This collection was very entertaining. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The characters were well written and I enjoyed it. ( )

I gave up on this one pretty quickly. There was too high a ration of infodump, there appeared to be an upcoming (uninteresting) love triangle, and the main character was supposed to be a feisty get-up-and-go sort of girl but she seemed to be on the verge of making some very stupid decisions that I just wasn’t interested in reading about. ( )

I enjoyed this one. I love the atmospheric Victorian setting. While I struggled a bit with believing Catriona would have the freedom to roam Limehouse and parts of London unescorted (sometimes it is best to just give in to the story and not ponder these things!) I found the mystery to be well crafted, even if I did figure out who the murder is pretty early on. The romantic web of multiple potential love interests was a bit of an unnecessary distraction in my opinion. I tend to read these types of stories for the mystery, NOT the romance angle. Even so, I will admit that I found myself rooting for one of the gentlemen to win Catriona over. Overall, an entertaining murder mystery.

Thank you to the author and LibraryThing for providing me with copy in exchange for a review. ( )

Catriona Winters, daughter of a newspaper owner, is eager to prove herself as a competent journalist. The scene of a slain nobleman brings her into conflict with Inspector Thomas Marlowe, who has no interest in her poking into his case. Battling the shadows of her own past, Catriona pursues the truth, wading deeper into the seedy side of the docks, never dreaming how close the danger really is to her family.
This was an entertaining mystery! Once I began, I found it hard to put down. I enjoyed Catriona’s no-nonsense attitude. It made sense that she, a young lady of good family, pursued journalism with her doting father owning the newspaper.
One thing that annoyed me was how every single gentleman apparently was attracted to Catriona: her childhood friend, the inspector, the opium den owner in the docks. I also would have liked a specific year, but everything was just Victorian. The details were enjoyable; the author clearly did her research. But given how much things changed in the Victorian era, I would have liked to have a specific reference point.
Overall, this was an intriguing start to a series. I am interested to know what happens next. I would recommend this to readers looking for a Victorian mystery.

I received a free copy from the author via LibraryThing Review program. All opinions expressed are my own.
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I got an early reader copy of this book, and this is my honest review. I very much enjoyed this book. After a few chapters, I was hooked and couldn't wait to get back to the book and read more. I LOVE it when this happens with a book. Catriona is a clever, down-to-earth young woman, but she is still a little flighty when it comes to men. Her growing relationship with Marlowe and her hot & cold relationship with Nate, then her "fiancé" Sidney. This could be frustrating, but it makes her a realistic person with weaknesses just like anybody else. I enjoyed the descriptions of the time period and the warm relationship with her friend Bethany. I wish there was a little more about Marlowe in the story, he intrigued me. Her mother is mentioned a bit, and the tragedy that caused her death is hinted to but never revealed. This leaves some more juicy details for the next book. I really enjoyed this read, it was a great first book for the a new series, and I look forward to reading the next one. ( )