What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lady Mortician's Visions #2
The Fake Child
From author Helen Goltz, the second book in the exciting series about love, fate, and putting to rest more than the dead, with a hint of magic, mystery and visions.
Miss Phoebe Astin of The Economic Undertaker is not just a talented mortician, but a medium for the spirit world and often enjoys the company of her clients before they move on to the next world. When her funeral director brothers, Julius and Ambrose, bring the deceased Mrs Henriette Tochborn to her workroom, there is much interest as the lady was quite well known for her tragedy – twenty years prior her child was kidnapped and never found. Prior to her death, to mark the 20th anniversary, Mrs Tochborn placed an advertisement in the paper requesting information, or for her child, if he was still alive, to come forth. Two men responded – a butcher and an asylum inmate – claiming to be that very child. Unfortunately, illness took Mrs Tochborn’s life before their claims could be tested. But that’s not stopping the claimants from trying for their rightful inheritance. Phoebe is surprised when Mrs Tochborn appears in spirit form asking Phoebe for help. The deceased lady still has work to do amongst the living and now having crossed over to the other side, Mrs Tochborn knows the truth of what happened to her son. Working with Detective Harland Stone who has faith in Phoebe’s visions and a keen interest in the lady herself, and journalist, Miss Lilly Lewis, a case that has been cold for 20 years is suddenly warming up.
Meanwhile, Julius and Ambrose Astin struggle to maintain their professional undertaker countenance at a funeral that goes awry, and Julius’s affection for a certain lady becomes hard to ignore. There is murder, love and mystery afoot, and it appears that for the Astin family, being dead is no excuse for letting a crime go unpunished!
The Fake Child mystery includes:
A hint of paranormal, fantasy, and visions.
A family with a funeral business and all the quirks that come with it.
A beautiful and intriguing medium who is not a clairvoyant but has psychic leanings.
A handsome detective who is happy to have all the help he can get to solve the mystery.
Two handsome undertaker brothers who have their share of adventure and romance.
Historical detail accurately researched and set in 1890 Australia.
BOOKS IN THE LADY MORTICIAN’S VISIONS SERIES so far…The Missing Brides; The Fake Child; The Dastardly Debutante (coming soon).
Miss Phoebe Astin of The Economic Undertaker is not just a talented mortician, but a medium for the spirit world and often enjoys the company of her clients before they move on to the next world. When her funeral director brothers, Julius and Ambrose, bring the deceased Mrs Henriette Tochborn to her workroom, there is much interest as the lady was quite well known for her tragedy – twenty years prior her child was kidnapped and never found. Prior to her death, to mark the 20th anniversary, Mrs Tochborn placed an advertisement in the paper requesting information, or for her child, if he was still alive, to come forth. Two men responded – a butcher and an asylum inmate – claiming to be that very child. Unfortunately, illness took Mrs Tochborn’s life before their claims could be tested. But that’s not stopping the claimants from trying for their rightful inheritance. Phoebe is surprised when Mrs Tochborn appears in spirit form asking Phoebe for help. The deceased lady still has work to do amongst the living and now having crossed over to the other side, Mrs Tochborn knows the truth of what happened to her son. Working with Detective Harland Stone who has faith in Phoebe’s visions and a keen interest in the lady herself, and journalist, Miss Lilly Lewis, a case that has been cold for 20 years is suddenly warming up.
Meanwhile, Julius and Ambrose Astin struggle to maintain their professional undertaker countenance at a funeral that goes awry, and Julius’s affection for a certain lady becomes hard to ignore. There is murder, love and mystery afoot, and it appears that for the Astin family, being dead is no excuse for letting a crime go unpunished!
The Fake Child mystery includes:
A hint of paranormal, fantasy, and visions.
A family with a funeral business and all the quirks that come with it.
A beautiful and intriguing medium who is not a clairvoyant but has psychic leanings.
A handsome detective who is happy to have all the help he can get to solve the mystery.
Two handsome undertaker brothers who have their share of adventure and romance.
Historical detail accurately researched and set in 1890 Australia.
BOOKS IN THE LADY MORTICIAN’S VISIONS SERIES so far…The Missing Brides; The Fake Child; The Dastardly Debutante (coming soon).
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2023
167 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Helen Goltz
78 books133 followersHelen is a hybrid-published, Amazon best-selling author. After studying English Literature, Media, and Communications at universities in Queensland, Australia, and obtaining a Counselling Diploma, Helen Goltz has worked as a journalist, producer and marketer in print, TV, radio and public relations. Born in Toowoomba she has made her home in Brisbane, Australia with her journalist husband, Chris, and Boxer dog, Baxter.
