Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Goodreads Reviews: Historical Mysteries I Loved

A Darker God (Laetitia Talbot, #3)A Darker God by Barbara Cleverly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In Letty's third outing set in 1928 Athens, Letty's mentor, Sir Andrew Merriman, is killed at the dress rehearsal of a Greek tragedy he is directing about the murder of King Agamemnon by his vengeful wife Clytemnestra. As more facts come to light, the parallels between ancient and modern become eerie. Personal vendettas and politics entwine in nefarious plots, and Letty's life is endangered. I found the political aspects interesting, as I'm not familiar with this period of Greek history. I love this series, and enjoyed this suspenseful episode, though I missed the archeological focus of the first two books. I am definitely hoping for a fourth book, with Letty off digging again!

Mr. Churchill's SecretaryMr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've long been a fan of Winston Churchill, so couldn't resist this one. It's the first of the Maggie Hope mystery series, about a young woman in London at the start of World War II. A mathematician, Maggie hopes to do more for the war effort than type, but takes a job as a secretary in the Prime Minister's office. She has no idea that she is of interest to the authorities because of her parentage, of which she knows very little, having been raised in the US by her aunt. The likable characters, exciting plot and a great sense of time and place make this a marvelous read.

What I like about both books is a strong female character trying to make her way in a man's world, and the strong sense of time and place. Do you enjoy historical mysteries?

Linda

View all my Goodreads reviews

3 comments:

hotcha12 said...

NOT READ IT YET.

Teresa said...

Both of these sound really good... Now I need more time in the day.

Linda McLaughlin said...

If you are going to read the Letty Talbot mysteries, start with Bright Hair About the Bone, as it's the first one chronologically.