This is the first book in the Victorian Book Club series by Callie Hutton who’s no stranger to writing, but from her bio I read that this is her first venture into cozy mysteries, technically historical cozy mysteries since this takes place in 1890. All I know is, she certainly entertained me with her sense of humor coming through the characters. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I’m not normally a historical cozy reader but occasionally I’ll read one. I was pleasantly surprised by these fun characters, especially William and Amy. I’m definitely up for reading the next book!
My Goodreads review:
A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Really well-written and plotted, I love the sense of humor and the budding relationship with Amy and William. They made the best sleuthing buddies, and with the little hint of some things yet to come in the next book, I’m definitely going to have to check it out. The killer was a total surprise to me with a quick but efficient showdown where both Amy and William were able to shine.
I loved the idea of Lady Amy being a mystery writer who was incognito and going to book clubs where they were discussing her book that everyone thought was written by a man, because in 1890 women weren’t considered much of anything let alone writers. Amy was a a nice strong personality for that era and more than one time I was cheering her on or sharing eye rolls with her when someone would make a snarky comment. I liked Margaret a lot too. She was more like an older sister than an aunt, because mainly in those days some aunts were stuffy and no fun, lol. Just as the running joke of someone saying “your fiance” followed with Amy saying, “…my EX-fiance” was wearing a little thin, the author did the funniest thing with it toward the end. Just read it, you’ll know when you see it and hopefully laugh as much as I did. I definitely liked this book a lot better than I thought I would when I first started it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.
Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery 