Karen Charlton

This book was cheap or free on Amazon, and it sounded like everything I would enjoy: a nice British-style mystery set in 1809 featuring Bow Street runners and a locked room, with a whiff of the supernatural – perfect.

Except it was awful.

I've said, in some form or other, and will likely say again that when a writer whose work I enjoy says something that doesn't feel quite right, I believe it – but when a writer whose work I dislike says something that doesn't feel right, I will get show more online and do the research to, if possible, prove I'm right and they're wrong so there. It unfortunately didn't take long for me to get to the point that when Karen Charlton had a character say "There’s no cake with candles fer me at a year’s end", I got to digging. As best I can find, it's an anachronism - and, if nothing else, someone in this character's place and position probably couldn't afford it even it was common.

The two so-remarkable detectives at the heart of the story, Detective Stephen Lavender and Constable Woods, are ridiculous. Their investigative skills are remarkable only for their absence – an example being that they decide to "stake out the grave of Baxter Carnaby from midnight". Fine; but why not before? And of course early on they miss the bad guy and basically screw up altogether. It doesn't help that so-wonderful Detective Lavender is – as even his faithful Constable says – "mooning around after " a chance-met so-exotic Spanish woman widow – or is she?? He is so distracted that I wanted to see him come up on charges. The "clever idea" used to get into/out of a room which was barred on the inside was ludicrous; it would have left signs that even the dumbest and most sloppy maid or investigator would have remarked upon, even if they didn't know what they meant.

Lavender muses about "the moments when he knew, for certain, that he could drag a criminal into the dock at the next assizes", to which I responded "the moments when exactly the evidence you require appears as if by magic". And my comment on "They shouted over and over again for Hamilton" was "ooo stealthy", so it had to have been a situation in which yelling was inappropriate.

The badness of the writing was … manifold. There was punctuation abuse (particularly of commas), grammar maltreatment, and unintentional humor all throughout.

"He caught the glint of iron flint in Wood's eyes" is just silly in at least three different directions.

Characters said "God's strewth" – why? "Strewth" is supposed to be slang for "God's truth", so … that makes no sense.

"Woods shuffled uncomfortably on a hard–baked chair by the door." How do you shuffle in a seated position, and how is a chair hard-baked?

And seriously, "orb" is a word which should never be used except in quoting Shakespeare.

I don't have any memory of the context of this quote, but in my Kindle highlights I saved: "‘The Lord save us from loose fish!’ Mistress Norris exclaimed." The note I made with it was "THAT is your response to proposed rapine?"

Not-exactly-wealthy characters ladle sugar into their tea like it was the 21st century – but sugar was still pretty darned expensive in 1809.

Someone burns old documents and carelessly doesn't completely destroy one – something so clichéd it should come with a health warning.

I had an idea about what happened – not something I usually do with mysteries – and when the writer caught up to that idea, I grumbled some more in my Kindle notes – "that is nonsensical. My idea was better."

"Her accented voice purred like silk" … How does one purr like silk?

Another thing I say all the time is that when I make a lot of highlights or notes on my Kindle, it means a book was either really good or really bad. Obviously, I made a lot of notes on this book.

Imagine my chagrin when I requested another book that sounded awfully good from Netgalley, only to realize – too late – that it was by the same author. I hate it when that happens. show less

As a fan of this author’s Detective Lavender mysteries, I was itching to give her latest mystery series a try. Goodness, I’m glad I did. First, I read the short story that is the prequel to the series – The Mystery of Mad Alice Lane. There we are introduced to the protagonists and the seed is planted that they might open their own detective agency someday. Then, I came to this excellently written, richly descriptive story with multiple mysteries and the introduction of some intriguing show more supporting characters. Just as an aside, this author always has the best author’s notes, etc. at the back of the book – they are broad and very informative. Frankly, I usually read the notes first because it enhances my enjoyment of the story as I move through it. However, it might give you some hints about the story, so if you don’t want that, wait to read the notes – but do read them.

Jemima (Jemma) James (nee Roxby) and Roberta (Bobby) Baker have been the best of friends for most of their lives. Though Jemma married and moved away, she has now returned to York because her husband (Michael) is missing and presumed dead. Jemma was at loose ends because she couldn’t keep their repair shop up and running without Michael. Living with her brother, Inspector Gabriel Roxby of York City Police, will have to suffice until she can plot her path forward.

Bobby Baker works as a store detective at Grainger’s Department Store. It pays little, but at least it helps keep food on the table for herself and her parents. She’d leave it in a minute if something better came along. Lucky for her, it does. It comes along in the shape of two shoplifters at Grainger’s store and her friend Jemma who helps her apprehend them. What is a more logical next step than for Jemma and Bobby to start up their own agency?

Their fledgling agency’s first cases run the gamut from sleazy cheating husbands to industrial espionage, to blackmail, stolen identities, and even spies. As they move through the cases, they enlist the aid of several characters who may or may not become recurring. I liked all of them and will be happy to see them continue, but if they need to go their own way, I’m okay with that as well.

Each of the cases is excellently plotted and all of the loose ends are neatly sewn up before the end of the book. However, there is an event that puts a twist in Jemma’s knickers and I’m assuming that twist will be recurring throughout at least several more books. It will be interesting to see what happens with it in the second book – Dancing With Dusty Fossils – which releases in November of 2022.

I hope you will give this fun, exciting mystery a read and that you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Jemma and Bobby are great characters who embody the resilience and fortitude of England during that stressful time of nightly bombings and war. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and cannot wait to see where they go from here. show less

I loved this story, even as the injustice involved made me angry. Jamie Charlton is a poor farmer who is accused of stealing the farm rents from the local lord. Whether he committed the crime is actually irrelevant as he is the favored suspect. As a poverty-stricken tenant farmer, he has no defense against the laws of the day, which favor the gentry and titled.

As his family fights for his freedom, they are involved in their own lives and struggles. Jamie's brothers are arguing over how to show more help him, while his wife and son are just trying to survive. His brother William is desperate to get away from all the family drama and live his own life. Their oldest brother, John, is more worried about maintaining a good reputation for the family and keeping the family farm going. His wife Cilla is trying to keep her four children fed. His oldest son, Jack has befriended a wild animal and believes his family's fate is tied to that of his new friend.

If you read the acknowledgements at the beginning of the book, you know how the book ends, as Catching the Eagle is a fictionalized account of a real family's story. However, the ups and downs through the book will keep you coming back. It had me hoping for a different ending. In fact, despite some emotional scenes in the story, I didn't cry until the end of the book. This is in no way a "happily-ever-after" and is very disturbing when you remember that there was a time when England's law system was based more on class than justice.

Apparently, this is the first in a series. I'm very curious about what subsequent books will involve. Oh, and this story takes place in northern England, on the Scottish border, so the characters reminded me of the Scots in my favorite historicals. That was a big bonus.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

I had begun to despair of ever getting another Detective Lavender mystery because it has been four long years since the last one was published in February 2020. I was afraid I would have forgotten some of the finer nuances of the relationships, etc. but – no, I hadn’t. It was an interesting and exciting book that takes Lavender, Woods, Bow Street, and Woods grown sons in a new direction that I think will be so much fun! One of the things I love about this series is that there really was show more a Detective Lavender in Bow Street at that time and the author is giving us a fictionalized version of his cases. He was quite a celebrity in his day and a number of the details in the stories really happened. Is that cool or what?

Beloved Magistrate Read has retired and the new magistrate, Conant, wants to make his mark on Bow Street. So far, nobody cares for him or his changes. Especially the changes he’s made to their working relationships – as in – he splits up the dynamic duo of Lavender and Woods. Or – at least he thinks he does.

We begin with a very strange and history-making autopsy performed (or not) by esteemed surgeon Sir Richard Allison at Guy’s Hospital and then, we go on to robberies, murders, grave robbers, imposters, usurers, you name it. Before all is said and done, you’ll think there can’t possibly be any more criminals left in London because Bow Street has arrested all of them.

This was a breath-holding, fun read with Lavender and Woods solving cases separately and together while managing Magistrate Conant at the same time. I recommend this book and hope you will love it as much as I did. Happy Reading! show less