlet Women. The writing in this series is wonderful, full of rich historical detail, flirtations with "current events" of the time and character development that leaves no character as simply a caricature of themselves. The mystery unfolds well, and though I've heard it is not the most exciting in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I did feel as though I were missing pieces of the characters' interactions with each other, though, having not read the previous books. This is a series that truly should be read in order.  

So, book one is highly recommended for readers who enjoy a good historical mystery and like the idea of a female behind the incredible mind of the infamous Sherlock Holmes. 

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
by Kady Cross
Steampunk Chronicles, book two

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling-or dangerous Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper from the clutches of a devious criminal demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him... for the life of the girl Jasper loves. 

One false move from Jasper, and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens and tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens follows Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship. 

More than ever, Finley must rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley... and will risk his life and reputation to save her. 

Now, to help those she's come to care for so deeply, Finley must infiltrate the criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much... (Description from Goodreads.com)

God, I need to catch up with this series! There's four books now and I'm JUST reading book two *facepalm*.  Not only do I love Kady Cross' (also known as Kate Locke, whose books I DEVOUR) writing, but these are such fun steampunk adventures.  

I really enjoyed not only getting to follow some more of Finlay's adventures, but also getting to learn more about some of the secondary characters, especially Jasper.  Learning more about his origins added a whole new layer to the series and I'd love to see even more of that in the other books...we'll have to see when I catch up! LOL.  There were new nuances to the romantic relationships in this follow-up, as well, which left me grinning and slightly swoony at times.  I can't wait to see Finlay and Griffin finally figure their relationship out!! 

I liked the jump over to America in this one.  I thought it let things sort of start fresh for a few people.  The addition of some key New York inhabitants had me grinning, and I longed to be there at that time (in this steampunk world, of course! I want to ride a dirrigible!!). A great read that has me scrambling to find time to read the next one... 

Full Disclosure: Borrowed from My Library 

This is W.A.R.

First off, I have to apologize to everyone.  Not only are we at our busiest at work right now with summer reading, so my blogging has slowed down a little due to that, but now I'm fighting off a super-stellar chest cold, so this review that I promised you on Saturday is now a few days late. So sorry guys!

This is W.A.R. 
by Lisa and Laura Roecker

This is not a story of forgiveness...

The mystery of their best friend's murder drives four girls to destroy the Gregory family.

Everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club saw Willa Ames-Rowan climb into a boat with James Gregory, the Club’s heir apparent.

And everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club watched him return. Alone.

They all know he killed her. But none of them will say a word. The Gregory family is very, very good at making problems go away.

Enter the W.A.R.—the war to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan. Four girls. Four very different motives for justice and revenge, and only one rule: destroy the Gregory family at any cost. (Description from Amazon.com)

If you are looking for a great book to read at the beach this summer, look no further! The Roecker sisters have knocked it out of the park again. This book reads just like an episode of a good television soap opera. Upon the "accidental death" of their club's princess, four girls band together to bring down the boy who killed her.  Delicious secrets get revealed in every chapter.  Loyalties become questioned.  Bonds are formed. 

Lives are destroyed.  

This book tackles some serious issues, but in a fun way that kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could. I was pretty sure I knew what was going on (and I was mostly right :P), but there were red herrings thrown into the mix around every corner.  Moments that made me question my suspicions...  

Like Pretty Little Liars, no character in this novel is without flaws, and most of them have been keeping some kind of big secret. Nothing makes for juicier beach reading than those "Shut the Front Door!" revelation moments.  Trust me.  If you like danger, mystery, gossip, and intrigue, you'll want to check this one out! 

Full disclosure: eARC received from Edelweiss, eBook purchased for my Nook 

Secret Letters

Secret Letters
by Leah Scheier

Inquisitive and observant, Dora dreams of escaping her aristocratic country life to solve mysteries alongside Sherlock Holmes. So when she learns that the legendary detective might be her biological father, Dora jumps on the opportunity to travel to London and enlist his help in solving the mystery of her cousin’s ransomed love letters. But Dora arrives in London to devastating news: Sherlock Holmes is dead. Her dreams dashed, Dora is left to rely on her wits—and the assistance of an attractive yet enigmatic young detective—to save her cousin’s reputation and help rescue a kidnapped heiress along the way. (Description from Amazon.com)

I really enjoyed this historical mystery.  Dora has characteristics that make her very similar to her father, Sherlock Holmes, his analytic mind, an astute observational sense... but, she's much easier to relate to as a main character. She's charmingly flawed, but still smart.  I loved her interactions with the other investigators she meets and watching her walk the line between her station and the career path she'd like to pursue.  I hope that more books come out featuring Dora.  I'm sure other historical mystery fans (those that like Y.S. Lee's books, especially) will also enjoy this one. 

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library 

Struck by Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal

Struck by Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal

by Chris Colfer

 

Publication date: November 20, 2012

 

Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker.

At once laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously dark, and remarkably smart, Struck By Lightning unearths the dirt that lies just below the surface of high school. (description from Amazon.com)

Funny. Snarky. Oh, and did I mention that if you get the audio book version Chris Colfer narrates? Yes! You heard me right...four hours of Chris reading a hilarious book to YOU. *sigh* It was great.  I loved this book. It felt very authentic, even in its over-the-top moments.   Even as I was snarfing and trying not to laugh out loud, you had to acknowledge the dark moments...

I would definitely recommend this book for high school students and adults just because of the language, but oh, who are we kidding?  With Chris Colfer's name on it and the movie version coming out in regular theaters in January, soon even middle schoolers will be asking for it, LOL. 

A little gem of a book. :)

Oh, and for fun...here's the movie trailer!

 

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile Magazine

Dead is Just a Rumor

Dead is Just a Rumor
by Marlene Perez
Dead is series, book four

As the creepy little town of Nightshade prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary - on Halloween, of course - many of its paranormal residents are receiving mysterious blackmail letters. Psychic teen Daisy Giordano and her sisters set out to find out who is behind the threats. But launching an investigation isn't easy for Daisy with her overprotective father watching her every move. Though she's happy to have him back after the years he spent being held captive by an anti-paranormal group called the Scourge, Dad is having a difficult time adjusting to home life - and the fact that his little girl is now a senior in high school. He even disapproves of Daisy's boyfriend, Ryan. Can their relationship take the strain? And Daisy's got even more on her plate: A talented amateur chef, she has won cooking lessons with celebrity chef Circe Silvertongue. After nosing around (with a little help from Circe's pet pig), Daisy begins to suspect the temperamental chef's secrets aren't only in her ingredients...
(description taken from Amazon.com)

I love this series. They are fun, quick to read paranormal mysteries. This newest one involves blackmail, ghostly writings, a pet pig, and an awesome semi-alive jukebox. Not only is each mystery fun in itself, but in every book a little more of the history of Nightshade is revealed. It was really cool to see more come out about the town while they were preparing for the anniversary party.

Daisy is a fun character. She is funny, nice, smart, and yet believable...because she's also somewhat short-tempered and hasn't quite learned to control her temper (and thus her telekenesis) yet. Her best friend, Samantha, her boyfriend, Ryan, and each of her family members are also great characters.

All in all, these are books that I can't wait to get my hands on. When does book five come out??

Full disclosure: egalley received from publisher via netgalley.