Review: A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

 

A Ghastly Catastrophe (Veronica Speedwell #10) by Deanna Raybourn

Publication Date: March 3rd 2026 by Berkley

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Librofm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Veronica and Stoker are drawn into a puzzling mystery when Detective Mornaday quietly seeks their help on a case he’s been ordered to abandon. Two deaths, one man drained of blood with twin puncture wounds, the other ruled a suicide, both trace back to an exclusive and secretive men’s club.

 

Whispers of witchcraft and Dracula swirl about, and while Veronica’s scientific mind remains open to every possibility, Stoker’s skepticism keeps them grounded. Their investigation soon attracts the attention of the Harpocrates Society, a gentleman’s club with an enigmatic leader whose nocturnal habits fuel the rumors. Detective Mornaday and J.J. are fun side characters, each helping to investigate in their own way.

 

A Ghastly Catastrophe was another delightful addition to the series. Veronica and Stoker work wonderfully together, both clever, determined and fierce. I love their playful back and forth and I’m happy the conflict comes from the danger of the investigations they tackle and no longer from their romantic relationship. I look forward to their next case!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Veronica and Stoker are practically dying for a new adventure but when their wish is granted, they find themselves up against a secret society and a darkly seductive duo in this landmark historical mystery from beloved New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica’s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide, and Veronica and her intrepid beau, Stoker, know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere.

Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Roma boy may know more about their first victim, but the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker’s, Lady Julia Brisbane. Lady Julia and her dashing husband, Nicholas, occasionally track down murderers and are only too happy to help. But as it becomes clear the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple.

The professed leader of the society claims to be a creature of the night; his partner practices witchcraft and they both fancy themselves emissaries of the otherworldly. Just as Veronica and Stoker get closer to learning the true purpose of the society and unraveling this macabre mystery, another body turns up, and they quickly discover they’ve gone from being the hunters to the hunted. . . .

Review: The Specimen by Jaima Fixsen

 

The Specimen by Jaima Fixsen

Publication Date: October 15th 2024 by Poisoned Pen Press & Recorded Books

Pages: 416

Audio Book Length: 13hrs 3min

Narrator: Cathleen McCarron

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

It’s 1826 in Edinburgh, Scotland when Isobel’s seven-year-old son, Thomas, goes missing. She’s wild with grief and hounds the police daily, but there’s not sign of him anywhere. Months later, Isobel, at the urging of friends, is attending a museum of morbid curiosities when she starts to hear the beating of Thomas’ heart!

 

The Specimen was suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat as Isobel searches for the truth and stumbles on a way to do it that puts her in danger! I was rooting for her as she uncovered the details and looked for a way to serve up justice! There’s a splash of spine-tingling supernatural here, too!

 

The writing was rich and vivid without sacrificing pace! Don’t miss reading the author’s note at the end which gives a bit of the history of the true story The Specimen was based on and how she came up with the story!

 

I alternately read and listened to The Specimen. The audio was fantastic! Cathleen McCarron’s Scottish accent was wonderful to listen to and there were pronunciations I wouldn’t have got right otherwise. She seamlessly performed both male and female voices. Loved!

5 Stars

Book Description:

Walk carefully, lest you become a part of Dr. Burnett's collection…

1826. Isobel Tait finds herself, by chance, staring at a tiny human heart floating in a jar. It should be of little consequence; Dr. Burnett is renowned for his collection of oddities and medical specimens, and this, a juvenile heart with a damaged mitral valve, is not the strangest thing on display. Except that the condition is rare, and that Isobel's young son, who has been missing for months, suffered from the ailment.

A phantom pulse beats in Isobel's ears. She knows something here isn't right.

Missing persons cases are all too common in Edinburgh, where people simply vanish like mist. But Burnett is obsessed with his specimens – how far would he go to acquire a new one? Determined to investigate, Isobel joins his staff as the keeper of his collection. What she'll unearth, though, is far worse than any of her nightmares…

Based on true crimes, The Specimen is a mesmerizing story about one woman's search for truth and vengeance in the darkest of places—where the deadliest secrets lie hidden in plain sight, on a freshly dusted shelf.

Review: Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley

 

Speculations in Sin (Below Stairs #7) by Jennifer Ashley

Publication Date: March 5th 2024 by Berkley

Pages: 320

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Kat Holloway’s cooking prowess affords her the best spots in wealthy houses, but she stays in the London area because of her daughter, Grace. There’s a whole backstory there that I won’t elaborate on. In this installment there’s trouble with the family Grace stays with while Kat is working. Sam Millburn, the father has been accused of embezzlement and it’s up to Kat to help the Millburn’s, who’ve been a godsend to her and Grace.

As they investigate, someone is murdered, upping the stakes even higher.

There's a lot of danger and action in this installment! Of course, Kat has Daniel, Cynthia, Mr. Thanos, Tess, and her other gang of friends she’s accumulated along the way. Kat inspires loyalty with her kindness and cleverness in tackling problems for those she loves. As usual, I wanted to thump Mrs. Bywater more than a few times! Kat is too good for that awful woman’s house!

I’ve been devouring the Below Stairs mysteries centered on Kat Holloway, a cook in the 1800s solving crimes while wowing people with her food. Speculations in Sin is the seventh book in the series, and so now Kat has made a name for herself in sleuthing. Each book has a separate mystery to solve, but the continuing story arc is her relationship with Daniel McAdam and the friends she’s acquired along the way. I’ve loved every book! The series is best started from the beginning. I’d start with the novella: A Soupçon of Poison, which introduces Kat and Daniel.

I read an e-copy of Speculations in Sin, but I’ve been listening to the audios of the previous books. Anne-Marie Piazza’s performance is fantastic!

5 Stars

Book Description:

To save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Bow Lane.

Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel’s wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.

When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she’s treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.

About the author:

Jennifer Ashley is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Below Stairs Mysteries, the Shifters Unbound paranormal romances, and the Mackenzies historical romances. She also writes as USA Today bestselling mystery author Ashley Gardner.