Connect with Helen:
Website: www.helengoltz.com
BookBub:www.bookbub.com/authors/helen-goltz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HelenGoltz.Author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helengoltza...
Connect with Helen:
Website: www.helengoltz.com
BookBub:www.bookbub.com/authors/helen-goltz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HelenGoltz.Author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helengoltza...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 26, 2023
4.5 stars
This was super cozy and light for being about a family of undertakers. Everything that didn’t work for me in the first book was present in this second one, but it was in much better balance here.
The mystery was solid and well paced, the side characters added to the plot and the paranormal element -though used lightly- drove the plot forward and was a source of clues for solving the mystery.
There was detective work, interesting Victorian elements, an original setting (Australia 1890), a great concept, a very heartwarming family dynamic, humour and lots of romantic pining.
Not full stars because of some clunkiness to the writing and weird redundant phrasing that tripped me up a bit.
Now I want to read the next in the series and see if the two romances develop further. Such a light but engaging book.
TW death of a child 20 years prior to start of book.
This was super cozy and light for being about a family of undertakers. Everything that didn’t work for me in the first book was present in this second one, but it was in much better balance here.
The mystery was solid and well paced, the side characters added to the plot and the paranormal element -though used lightly- drove the plot forward and was a source of clues for solving the mystery.
There was detective work, interesting Victorian elements, an original setting (Australia 1890), a great concept, a very heartwarming family dynamic, humour and lots of romantic pining.
Not full stars because of some clunkiness to the writing and weird redundant phrasing that tripped me up a bit.
Now I want to read the next in the series and see if the two romances develop further. Such a light but engaging book.
TW death of a child 20 years prior to start of book.
April 12, 2025
Mrs Henriette Tochborn was recently deceased, and Miss Phoebe Astin of The Economic Undertaker in Brisbane, Australia, was in charge of preparing her for burial. Mrs Tochborn had had her son James, kidnapped, when he was ten years old, twenty years prior, and it was a well known case. Phoebe was in contact with the spirit world and when Mrs Tochborn's spirit sat quietly in the corner, Phoebe conversed with her. What she learned she knew needed to go to the police, and Detective Harland Stone was the one to have the case reopened, especially as there were now two men who declared they were the long lost James. Would they find the answers needed before the case went to court? Journalist Miss Lilly Lewis was determined to help...
The Fake Child is the 2nd in The Lady Mortician's Visions by Aussie author Helen Goltz and it was fabulous! Fun and entertaining along with the serious side of death and burials, I love the characters and found myself chuckling along on occasion. I'm very much looking forward to #3. Highly recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.
The Fake Child is the 2nd in The Lady Mortician's Visions by Aussie author Helen Goltz and it was fabulous! Fun and entertaining along with the serious side of death and burials, I love the characters and found myself chuckling along on occasion. I'm very much looking forward to #3. Highly recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.
December 4, 2023
There is something so uniquely entertaining about this series, I'm truly delighted with each installment.
I love this family and their interactions, their very slow burn romances and all of the other side characters thrown in that make for a light read with a satisfying feeling when you close the cover. I certainly wish there were more in the series.
I highly recommend you don't miss this series. You'll want to read them in order to completely understand the interpersonal relationships.
I love this family and their interactions, their very slow burn romances and all of the other side characters thrown in that make for a light read with a satisfying feeling when you close the cover. I certainly wish there were more in the series.
I highly recommend you don't miss this series. You'll want to read them in order to completely understand the interpersonal relationships.
October 11, 2024
A good mystery but…
The mystery was quite clever. The steps to solve it were well thought out, and discovery reasonable. The spirit’s clues certainly provided crucial details, but not all the clues needed. There were a lot of clues from Stone and Gilbert. The solution took real police work (at least real police work in a murder mystery) come to the solution. And yet, I have no idea who are the lead characters. And far too much random romance. Sure, it is interesting who fancies who, but it was tedious in the end. Anyhow, they are Kindle unlimited so I will read the next one.
The mystery was quite clever. The steps to solve it were well thought out, and discovery reasonable. The spirit’s clues certainly provided crucial details, but not all the clues needed. There were a lot of clues from Stone and Gilbert. The solution took real police work (at least real police work in a murder mystery) come to the solution. And yet, I have no idea who are the lead characters. And far too much random romance. Sure, it is interesting who fancies who, but it was tedious in the end. Anyhow, they are Kindle unlimited so I will read the next one.
January 6, 2026
2.5 Stars
The Fake Child was a good story.
The problems from the first book did carry over and get worse in this second installment, however.
