Welcome to my spot on Book Birthday Blitz for The crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources
Blurb
London 1881. Can two crooked women stop a murder?
Extravagant medium Mrs Ashton and her lover, blunt working-class Mrs Bradshaw, run a spiritualist scam. Mrs Ashton secretly reads minds. Believing that Mrs Ashton is genuine, grieving Lady Violet craves the truth behind her mother’s untimely death. But Lady Violet’s powerful husband Sir Charles hates spiritualists. Has he killed before? Uncovering this MP’s wicked crimes will put all three women in terrible danger…
Purchase Links
My Review (4 stars out of 5)
Trickster medium Mrs Ashton and her tough-talking lesbian lover, Braddie, run a spiritualist scam, although Mrs Ashton does have the ability to read minds through physical contact with her clients. Grief-stricken Lady Violet seeks the medium’s help to learn the truth behind her mother’s untimely death, but Lady Violet’s domineering husband hates spiritualists and soon puts a stop to the meetings. However, when Sir Charles inadvertently reveals his role in a murder, Mrs Ashton is determined to expose the man’s crimes. Unfortunately, before she can bring him to justice, she finds herself accused of murder…
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s an entertaining one. Set in the 1880s, the author’s research and attention to detail give the story a realistic feel, enabling the reader to imagine each scene like watching a movie. The main characters are well-drawn and their relationship (and ongoing disagreements regarding their investigation) keep the tension going. Other characters (such as Maisie) add to the fun and there are lots of twists and turns to keep the story rolling along.
An amusing and engaging read that will please lovers of Victorian crime.
Author Bio
My grandmother told me I read too much. I remember walking in the garden when I was small, telling myself stories. It was over thirty years of wanting to be a novelist before I tried… and succeeded.
The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder arose because I wanted to write about Britishness and specifically about Englishness; about our complex relationship with the past; I wanted leads who were morally greyer but still capable of kindness. It was time for a novel with queer leads. And in quite desperate times, I needed to write something with some uplift. It’s the first book intended to start a series.
My first books, Our Child of the Stars and Our Child of Two Worlds are set in the 1960s USA. It’s about Gene and Molly, a childless couple, and Cory, the little boy from the stars that they adopt, under such challenging circumstances. The books got lovely reviews and are available on both sides of the Atlantic.
I spent nearly all my childhood in Bristol, and I’m now an adoptive Londoner. I live with my partner, and it’s the best thing our two adult children come back from time to time. Our garden rages wild.
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Giveaway to Win 4 x Signed Books by Stephen Cox (Open to UK Only)
Prize includes – Our Child of the Stars, Our Child of Two Worlds, The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder and the Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror.
*Terms and Conditions UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, except for the winners’ information. This will pass to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
https://gleam.io/gFE4O/win-4-x-signed-books-by-stephen-cox-open-to-uk-only
Colin Garrow 