The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits (World’s End Bureau Mystery, #1) by Alys Clare (2018)

 

This new Victorian mystery series is set in 1880s London. The World’s End Bureau, an investigation agency, is owned and operated by L.G. Raynor or Lily as she is known to her acquaintances.  Lily lives and operates the business out of the three-story building left to her by her grandparents.  As the story opens Lily is looking to hire a clerical assistant and interviews F.P.D.M. Wilbraham (or Felix) for the job.  Of course Felix thinks L.G. is a man and Lily assumes F.P.D.M. is a woman.

On his very first day Felix is left alone in the office when Ernest Stibbins comes in and assumes Felix is L.G. Unwilling to correct a potential client’s misconception Felix plays along which works out well in the long run. Stibbins claims his wife Albertina has been warned by her spirit guides that someone is out to harm her and he wants the World’s End Bureau to investigate the threat.

With the Stibbins case and the one she is currently working on, Lily needs help. She hands some small tasks over to Felix and soon discovers he has the makings of a skilled private enquiry agent.  Before you know it, Felix and Lily are sharing the workload, although Felix never forgets he is an employee.

Written in the present tense, the reader is drawn into Lily and Felix’s world. The author has such a way with descriptions that you will feel you are walking down the street with Felix and experiencing events alongside Lily. Much is learned about the two main characters and there are hints of tragedy in Lily’s past and hardship in Felix’s which I expect will be ferreted out in subsequent novels. The reader meets many other interesting characters during the course of the book, including the ballerina who refuses to bathe, Lily’s housekeeper with an attitude, an aging actress involved with the young son of an aristocrat, and a river boat captain who appears to be Lily's closest friend.

Book 2, The Outcast Girls, is also available at EPL.

Alys Claire is a pseudonym of Elizabeth Harris.

3.88 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Down Range (Garrett Kohl, #1) by Taylor Moore, 2021

 

Down Range is not only the first in a series; it marks the debut of Taylor Moore as an author. Moore, a former CIA Intelligence Officer, writes about what he knows best, government agents. Garrett Kohl, the hero in this modern day western/thriller, is a deep-cover DEA agent working with the CIA in Afghanistan when the story begins. When on a covert surveillance mission, he can only observe while an entire village is massacred. Although Garrett’s orders are to not to get involved, he rescues the 10-year-old Asadi who somehow manages to escape the bullets. Garret expects to be fired for his actions but instead finds himself charged with protecting the only viable witness to the atrocity.

As a former Green Beret and now an elite DEA agent, Garrett knows he can keep the boy safe. Rather than use a safe house, Garrett takes Asadi back to the family ranch he loves and the family he hasn’t spoken to in years.  Once there Garrett finds that the town is under attack by drug dealers who have infiltrated law enforcement, corrupted local businesses, and are now terrorizing his own brother. When Garret discovers the situation cannot be resolved peacefully, he puts his special skills and his knowledge of the land to good use.  After all, Garrett has spent the better part of his career hunting terrorists.

The book is very well written, and the author’s vibrant and vivid descriptions of the land, horses, homes, businesses, and the characters will take you right into the action. Should appeal to fans of C. J. Box and Jack Carr.

Book two, Firestorm is due out in August when I expect to see Asadi again. His story isn’t finished.

4.21 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

Preludes and Nocturnes (Sandman Vol. 1) by By Neil Gaiman

Preludes and Nocturnes is the first in a series of graphic novels by Neil Gaiman. This volume contains the first eight issues of the series. In the first issue there is an occult group who seeks to summon death, and gain control over life and death. Instead they accidentally summon Morpheus, the ruler of the dream world. Morpheus ends up in their imprisonment for about 70 years, and in the meantime loses control over the dream world. In the subsequent issues he traverses both the land of the living and of demons to reclaim his three possessions which give him power over dreams.

This series originally started in the 80’s and the art style is reflective of it. It is also intended for older readers, filled with many dark violent moments, especially the issue taking place in the diner. I would highly recommend this to anyone familiar with Neil Gaiman’s work. I would also recommend this to anyone who wants to read comics without superhero's.

Goodreads 4.23 out of 5, Amazon 4.8 out of 5

This series is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson

A hero set out on a journey to save the world; instead of a being a savior, we see what happens if the hero becomes a tyrant (Lord Ruler). The world in which the Mistborn series takes place in used to be filled with greenery, but is now a bleak ash covered land of despair. These events were set into motion 1000 years prior to the main events of this tale, and much has been lost of the world of the past. After reaching a state of immortality, the Lord Ruler has ensnared the world and has removed any from power who display opposition. However, a group of individuals has gathered to challenge the Lord Rulers claim on the world. They are far from the first group to attempt to overthrow him, but can they succeed and reclaim the world to its former state?

I found this be to an entertaining read, with a likeable cast of characters. The world also has a unique magic system, which is controlled by the select individuals capable of consuming elemental metals. These powers vary, from increasing ones strength, or controlling others emotions. If I were to find a criticism in this first book it’s that, we only find out bits and pieces about how the Lord Ruler came to be, there is still much which is left unknown.  Hopefully this will be fleshed out in the subsequent novels.  This book was originally presented as a trilogy with additional books taking place in the same world but many years after the original story. 

Goodreads 4.44 out of 5, Amazon 4.7 out of 5

This series is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.