Many POV's, a large cast of characters to the point I don't even know who are main character is supposed to be and romance sub-plot for ALL of those characters really made the mystery pacing take a hard hit. I did enjoy the overall experience and vibe, I love a historical ghost mystery.... so keeping the next one on my TBR to see what happens next.
The Fake Child was a good story.
The problems from the first book did carry over and get worse in this second installment, however.
Many POV's, a large cast of characters to the point I don't even know who are main character is supposed to be and romance sub-plot for ALL of those characters really made the mystery pacing take a hard hit. I did enjoy the overall experience and vibe, I love a historical ghost mystery.... so keeping the next one on my TBR to see what happens next.
August 22, 2023
Family, friends, humor & plot twists
In this book, the second in the series, I just savored all of the characters, the plot twists, and the descriptions of social life in Australia in the 1890s. I love the Astin family at the center of the story. I love the directions that the relationships between many friends are taking and the unexpected plot twists. I look forward to the next one and hope there will be many more to come. Great read.
In this book, the second in the series, I just savored all of the characters, the plot twists, and the descriptions of social life in Australia in the 1890s. I love the Astin family at the center of the story. I love the directions that the relationships between many friends are taking and the unexpected plot twists. I look forward to the next one and hope there will be many more to come. Great read.
September 24, 2024
Interesting story; poor editing
While the characters are engaging and the storyline develops in this second book in the series, I found myself distracted, and not in a good way, by the poor editing. Aside from the obvious typos, one of the characters switches between being Emily and Emma.
It baffles me that someone can write an entire series and not have a competent proofreader or even a friend who can point out these very basic mistakes.
While the characters are engaging and the storyline develops in this second book in the series, I found myself distracted, and not in a good way, by the poor editing. Aside from the obvious typos, one of the characters switches between being Emily and Emma.
It baffles me that someone can write an entire series and not have a competent proofreader or even a friend who can point out these very basic mistakes.
November 10, 2023
A fun story
I quite liked this story, mixing a good tale with some historical veracity. I was especially fond of the machinations of the young women, in trying to line up various couples, although the glacial pace of some of the developing relationships was most frustrating. I did want to cheer them on, though.
I quite liked this story, mixing a good tale with some historical veracity. I was especially fond of the machinations of the young women, in trying to line up various couples, although the glacial pace of some of the developing relationships was most frustrating. I did want to cheer them on, though.
September 29, 2023
Such good fun with interesting action
I have enjoyed this author very much. The interaction of the characters is realistic and believable. The story weaves several strings together to keep things moving as well as holding your attention.
I have enjoyed this author very much. The interaction of the characters is realistic and believable. The story weaves several strings together to keep things moving as well as holding your attention.
December 18, 2023
Not the best of writing, but still enjoyable. Unique theme with a cast of interesting characters and fascinating plots inspired by true cases. Stronger threads of brewing romances than in most of the historical romances I choose to read.
January 27, 2024
A wonderful story!
Though this is written as a formal dialogue, and with very old fashioned values, I found this to be an entertaining read. The characters are unique and clever, some with unusual talents. I look forward to more in this series.
Though this is written as a formal dialogue, and with very old fashioned values, I found this to be an entertaining read. The characters are unique and clever, some with unusual talents. I look forward to more in this series.
December 7, 2024
Love it!!!!
I love how they work the peices out. And how all the characters are friends and life and love is budding around them as they are doing their jobs. Really love how you pick up with the characters and continue the story
I love how they work the peices out. And how all the characters are friends and life and love is budding around them as they are doing their jobs. Really love how you pick up with the characters and continue the story
January 21, 2025
really enjoying
What a new and refreshing story line. Love all the characters and how they work together. The Life of young minds coming together to navigate and solve mysteries of death for the final peace.
What a new and refreshing story line. Love all the characters and how they work together. The Life of young minds coming together to navigate and solve mysteries of death for the final peace.
February 12, 2026
The Fake Child
As in the Economic Undertaker that the Aston’s run Phoebe talks with the dead. Now a lady wants to find her fake child. With a detective and a private investigator the fake child is found dead. But the Aston’s are love struck.
As in the Economic Undertaker that the Aston’s run Phoebe talks with the dead. Now a lady wants to find her fake child. With a detective and a private investigator the fake child is found dead. But the Aston’s are love struck.
August 31, 2023
The Fake Child 📕 book 2
This is a good historical murder mystery romance with twists and turns and baffling clues with a great climax at the end of the trial .🤨🧐😒
This is a good historical murder mystery romance with twists and turns and baffling clues with a great climax at the end of the trial .🤨🧐😒
February 28, 2024
Fantastic
This is my second book in this series. Love the characters I think get he first was a favorite but this one was also.
This is my second book in this series. Love the characters I think get he first was a favorite but this one was also.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews