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Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #4
The Diamond Conspiracy
For years, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has enjoyed the favor of Her Majesty the Queen. But even the oldest loyalties can turn in a moment…
Having narrowly escaped the electrifying machinations of Thomas Edison, Books and Braun are looking forward to a relaxing and possibly romantic voyage home. But when Braun’s emergency signal goes off, all thoughts of recreation vanish. Braun’s street-wise team of child informants, the Ministry Seven, is in grave peril, and Books and Braun must return to England immediately.
But when the intrepid agents finally arrive in London, the situation is even more dire than they imagined. The Ministry has been disavowed, and the Department of Imperial Inconveniences has been called in to decommission its agents in a most deadly fashion. The plan reeks of the Maestro’s dastardly scheming. Only, this time, he has a dangerous new ally—a duplicitous doctor whose pernicious poisons have infected the highest levels of society, reaching even the Queen herself...
Having narrowly escaped the electrifying machinations of Thomas Edison, Books and Braun are looking forward to a relaxing and possibly romantic voyage home. But when Braun’s emergency signal goes off, all thoughts of recreation vanish. Braun’s street-wise team of child informants, the Ministry Seven, is in grave peril, and Books and Braun must return to England immediately.
But when the intrepid agents finally arrive in London, the situation is even more dire than they imagined. The Ministry has been disavowed, and the Department of Imperial Inconveniences has been called in to decommission its agents in a most deadly fashion. The plan reeks of the Maestro’s dastardly scheming. Only, this time, he has a dangerous new ally—a duplicitous doctor whose pernicious poisons have infected the highest levels of society, reaching even the Queen herself...
357 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 31, 2015
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1011 people want to read
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December 27, 2019
Okay, so there was way too much romantic crap in this one, and not enough evil shenanigans, wicked mayhem, and killing people deadly dead. Also, the too many interludes were distracting as fish and didn’t add that much to the story. Also also, the never-ending ending was a bit, um, you know, never-ending and stuff. Also also also, Meh Cliffhanger of Doom and Oblivion (MCoDaO™).
BUT:
① Our Colonial Pepperpot’s full name is really truly actually Eliza DOOLITTLE Braun. And that is slightly bloody shrimping fantastic, if you ask me.
That’s the spirit!
② Surprises and twists and revelations, oh my!
③ The Ministry Seven that are really the Ministry Eight. Then again maybe not.
④ Stuff like this:
⑥ Super Extra Cool Female Assassins (SECFA™). Need I say more? Didn’t think so.
⑦ Wine, women and song vs. beer, whores and accordion music.
Now that's what I call living it up! Keep-keep it on 'til the break of dawn, you Super Hot Dude of the Glorious Haircut and Super Sexey Outfit (SHDofGHaSSO™)!!!
⑧ Parasol women in tweed (don’t ask).
⑨ HG Wells is Da Bomb. And so is Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler (not the character’s real name, in case you were wondering). Because I said so and stuff.
⑩ The Jack Frost and cremation through cold. As the Thunder from Down Under’s best new pal Brandon would say:
Yes, this is indeed me being delighted to no end. Just so you know.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): the best instalment in this series this book definitely is not, but quite entertaining it is and require the assistance of too manydecaying grey cells it does not, so yay and stuff.
· Book 1: Phoenix Rising ★★★★
· Book 2: The Janus Affair ★★★★
· Book 3: Dawn's Early Light ★★★★
· Book 5: The Ghost Rebellion ★★★★
· Book 6: Operation: Endgame ★★★★
BUT:
① Our Colonial Pepperpot’s full name is really truly actually Eliza DOOLITTLE Braun. And that is slightly bloody shrimping fantastic, if you ask me.
That’s the spirit!
② Surprises and twists and revelations, oh my!
③ The Ministry Seven that are really the Ministry Eight. Then again maybe not.
④ Stuff like this:
“I was expecting some finesse like a tranquiliser followed by a bath in sulphuric acid, or perhaps something more diabolical such as being wrapped in cloth as a living mummy and then trapped in a sarcophagus with flesh-eating scarabs.”⑤ Speaking all frog-like, it’s a thing.
⑥ Super Extra Cool Female Assassins (SECFA™). Need I say more? Didn’t think so.
⑦ Wine, women and song vs. beer, whores and accordion music.
Now that's what I call living it up! Keep-keep it on 'til the break of dawn, you Super Hot Dude of the Glorious Haircut and Super Sexey Outfit (SHDofGHaSSO™)!!!
⑧ Parasol women in tweed (don’t ask).
⑨ HG Wells is Da Bomb. And so is Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler (not the character’s real name, in case you were wondering). Because I said so and stuff.
⑩ The Jack Frost and cremation through cold. As the Thunder from Down Under’s best new pal Brandon would say:
“Quite some style shown there. Nice one there, chap.”⑪ Queen Vic is most definitely NOT amused. Which delights me to no end.
Yes, this is indeed me being delighted to no end. Just so you know.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): the best instalment in this series this book definitely is not, but quite entertaining it is and require the assistance of too many
· Book 1: Phoenix Rising ★★★★
· Book 2: The Janus Affair ★★★★
· Book 3: Dawn's Early Light ★★★★
· Book 5: The Ghost Rebellion ★★★★
· Book 6: Operation: Endgame ★★★★
April 2, 2015
*Full Review & Giveaway posting 04/01/2015 @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Recvd 01/27/2015 via NetGalley* Expected publication: March 31st 2015 by Ace
**I received this book for free from (Penguin/ACE) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Recvd 01/27/2015 via NetGalley* Expected publication: March 31st 2015 by Ace
**I received this book for free from (Penguin/ACE) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
July 5, 2015
I LOVE the direction this series has taken. Shit is definitely going down, and the Ministry is being hunted by their own, at the behest of creepster 'The Maestro' and his band of baddies.
Also, sexy times. FINALLY.
Also, sexy times. FINALLY.
May 31, 2018
The fourth book in the “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences” series picks up with agents Eliza Braun and Wellington Books headed home from their latest adventure in America, hoping for a nice relaxing voyage aboard the Atlantic Angel airship. Of course, plans change when The Baker Street Irregulars The Ministry Seven get themselves in serious trouble and send an emergency signal to Eliza to come to their aide. Upon arrival back in London, however, they find that for some inexplicable reason, the Ministry has been disavowed and all agents are now being hunted to extinction on the orders of Queen Victoria herself.
I was tracking along with the plot and enjoying this novel very much for the first third or so and then…ugh. Suddenly, every steampunk trope that ever existed started to be thrown into the soup. We have HG Wells, HH Holmes, and Dr. Jekyll all thrown into the mix. We suddenly have time travel and all of its paradoxical plot devices included. And if that were not enough, we get snippets involving John Carter himself along with a quick trip to Mars. Wow. It’s as if the authors just binge-watched all of Warehouse 13 and read up on the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and decided to “spice-up” their approach.
That’s too bad. A perfectly nice and unique set of stories now feels like the vast majority of all other steampunk adventures. This series, unfortunately seems to have jumped the shark. There was so much crammed into the last half of this book that I found myself a little lost and not caring too much what happened. It all ends in a cliff hanger designed to get us to buy the next book; a cliffhanger that is as contrived as can be.
I will really have to think about whether or not I will continue the series now. Only two books left, along with short stories and a spin-off series but at this point those seem unlikely for me. I am tempted to award just two stars for this one but bumped it up a notch due to the continuing interest I have for the main two characters and their on-going and developing relationship, which was handled well.
I was tracking along with the plot and enjoying this novel very much for the first third or so and then…ugh. Suddenly, every steampunk trope that ever existed started to be thrown into the soup. We have HG Wells, HH Holmes, and Dr. Jekyll all thrown into the mix. We suddenly have time travel and all of its paradoxical plot devices included. And if that were not enough, we get snippets involving John Carter himself along with a quick trip to Mars. Wow. It’s as if the authors just binge-watched all of Warehouse 13 and read up on the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and decided to “spice-up” their approach.
That’s too bad. A perfectly nice and unique set of stories now feels like the vast majority of all other steampunk adventures. This series, unfortunately seems to have jumped the shark. There was so much crammed into the last half of this book that I found myself a little lost and not caring too much what happened. It all ends in a cliff hanger designed to get us to buy the next book; a cliffhanger that is as contrived as can be.
I will really have to think about whether or not I will continue the series now. Only two books left, along with short stories and a spin-off series but at this point those seem unlikely for me. I am tempted to award just two stars for this one but bumped it up a notch due to the continuing interest I have for the main two characters and their on-going and developing relationship, which was handled well.
April 10, 2015
All Things Urban Fantasy
THE DIAMOND CONSPIRACY is full of steampunk awesomeness as I thought this whole series would be just from reading the story summary of PHOENIX RISING. It has everything from weird steampunk weapons and tricked out vehicles to intense action and some romance thrown in as well. Add a mad scientist doing creepy experiments and secrets upon secrets and this book is filled with so much delicious ideas. Granted, keeping track of every storyline and who is with who does get a bit confusing but I didn't mind for this story as everything was interesting enough, and the characters compelling enough that I wanted to get a hold of what was going on.
Books and Braun (I love their names!) make a wonderful team and it was fun to see how they work at their new status as a couple. There stubborn 'discussions' are very adorable and highlight exactly why they get along as partners. We are treated to revelations of Wellington Books' rather sad childhood which was really interesting and makes him probably the world's most interesting archivist. There is also a fascinating twist discovered at Books' childhood home that could have some major repercussions for the next book.
I'd advise reading the previous books in Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences before this one to get a better handle on the world or you could be the adventurous type and jump right into this one as is my personal habit with THE DIAMOND CONSPIRACY is a fun, quick paced steampunk action story filled with quick wit, and dastardly bad guys who are simply no match for the brilliance of Books and Braun.
THE DIAMOND CONSPIRACY is full of steampunk awesomeness as I thought this whole series would be just from reading the story summary of PHOENIX RISING. It has everything from weird steampunk weapons and tricked out vehicles to intense action and some romance thrown in as well. Add a mad scientist doing creepy experiments and secrets upon secrets and this book is filled with so much delicious ideas. Granted, keeping track of every storyline and who is with who does get a bit confusing but I didn't mind for this story as everything was interesting enough, and the characters compelling enough that I wanted to get a hold of what was going on.
Books and Braun (I love their names!) make a wonderful team and it was fun to see how they work at their new status as a couple. There stubborn 'discussions' are very adorable and highlight exactly why they get along as partners. We are treated to revelations of Wellington Books' rather sad childhood which was really interesting and makes him probably the world's most interesting archivist. There is also a fascinating twist discovered at Books' childhood home that could have some major repercussions for the next book.
I'd advise reading the previous books in Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences before this one to get a better handle on the world or you could be the adventurous type and jump right into this one as is my personal habit with THE DIAMOND CONSPIRACY is a fun, quick paced steampunk action story filled with quick wit, and dastardly bad guys who are simply no match for the brilliance of Books and Braun.
November 21, 2025
The Diamond Conspiracy is a fantastical steampunk adventure.
Books and Braun are flying home when they get a distress signal from France. There is a mad scientist experimenting on children and one of them, Braun's informant team-Ministry Seven, is caught in his clutches. Que the evil laugh...
Lots of action, tons of tension and truly evil and perilous conditions are just the icing on the cake with what you'll get in The Diamond Conspiracy.
There is some more romance between Books and Braun and deeper insight into Books' life.
I really enjoyed this story. It was packed with action but I did find it a bit hard to keep all the plot directions straight.
Ballantine and Morris masterfully twists historical events and figures to create these heart stopping exploits.
I received this ARC copy of The Diamond Conspiracy from PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW - ACE in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication March 31, 2015.
Books and Braun are flying home when they get a distress signal from France. There is a mad scientist experimenting on children and one of them, Braun's informant team-Ministry Seven, is caught in his clutches. Que the evil laugh...
Lots of action, tons of tension and truly evil and perilous conditions are just the icing on the cake with what you'll get in The Diamond Conspiracy.
There is some more romance between Books and Braun and deeper insight into Books' life.
I really enjoyed this story. It was packed with action but I did find it a bit hard to keep all the plot directions straight.
Ballantine and Morris masterfully twists historical events and figures to create these heart stopping exploits.
I received this ARC copy of The Diamond Conspiracy from PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW - ACE in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication March 31, 2015.
April 10, 2015
This was another fun adventure with Agents Books and Braun who are, thankfully, working very closely once again. One of my biggest quibbles with book three was how much of it the two agents spent apart but that is most definitely not an issue here. Eliza and Wellington are enjoying the new status change in their relationship, the Ministry Seven are back, some familiar science fiction characters make appearances, the Ministry is up a creek without a paddle, and Sophia del Morte is lurking in the background considering her options. This book doesn't spend much time or effort in bringing readers up to speed on past events so be prepared to hit the ground running.
July 27, 2015
Things with The Maestro are finally coming to a head and we get some answers. I really enjoyed the new relationship between Eliza and Wellington. I've been waiting three books for this so finally we get to see them work as a couple instead of as a team. I love seeing figures from history make appearances in this series. This installment has a particularly interesting addition which added some of those answers.
The various plots seemed to be concluded but I seriously hope this isn't the end of the series.
The various plots seemed to be concluded but I seriously hope this isn't the end of the series.
July 17, 2017
Full of surprises.....
July 15, 2023
Same as all in the series, entertaining if you enjoy the series this one is fantastic.
April 23, 2015
Note: this review mentions events from previous books, therefore may be spoilerish if you haven’t read the earlier titles.
Having just barely escaped their adventures in America, Eliza Braun and Wellington Books are heading back home to the British Empire, taking their time to consummate their newly formed romantic relationship. However, back home, Eliza’s foster children, known as the Ministry Seven, uncover a monstrous plot against the Queen, putting themselves and housekeeper Alice in parlous danger. Books and Braun cut their trip short, racing back to meet up with Alice and the children, only to find out that the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is being hunted down by the Department of Imperial Inconveniences on orders of the Queen. Now its up to Books and Braun to save themselves, their family, and the Empire itself!
The Diamond Conspiracy is another exciting adventure from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Building upon the solid foundation laid in the previous three titles, Books and Braun are finally partners in all its meaning - growing into the dynamic duo I knew they could be. Their relationship is well played within the setting of the story, enhancing their working partnership while not creating unnecessary drama. It humanizes both Books and Braun, making them more relatable. That part of the story was absolutely perfect.
The unfolding plot against the Queen and country is terribly engrossing and filled with twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The not-so-mysterious-any-longer Maestro remains as the central bad guy, while his sanity continues to decline in its downward spiral, allowing an additional key figure to take charge. I adore the inclusion of several historical and literary figures as key players in the plot, one of which truly caught me off guard. However, the authors rely on the reader’s existing knowledge of these characters, so if you are unfamiliar, you may miss out on some of the implied understanding. I feel this also lead to a lack of physical descriptions of some of the tech and war machines, making it difficult for me to picture some of the events in my mind.
While Books and Braun work to save the Empire, we have the opportunity to finally learn more about Wellington’s upbringing, specifically his father, who has always haunted Books. And with how things were left by the end of the book, it is clear that there is much left for Books to uncover about his own past. The events in The Diamond Conspiracy end one overall storyline, while beginning another.
The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series is one of my favorites - filled with fantastical adventure, devious plots, clever mysteries, and interesting characters. Each book builds upon the previous, allowing for deeper stories and connections. The Diamond Conspiracy is an excellent addition to the series, providing some wrap-up to lingering plots. The story flows smoothly, even with the shocking twists. It is an enjoyable journey and fun story, with few surprises that made me smile. I look forward to discovering what the future holds for Books, Braun, and the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.
My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
Review copy provided by publisher.
Having just barely escaped their adventures in America, Eliza Braun and Wellington Books are heading back home to the British Empire, taking their time to consummate their newly formed romantic relationship. However, back home, Eliza’s foster children, known as the Ministry Seven, uncover a monstrous plot against the Queen, putting themselves and housekeeper Alice in parlous danger. Books and Braun cut their trip short, racing back to meet up with Alice and the children, only to find out that the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is being hunted down by the Department of Imperial Inconveniences on orders of the Queen. Now its up to Books and Braun to save themselves, their family, and the Empire itself!
The Diamond Conspiracy is another exciting adventure from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Building upon the solid foundation laid in the previous three titles, Books and Braun are finally partners in all its meaning - growing into the dynamic duo I knew they could be. Their relationship is well played within the setting of the story, enhancing their working partnership while not creating unnecessary drama. It humanizes both Books and Braun, making them more relatable. That part of the story was absolutely perfect.
The unfolding plot against the Queen and country is terribly engrossing and filled with twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The not-so-mysterious-any-longer Maestro remains as the central bad guy, while his sanity continues to decline in its downward spiral, allowing an additional key figure to take charge. I adore the inclusion of several historical and literary figures as key players in the plot, one of which truly caught me off guard. However, the authors rely on the reader’s existing knowledge of these characters, so if you are unfamiliar, you may miss out on some of the implied understanding. I feel this also lead to a lack of physical descriptions of some of the tech and war machines, making it difficult for me to picture some of the events in my mind.
While Books and Braun work to save the Empire, we have the opportunity to finally learn more about Wellington’s upbringing, specifically his father, who has always haunted Books. And with how things were left by the end of the book, it is clear that there is much left for Books to uncover about his own past. The events in The Diamond Conspiracy end one overall storyline, while beginning another.
The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series is one of my favorites - filled with fantastical adventure, devious plots, clever mysteries, and interesting characters. Each book builds upon the previous, allowing for deeper stories and connections. The Diamond Conspiracy is an excellent addition to the series, providing some wrap-up to lingering plots. The story flows smoothly, even with the shocking twists. It is an enjoyable journey and fun story, with few surprises that made me smile. I look forward to discovering what the future holds for Books, Braun, and the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.
My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
Review copy provided by publisher.
August 13, 2016
Now what am I supposed to do?
This book was pretty EPIC, beginning to end... and it even managed to include one of my favorite topics (time travel) unexpectedly.
BUT... I was planning to take a break after this, since I learned the newest audiobook dumped narrator James Langton for the 2 authors to read the book themselves. (And not as well... some audible reviews were DNF)
Now I might have to jump in with the ebook...
Also... my internal comparisons to the Warehouse 12 spinoff (that fell through) are becoming more and more apt.
This book was pretty EPIC, beginning to end... and it even managed to include one of my favorite topics (time travel) unexpectedly.
BUT... I was planning to take a break after this, since I learned the newest audiobook dumped narrator James Langton for the 2 authors to read the book themselves. (And not as well... some audible reviews were DNF)
Now I might have to jump in with the ebook...
Also... my internal comparisons to the Warehouse 12 spinoff (that fell through) are becoming more and more apt.
June 30, 2017
Warning for strong language - HOLY SHIT.
That, dear friends, was my very last thought reading this book. It is a perfect summation of my feelings throughout the majority of the events that transpired within these pages, because, holy shit, I could not let my guard down for a moment! (I do apologize for such strong language, but sometimes it's necessary [my partner says I curse like a pirate, anyway.])
We left off with Books and Braun finally - FINALLY! - getting their act together and properly becoming a most charming, and sassy, couple. Watching them work through problems, and never once faltering in their utter devotion to each other was a treat! They're in this for the long haul, and it's apparent that neither would have it any other way. Huzzah!
Amidst the Ministry falling, the Queen losing her marbles, and the most devious manipulation I've seen in a while, there is never a dull moment. The Ministry finds allies in the most peculiar places, and secrets that were safeguarded for decades come to light. There are moments where it takes a second to wrap your head around everything. It felt rather like someone had dumped everything on my head and stated "Here, have all this information, see what you can do with it, yeah?" and sauntered off into the sunset. Nevertheless, clues come together to form one brilliant twist after another.
The manipulation and trickery orchestrated by the puppeteer is extremely intricate. Without much fuss, he's managed to get to the Queen, as well as her most loyal aides and allies. The ending blow-up is such cacophony, one would think there are no surprises left. One would be dead bloody wrong. This cliffhanger sent such a shiver up my spine, my teeth started chattering.
The Ministry still has to pick itself up, and rise from the ashes as they set to right what this puppeteer attempted to annihilate. It's going to be an interesting ride getting there.
That, dear friends, was my very last thought reading this book. It is a perfect summation of my feelings throughout the majority of the events that transpired within these pages, because, holy shit, I could not let my guard down for a moment! (I do apologize for such strong language, but sometimes it's necessary [my partner says I curse like a pirate, anyway.])
We left off with Books and Braun finally - FINALLY! - getting their act together and properly becoming a most charming, and sassy, couple. Watching them work through problems, and never once faltering in their utter devotion to each other was a treat! They're in this for the long haul, and it's apparent that neither would have it any other way. Huzzah!
Amidst the Ministry falling, the Queen losing her marbles, and the most devious manipulation I've seen in a while, there is never a dull moment. The Ministry finds allies in the most peculiar places, and secrets that were safeguarded for decades come to light. There are moments where it takes a second to wrap your head around everything. It felt rather like someone had dumped everything on my head and stated "Here, have all this information, see what you can do with it, yeah?" and sauntered off into the sunset. Nevertheless, clues come together to form one brilliant twist after another.
The manipulation and trickery orchestrated by the puppeteer is extremely intricate. Without much fuss, he's managed to get to the Queen, as well as her most loyal aides and allies. The ending blow-up is such cacophony, one would think there are no surprises left. One would be dead bloody wrong. This cliffhanger sent such a shiver up my spine, my teeth started chattering.
The Ministry still has to pick itself up, and rise from the ashes as they set to right what this puppeteer attempted to annihilate. It's going to be an interesting ride getting there.
May 30, 2018
This is the fourth book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series and it was a good addition to this series.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook for this series have been very well done. Langton does an amazing job at narrating these and his narration is part of what makes this series so fun.
I still enjoy our main characters of Books and Braun quite a bit. I was a bit frustrated that we didn't spend as much time with them in this book as we did in previous books. This book jumps around between different points of view quite a bit more than previous books and the side characters aren't nearly as well done or interesting as Books and Braun.
I also had some issues with knowing when the story was switching viewpoints, this may have been an audiobook issue. I would be listening to the story and then realize new characters were talking and we must have switched viewpoints. It always took me a bit to realize that I was listening about a different part of the story.
Overall this was a good addition to this series, but not my favorite book in the series. I enjoy the world and some of the characters (Books and Braun). I would have liked less page space with the other side characters….or maybe it would have been okay if the side characters had been developed a bit better. The story is well done. I would recommend this to steampunk fans.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook for this series have been very well done. Langton does an amazing job at narrating these and his narration is part of what makes this series so fun.
I still enjoy our main characters of Books and Braun quite a bit. I was a bit frustrated that we didn't spend as much time with them in this book as we did in previous books. This book jumps around between different points of view quite a bit more than previous books and the side characters aren't nearly as well done or interesting as Books and Braun.
I also had some issues with knowing when the story was switching viewpoints, this may have been an audiobook issue. I would be listening to the story and then realize new characters were talking and we must have switched viewpoints. It always took me a bit to realize that I was listening about a different part of the story.
Overall this was a good addition to this series, but not my favorite book in the series. I enjoy the world and some of the characters (Books and Braun). I would have liked less page space with the other side characters….or maybe it would have been okay if the side characters had been developed a bit better. The story is well done. I would recommend this to steampunk fans.
January 6, 2023
I'm so disappointed with this novel I honestly can't believe it. The twist at the end was so bad I almost threw the book across the room. What a horrible disappointment to start off my 2023.
April 22, 2017
I discovered this on my library’s new paperbacks shelf last week and literally squealed aloud. I have a warped perspective of this series’ publication structure because I’ve read the first three books in short succession to get caught up, so I had forgotten The Diamond Conspiracy was coming out so “soon” after I read Dawn’s Early Light.
A lot was riding on this book. With the disavowal of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences at the end of the previous book, the series was forging ahead into brand new and exciting territory. Plus, Books and Braun have now consummated their relationship. I was watching carefully how Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris handle these two aspects of what, so far, has been a delightful and engaging series.
Let’s talk about Books and Braun. These people are my favourites. They’re just so much fun. And it has been a while since I discovered a series with a buddy-cop pair of protagonists like this. As much as I like the noir pastiche urban fantasy environment with a lone protagonist partnered only with a large suitcase full of angst, buddy cop stuff is a nice change. And Ballantine and Morris (I am really tempted to shorten that to “BM,” but I don’t think it would be appropriate) manage to make Books and Braun funny even while they deal with deadly serious issues.
I like the way their relationship develops and deepens in this book. Ballantine and Morris don’t introduce an unnecessary vexation, like triangle owing to an old lover or a rival love interest. Books and Braun have some disagreements, like real people would, even as they progress through that head-over-heels, let’s-have-sex-everywhere phase of courtship. The book opens with them bonding over something they can take shared interest in—gadgets (for Books) that make things go boom (for Braun). And we see them having to negotiate the waters of where they might not see eye-to-eye, with both Books and Braun respecting and compromising for each other.
It’s like Ballantine and Morris wanted to portray a healthy relationship between two enthusiastic and consenting adults instead of a creepy, unequal and potentially abusive relationship. What’s up with that?
Of course, Books and Braun face more challenges that might eventually throw kinks—um, I mean, difficulties—into their relationship. Doctor Sound drops a doozy on them in this book, and basically implies that he wants them to be his successors in the event he ever actually kicks the bucket. It will be interesting to see how they survive as a couple while confronting the stress of such a position—not to mention the last-minute revelation about Books’ childhood and origins!
As far as Doctor Sound’s announcement goes, it’s a bold gamechanger for this series. Arguably it’s bolder than the disavowal of the Ministry. Ballantine and Morris demolish any prospect that we could entertain expectations that this is just a steampunk series set in Victorian England. No, now we have H.G. Wells–level of science-fictional technology elevating the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences into a kind of steampunk(ier) version of Warehouse 13. And you know what? I’m down with that. I really am. I love how Ballantine and Morris keep pushing the envelope in all directions (even fourth-dimensional ones).
Where The Diamond Conspiracy lets me down is that pesky third act, where Books and Braun have to save Queen Victoria from herself (and Dr. Jekyll). What starts as a bizarre but acceptable plan falls to tatters at first contact with the enemy—as it really should. But the resulting chaos doesn’t translate well to page. It’s difficult to follow and, in some cases, a little hard to believe. I get the sense that Ballantine and Morris are trying to go for a larger-than-life atmosphere. Yet the succeed mostly in demonstrating that Books and Braun are at their best on a more personal level. The bigger, larger-er than life things get, the harder it is to see them excel in all those areas of expertise.
Still, that goes far from making this book a disappointment. Rather, I’d categorize this book as being a bridge between the start of this series and its second act: the Ministry is back, albeit in a different way; Books and Braun are together; but now Books has a new mystery to investigate that links his father to villains old and new.
It’s clear this series has plenty of life left in it. I am all too glad of that: I want more Books and Braun! Let’s keep this steampunk buddy cop thing going for as long as we can.
My reviews of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series:
← Dawn’s Early Light | The Ghost Rebellion →
A lot was riding on this book. With the disavowal of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences at the end of the previous book, the series was forging ahead into brand new and exciting territory. Plus, Books and Braun have now consummated their relationship. I was watching carefully how Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris handle these two aspects of what, so far, has been a delightful and engaging series.
Let’s talk about Books and Braun. These people are my favourites. They’re just so much fun. And it has been a while since I discovered a series with a buddy-cop pair of protagonists like this. As much as I like the noir pastiche urban fantasy environment with a lone protagonist partnered only with a large suitcase full of angst, buddy cop stuff is a nice change. And Ballantine and Morris (I am really tempted to shorten that to “BM,” but I don’t think it would be appropriate) manage to make Books and Braun funny even while they deal with deadly serious issues.
I like the way their relationship develops and deepens in this book. Ballantine and Morris don’t introduce an unnecessary vexation, like triangle owing to an old lover or a rival love interest. Books and Braun have some disagreements, like real people would, even as they progress through that head-over-heels, let’s-have-sex-everywhere phase of courtship. The book opens with them bonding over something they can take shared interest in—gadgets (for Books) that make things go boom (for Braun). And we see them having to negotiate the waters of where they might not see eye-to-eye, with both Books and Braun respecting and compromising for each other.
It’s like Ballantine and Morris wanted to portray a healthy relationship between two enthusiastic and consenting adults instead of a creepy, unequal and potentially abusive relationship. What’s up with that?
Of course, Books and Braun face more challenges that might eventually throw kinks—um, I mean, difficulties—into their relationship. Doctor Sound drops a doozy on them in this book, and basically implies that he wants them to be his successors in the event he ever actually kicks the bucket. It will be interesting to see how they survive as a couple while confronting the stress of such a position—not to mention the last-minute revelation about Books’ childhood and origins!
As far as Doctor Sound’s announcement goes, it’s a bold gamechanger for this series. Arguably it’s bolder than the disavowal of the Ministry. Ballantine and Morris demolish any prospect that we could entertain expectations that this is just a steampunk series set in Victorian England. No, now we have H.G. Wells–level of science-fictional technology elevating the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences into a kind of steampunk(ier) version of Warehouse 13. And you know what? I’m down with that. I really am. I love how Ballantine and Morris keep pushing the envelope in all directions (even fourth-dimensional ones).
Where The Diamond Conspiracy lets me down is that pesky third act, where Books and Braun have to save Queen Victoria from herself (and Dr. Jekyll). What starts as a bizarre but acceptable plan falls to tatters at first contact with the enemy—as it really should. But the resulting chaos doesn’t translate well to page. It’s difficult to follow and, in some cases, a little hard to believe. I get the sense that Ballantine and Morris are trying to go for a larger-than-life atmosphere. Yet the succeed mostly in demonstrating that Books and Braun are at their best on a more personal level. The bigger, larger-er than life things get, the harder it is to see them excel in all those areas of expertise.
Still, that goes far from making this book a disappointment. Rather, I’d categorize this book as being a bridge between the start of this series and its second act: the Ministry is back, albeit in a different way; Books and Braun are together; but now Books has a new mystery to investigate that links his father to villains old and new.
It’s clear this series has plenty of life left in it. I am all too glad of that: I want more Books and Braun! Let’s keep this steampunk buddy cop thing going for as long as we can.
My reviews of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series:
← Dawn’s Early Light | The Ghost Rebellion →
May 27, 2015
Where do I start?
By George! I do think this is my favorite book of the series. I don't know how Tee & Pip are going to top this one. This book is only 368 pages, but when I was done I felt like I read a door stopper 1,000 pages (enjoying every minute of it as it flew by). There was so much information packed into these minimal pages. It's hard to believe all that is here!
GOOD GRIEF, THE SECRETS!!!
The secrets we learn! Are you curious about the Restricted Section of the Archives? You'll learn it. Curious about Director Basil Sound? Yes, your speculation was raised with those subtle moments by him. You learn about it!! Want a bit more on Wellington's past? We get to dip a bit further into that as well. Enjoy the assassin Sophia del Morte? You'll see her here in closer proximity, and if an assassin can have limits.
The immense amount of information and TWISTS will have your eyes bulging and jaw dropping through out the book! There are also a few big names from history mentioned in this book. Oh to see them here!
***FULL REVIEW****
Eliza and Wellington return from the states in a rush. The Ministry Seven is in deadly danger and have called Eliza home. What the Ministry Seven have found, and trouble they dipped into, brings the dangers of the Queen and others into light. But when talking to the children, Wellington and Eliza realize the Department, another agency they know of under the Queen, is cleaning up...the Ministry. The Ministry is in grave danger and scattered about. Eliza and Wellington will learn great secrets that they will use to help restore society to it's rightful standing. But the Maestro and another new evil work to stop them at every turn. However, maybe a new ally will help give them an inside scoop on what they are up against...
Good grief, Charlie Brown! Talk about a kick start beginning. WOW! So much happening and I'm rushing to keep up.
My smile grew with each word of Eliza and Wellington's banter and brilliance in it. Goodness do I enjoy these characters, and even as a couple they are just as much fun. The humor and banter is not lost with a relationship started, as this is part of the foundation in their relationship as well. They both are taken with each other, but it seems Wellington is the one swooning a bit more. It's great to see Eliza is the strong woman we all know her to be. She is a field agent first and foremost with the Agency she knows and loves crumbling around her and danger on the heals of her loved ones. At the same time - when the time is there - she loves, hard. Wellington is new to field work and Eliza's knowledge of field work and the secrets not stored in Wellington's archives are important to their survival. Both their strengths play a huge importance in the book, and this is why this couple will survive as a duo of outstanding agents and a couple.
It was amazing to see the Ministry Seven in this book. They play an important part and have moved up in their standings from street children to much more. I'm hoping this is the list of new agents in the future, as they deserve it! We also get to see what happens to a few of the Ministry Agents through their eyes as the even is happening. Good and bad.
Pip and Tee take me through an array of emotions as I read this book. I'm relaxed with Wellington and Eliza, enjoying their banter and good humor. Then I picked up with the Ministry Seven. Oh the tension in me grew with theirs. And the worries and fears of what could happen with... Then the secrets I learn, and they don't stop! Oh it's a circle of emotions repeatedly.
By George! I do think this is my favorite book of the series. I don't know how Tee & Pip are going to top this one. This book is only 368 pages, but when I was done I felt like I read a door stopper 1,000 pages (enjoying every minute of it as it flew by). There was so much information packed into these minimal pages. It's hard to believe all that is here!
GOOD GRIEF, THE SECRETS!!!
The secrets we learn! Are you curious about the Restricted Section of the Archives? You'll learn it. Curious about Director Basil Sound? Yes, your speculation was raised with those subtle moments by him. You learn about it!! Want a bit more on Wellington's past? We get to dip a bit further into that as well. Enjoy the assassin Sophia del Morte? You'll see her here in closer proximity, and if an assassin can have limits.
The immense amount of information and TWISTS will have your eyes bulging and jaw dropping throughout the book! There are also a few big names from history mentioned in this book. Oh to see them here!
Now, to wait with baited breath for the next Ministry book to arrive. As I know Tee and Pip can top what they've done, and I NEED to see it!
By George! I do think this is my favorite book of the series. I don't know how Tee & Pip are going to top this one. This book is only 368 pages, but when I was done I felt like I read a door stopper 1,000 pages (enjoying every minute of it as it flew by). There was so much information packed into these minimal pages. It's hard to believe all that is here!
GOOD GRIEF, THE SECRETS!!!
The secrets we learn! Are you curious about the Restricted Section of the Archives? You'll learn it. Curious about Director Basil Sound? Yes, your speculation was raised with those subtle moments by him. You learn about it!! Want a bit more on Wellington's past? We get to dip a bit further into that as well. Enjoy the assassin Sophia del Morte? You'll see her here in closer proximity, and if an assassin can have limits.
The immense amount of information and TWISTS will have your eyes bulging and jaw dropping through out the book! There are also a few big names from history mentioned in this book. Oh to see them here!
***FULL REVIEW****
Eliza and Wellington return from the states in a rush. The Ministry Seven is in deadly danger and have called Eliza home. What the Ministry Seven have found, and trouble they dipped into, brings the dangers of the Queen and others into light. But when talking to the children, Wellington and Eliza realize the Department, another agency they know of under the Queen, is cleaning up...the Ministry. The Ministry is in grave danger and scattered about. Eliza and Wellington will learn great secrets that they will use to help restore society to it's rightful standing. But the Maestro and another new evil work to stop them at every turn. However, maybe a new ally will help give them an inside scoop on what they are up against...
Good grief, Charlie Brown! Talk about a kick start beginning. WOW! So much happening and I'm rushing to keep up.
My smile grew with each word of Eliza and Wellington's banter and brilliance in it. Goodness do I enjoy these characters, and even as a couple they are just as much fun. The humor and banter is not lost with a relationship started, as this is part of the foundation in their relationship as well. They both are taken with each other, but it seems Wellington is the one swooning a bit more. It's great to see Eliza is the strong woman we all know her to be. She is a field agent first and foremost with the Agency she knows and loves crumbling around her and danger on the heals of her loved ones. At the same time - when the time is there - she loves, hard. Wellington is new to field work and Eliza's knowledge of field work and the secrets not stored in Wellington's archives are important to their survival. Both their strengths play a huge importance in the book, and this is why this couple will survive as a duo of outstanding agents and a couple.
It was amazing to see the Ministry Seven in this book. They play an important part and have moved up in their standings from street children to much more. I'm hoping this is the list of new agents in the future, as they deserve it! We also get to see what happens to a few of the Ministry Agents through their eyes as the even is happening. Good and bad.
Pip and Tee take me through an array of emotions as I read this book. I'm relaxed with Wellington and Eliza, enjoying their banter and good humor. Then I picked up with the Ministry Seven. Oh the tension in me grew with theirs. And the worries and fears of what could happen with... Then the secrets I learn, and they don't stop! Oh it's a circle of emotions repeatedly.
By George! I do think this is my favorite book of the series. I don't know how Tee & Pip are going to top this one. This book is only 368 pages, but when I was done I felt like I read a door stopper 1,000 pages (enjoying every minute of it as it flew by). There was so much information packed into these minimal pages. It's hard to believe all that is here!
GOOD GRIEF, THE SECRETS!!!
The secrets we learn! Are you curious about the Restricted Section of the Archives? You'll learn it. Curious about Director Basil Sound? Yes, your speculation was raised with those subtle moments by him. You learn about it!! Want a bit more on Wellington's past? We get to dip a bit further into that as well. Enjoy the assassin Sophia del Morte? You'll see her here in closer proximity, and if an assassin can have limits.
The immense amount of information and TWISTS will have your eyes bulging and jaw dropping throughout the book! There are also a few big names from history mentioned in this book. Oh to see them here!
Now, to wait with baited breath for the next Ministry book to arrive. As I know Tee and Pip can top what they've done, and I NEED to see it!
April 7, 2015
Actual Rating 3.5
***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato
After really enjoying book 1 , books 2 and 3 never quite hit the same mark and I dived into this new installation hoping that it would be the one to remind me why I continued to read on, and I was right! The Diamond Conspiracy is definitely a worthy addition to the series and kept me on my toes (even when I trying not to dose off because it was 4 in the morning).
This is such a fun and quirky series and while I continued to stick with it when books 2 and 3 didn’t impress me, I am glad that The Diamond Conspiracy brought about a much needed sense of urgency and A LOT MORE ANSWERS.
I love me some answers and this book definitely provided us with some. It didn’t answer everything and even more questions were brought into the equation but I was very happy to have some of my big questions finally answered.
In this book, we finally (FINALLY) got to see Eliza and Welly work as a couple! I cannot tell you how happy this made me because I was getting tired of seeing all the jealousy and the two continuously going back and forth. I just wanted them to be happy and then they finally worked all that out in the previous book and we got to see them work as a couple! And they make a cute couple! I love how toned down Books’ jealousy was in this one and I loved that they were so supportive of one another as a couple. They still have adorable banter but it just gets even cuter because now they are a couple.
They shined in this book. I loved seeing Eliza become even stronger with Books by her side and the same goes for Books. It’s so wonderful seeing how far the two have ventured out of their comfort zone and how much they have grown. Eliza has transformed from a brash character to someone who takes more time to think things through without just jumping right in with her firearms (although that was funny). Likewise, Books has become someone who is starting to deal with the ghosts of the past as he becomes more sure of himself.
I loved that a certain Bruce Campbell was brought back but I hated how his previous actions were kind of overlooked now that he was kind of a good guy. I hope we get to come back to him and make sure he atones for all the horrible things he did in the past.
The plot in this one was fabulous and I loved seeing so many aspects of previous books come into play. It seems as though one arc of this book has come to a close and I hope it stays that way! I am looking forward to seeing many other aspects of this world being explored. Especially since so many interesting things were brought to our attention in this installment (LIKE TIME TRAVEL. ZOMG).
The ending especially, while not necessarily an emotional cliffhanger was just surprising but also amazing and I just want to know so much more about what is happening and what it means and all of those exciting/annoying questions that come about when authors dump important info on you right at the end of a book.
All those wonderful things about the book said, I would like to say that there were times where this book was wordy/tell-y and when the pacing didn't work with me. There seems to have been a huge improvement since the previous instalments so I will give the book that but I still had trouble paying attention to what was going on at times and I think I just missed important things as a result, re-reading can help but you know, it can be annoying when you space out and have to re-read things because you didn't quite catch them the first time (kind of like when you read textbooks :P)
Having said that, this book was fantastic and so much fun and if it’s any indication of future books to come (LET THERE BE MORE), then I know I better keep in touch with this series!
If you’re reading this review and haven’t read any of the books in this series, I’d definitely say you have some reading to do!
***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato
After really enjoying book 1 , books 2 and 3 never quite hit the same mark and I dived into this new installation hoping that it would be the one to remind me why I continued to read on, and I was right! The Diamond Conspiracy is definitely a worthy addition to the series and kept me on my toes (even when I trying not to dose off because it was 4 in the morning).
This is such a fun and quirky series and while I continued to stick with it when books 2 and 3 didn’t impress me, I am glad that The Diamond Conspiracy brought about a much needed sense of urgency and A LOT MORE ANSWERS.
I love me some answers and this book definitely provided us with some. It didn’t answer everything and even more questions were brought into the equation but I was very happy to have some of my big questions finally answered.
In this book, we finally (FINALLY) got to see Eliza and Welly work as a couple! I cannot tell you how happy this made me because I was getting tired of seeing all the jealousy and the two continuously going back and forth. I just wanted them to be happy and then they finally worked all that out in the previous book and we got to see them work as a couple! And they make a cute couple! I love how toned down Books’ jealousy was in this one and I loved that they were so supportive of one another as a couple. They still have adorable banter but it just gets even cuter because now they are a couple.
They shined in this book. I loved seeing Eliza become even stronger with Books by her side and the same goes for Books. It’s so wonderful seeing how far the two have ventured out of their comfort zone and how much they have grown. Eliza has transformed from a brash character to someone who takes more time to think things through without just jumping right in with her firearms (although that was funny). Likewise, Books has become someone who is starting to deal with the ghosts of the past as he becomes more sure of himself.
I loved that a certain Bruce Campbell was brought back but I hated how his previous actions were kind of overlooked now that he was kind of a good guy. I hope we get to come back to him and make sure he atones for all the horrible things he did in the past.
The plot in this one was fabulous and I loved seeing so many aspects of previous books come into play. It seems as though one arc of this book has come to a close and I hope it stays that way! I am looking forward to seeing many other aspects of this world being explored. Especially since so many interesting things were brought to our attention in this installment (LIKE TIME TRAVEL. ZOMG).
The ending especially, while not necessarily an emotional cliffhanger was just surprising but also amazing and I just want to know so much more about what is happening and what it means and all of those exciting/annoying questions that come about when authors dump important info on you right at the end of a book.
All those wonderful things about the book said, I would like to say that there were times where this book was wordy/tell-y and when the pacing didn't work with me. There seems to have been a huge improvement since the previous instalments so I will give the book that but I still had trouble paying attention to what was going on at times and I think I just missed important things as a result, re-reading can help but you know, it can be annoying when you space out and have to re-read things because you didn't quite catch them the first time (kind of like when you read textbooks :P)
Having said that, this book was fantastic and so much fun and if it’s any indication of future books to come (LET THERE BE MORE), then I know I better keep in touch with this series!
If you’re reading this review and haven’t read any of the books in this series, I’d definitely say you have some reading to do!
April 26, 2020
With The Diamond Conspiracy, the authorial duo of Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris have not only continued their excellent steampunk series but they have now infused elements reminiscent of both Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Simon Hawke’s TimeWars series. Since co-protagonist Wellington Books is an archivist at heart despite his new empowerment as a field agent, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series has always had an element of the Warehouse 13 television series and its connotation of the ending to Raiders of the Last Ark. And if I said that part of the plot (as one might tell from the cover painting) is a hybrid of H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs (more the former than the latter, but both are represented), you’d sense that the pulp adventure nature of this series has only intensified with this volume.
Initially, I was under the impression that Books and Eliza were going to be thrown off-course on their unofficial honeymoon aboard the airship returning from the U.S. by being sidetracked to a mission in South Africa. After all, that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the title, The Diamond Conspiracy. I should have known from the steampunk setting of these stories that it had to do with Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. To add to the fantastic elements of this story, there is occasion for Her Majesty to undergo more than an anagathic treatment as in the Traveller (role-playing game of science fiction not steampunk) universe but a reverse aging process as well. Having recently watched a television mini-series on the young Victoria, images of that incredibly attractive actress popped into my mind. Alas, the circumstances were much more sinister than that and you sense that it is all coming together at, of course, the Diamond Jubilee.
Now, remember the Ministry of Seven, Eliza’s street rascal version of Sherlock Holmes’ Baker Street Irregulars? If I were to write that these street urchins picked on the wrong doctor’s house to rob and implied that this doctor had something to do with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Robert Louis Stevenson books, you’d likely know of whom I speak. Yet, this medical practitioner has a very different motivation in becoming a monster than the protagonist of the book I read ravenously in junior high school. I hope I haven’t given any more away than to suggest that a lot of problems begin when the Ministry of Seven cross paths with this rogue scientist.
In The Diamond Conspiracy there is such a murderous internecine rivalry between the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences and a sister branch of the special forces that Books and Eliza, along with some earlier characters in the series, are forced to play a deadly game of “hide-‘n-seek” with the operatives of that almost ancillary department. Once their rescuers in terms of covert extractions, now this department has abandoned its support function to eliminate the most wanted—and our intrepid agents are on their “most wanted” list. Meanwhile, to increase the pressurized steam in the plot, several old enemies such as the appropriately named Signorina del Morte and the not-as-appropriately named Maestro reappear here.
When the apparent culmination of a vast conspiracy against the Empire is revealed, the butcher’s bill is high. Fortunately, there are a few places where the conspirators underestimate the resourcefulness of the formal ministry, the informal (street urchin) ministry, assorted ministry operatives, and our two lovebird agents, as well as inevitable points where our heroes misjudge the shape of the ongoing plot. With callbacks to earlier volumes and their cast of characters, as well as tributes to other works set in Victorian or Edwardian London
Initially, I was under the impression that Books and Eliza were going to be thrown off-course on their unofficial honeymoon aboard the airship returning from the U.S. by being sidetracked to a mission in South Africa. After all, that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the title, The Diamond Conspiracy. I should have known from the steampunk setting of these stories that it had to do with Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. To add to the fantastic elements of this story, there is occasion for Her Majesty to undergo more than an anagathic treatment as in the Traveller (role-playing game of science fiction not steampunk) universe but a reverse aging process as well. Having recently watched a television mini-series on the young Victoria, images of that incredibly attractive actress popped into my mind. Alas, the circumstances were much more sinister than that and you sense that it is all coming together at, of course, the Diamond Jubilee.
Now, remember the Ministry of Seven, Eliza’s street rascal version of Sherlock Holmes’ Baker Street Irregulars? If I were to write that these street urchins picked on the wrong doctor’s house to rob and implied that this doctor had something to do with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Robert Louis Stevenson books, you’d likely know of whom I speak. Yet, this medical practitioner has a very different motivation in becoming a monster than the protagonist of the book I read ravenously in junior high school. I hope I haven’t given any more away than to suggest that a lot of problems begin when the Ministry of Seven cross paths with this rogue scientist.
In The Diamond Conspiracy there is such a murderous internecine rivalry between the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences and a sister branch of the special forces that Books and Eliza, along with some earlier characters in the series, are forced to play a deadly game of “hide-‘n-seek” with the operatives of that almost ancillary department. Once their rescuers in terms of covert extractions, now this department has abandoned its support function to eliminate the most wanted—and our intrepid agents are on their “most wanted” list. Meanwhile, to increase the pressurized steam in the plot, several old enemies such as the appropriately named Signorina del Morte and the not-as-appropriately named Maestro reappear here.
When the apparent culmination of a vast conspiracy against the Empire is revealed, the butcher’s bill is high. Fortunately, there are a few places where the conspirators underestimate the resourcefulness of the formal ministry, the informal (street urchin) ministry, assorted ministry operatives, and our two lovebird agents, as well as inevitable points where our heroes misjudge the shape of the ongoing plot. With callbacks to earlier volumes and their cast of characters, as well as tributes to other works set in Victorian or Edwardian London
March 21, 2015
Originally reviewed at The Book Adventures.
The Ministry is back in action!
The fourth book in The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has arrived and the team is being thrown under the bus by outside forces. Forced to go to ground with the Phantom Protocol Eliza Braun and Wellington Books are on the run and ready to save the empire once again, trouble is, the leader of the empire, just might be the problem.
The Diamond Conspiracy takes place just days after the events in Dawn’s Early Light . Welly and Eliza are returning back to England and testing out their new found romantic relationship. However, the pleasure cruise home is brought to an abrupt halt when Eliza receives the signal from her street urchins, the Ministry Seven. Racing against the clock Eliza and Wellington band together with trusted colleagues and former enemies to save both the empire and their own skin.
The latest installment in the series is just as fun as the previous ones. The action starts right away and Eliza and Wellington are thrown into the thick of it, but this time their awesome dynamic had changed. No longer just partners, Eliza and Wellington have to cope with their new status as a couple. They’re not hiding their feelings for one another, but at the same time they can’t let it complicate their mission, the fate of the empire does rest in their hands after all.
What readers are also treated to in The Diamond Conspiracy is Wellington’s dark and tragic childhood. As readers of the series will be well aware, Wellington has secrets skills. He may be a mild-mannered archivist, but he knows his way around a rifle and is a crack shot, all thanks to his autocratic father's training. Here, readers find out more about that father and what Wellington’s childhood was a like. When the Ministry takes refuge in Wellington’s childhood home, he is forced to confront his upbringing and the mysterious purpose of it. And based on that ending, that upbringing is going to have some serious repercussions going forward in the series. Can we have book 5 now?
If you’re a fan of The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences this addition does not disappoint. It’s a fun, action packed adventure studded with great cameos (i.e. Queen Victoria, Dr. Jekyll) and new steampunk gadgets. If you haven't read the series, it's one that I highly recommend. The steampunk elements are fantastic and are actually important to the plot. The alternative London that the authors create is also a lot of fun, as is the secret service that protects it's shores. Start with book 1, Phoenix Rising.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
The Ministry is back in action!
The fourth book in The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has arrived and the team is being thrown under the bus by outside forces. Forced to go to ground with the Phantom Protocol Eliza Braun and Wellington Books are on the run and ready to save the empire once again, trouble is, the leader of the empire, just might be the problem.
The Diamond Conspiracy takes place just days after the events in Dawn’s Early Light . Welly and Eliza are returning back to England and testing out their new found romantic relationship. However, the pleasure cruise home is brought to an abrupt halt when Eliza receives the signal from her street urchins, the Ministry Seven. Racing against the clock Eliza and Wellington band together with trusted colleagues and former enemies to save both the empire and their own skin.
The latest installment in the series is just as fun as the previous ones. The action starts right away and Eliza and Wellington are thrown into the thick of it, but this time their awesome dynamic had changed. No longer just partners, Eliza and Wellington have to cope with their new status as a couple. They’re not hiding their feelings for one another, but at the same time they can’t let it complicate their mission, the fate of the empire does rest in their hands after all.
What readers are also treated to in The Diamond Conspiracy is Wellington’s dark and tragic childhood. As readers of the series will be well aware, Wellington has secrets skills. He may be a mild-mannered archivist, but he knows his way around a rifle and is a crack shot, all thanks to his autocratic father's training. Here, readers find out more about that father and what Wellington’s childhood was a like. When the Ministry takes refuge in Wellington’s childhood home, he is forced to confront his upbringing and the mysterious purpose of it. And based on that ending, that upbringing is going to have some serious repercussions going forward in the series. Can we have book 5 now?
If you’re a fan of The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences this addition does not disappoint. It’s a fun, action packed adventure studded with great cameos (i.e. Queen Victoria, Dr. Jekyll) and new steampunk gadgets. If you haven't read the series, it's one that I highly recommend. The steampunk elements are fantastic and are actually important to the plot. The alternative London that the authors create is also a lot of fun, as is the secret service that protects it's shores. Start with book 1, Phoenix Rising.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
April 3, 2015
The Diamond Conspiracy is the fourth book in The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. This is really great steampunk writing. Readers who love the genre, not only get an alternative London in this series, but also some great cameos from political and literary notoriety. Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris blend remarkably well in their writing style and give readers a very cohesive and fun story. A great addition to the series!
Steampunk isn't for everyone, but if you like it and understand it, this is a great series. The concepts that make up the steampunk genre are on center stage here. Readers get to learn about a lot of interesting steampunk gadgetry and experience an alternative to the London they know and love. One that is more sinister and more entertaining. There is an element of fun about this series that pervades it, but it also has those dark undertones that make you feel all creepy at times.... love that feeling in a book!
Books and Braun are back with another adventure in this addition of the series. They are just learning how to deal with their new found relationship status. In the last book, they decided to stop fighting their attraction and just go for it. I love them as a couple, but I wondered if it would take anything away from how they worked together. I shouldn't have worried Ballantine and Morris, made it seem natural and it was fun. I liked how they weren't sure what to make of it. LOL.
I absolutely loved learning more about Wellington's past. He tends to remind me of an eccentric Sherlock Holmes at times and I wanted to know more about him. I was really captivated by this part of the book. He is an archivist... not exactly the kind of person you would pick to be a crack shot with a rifle. We know that his childhood was not the best, but we learn so much more that explains why he is how he is here. Just great writing. I can also tell that it will play a big part in future books.
Eliza was, as usual, a joy to read about. I enjoy her intelligence and her savvy intuitiveness. The Ministry of Seven, the child informants that Eliza counts on, has gotten themselves into a mess and it's up to Braun and Books to save them... and the entire empire. I love the large scope of these books. It's always do or due. Save the cheerleader, save the world kind of stuff. It gives each adventure an epic feel. I think that's what I love most about steampunk.
Bottom Line:
This is another great book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurences series. I really enjoy steampunk so it was right up my alley. Why do I love it? Because it's not paranormal... it's not exactly romance... it's not really a mystery... it's new and different and oh so very refreshing. I think Ballantine and Morris understand what readers of steampunk novels want and they show it here. Strange gadgets, Victorian London turned upside down and some amazing characters. Loved this one!
Steampunk isn't for everyone, but if you like it and understand it, this is a great series. The concepts that make up the steampunk genre are on center stage here. Readers get to learn about a lot of interesting steampunk gadgetry and experience an alternative to the London they know and love. One that is more sinister and more entertaining. There is an element of fun about this series that pervades it, but it also has those dark undertones that make you feel all creepy at times.... love that feeling in a book!
Books and Braun are back with another adventure in this addition of the series. They are just learning how to deal with their new found relationship status. In the last book, they decided to stop fighting their attraction and just go for it. I love them as a couple, but I wondered if it would take anything away from how they worked together. I shouldn't have worried Ballantine and Morris, made it seem natural and it was fun. I liked how they weren't sure what to make of it. LOL.
I absolutely loved learning more about Wellington's past. He tends to remind me of an eccentric Sherlock Holmes at times and I wanted to know more about him. I was really captivated by this part of the book. He is an archivist... not exactly the kind of person you would pick to be a crack shot with a rifle. We know that his childhood was not the best, but we learn so much more that explains why he is how he is here. Just great writing. I can also tell that it will play a big part in future books.
Eliza was, as usual, a joy to read about. I enjoy her intelligence and her savvy intuitiveness. The Ministry of Seven, the child informants that Eliza counts on, has gotten themselves into a mess and it's up to Braun and Books to save them... and the entire empire. I love the large scope of these books. It's always do or due. Save the cheerleader, save the world kind of stuff. It gives each adventure an epic feel. I think that's what I love most about steampunk.
Bottom Line:
This is another great book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurences series. I really enjoy steampunk so it was right up my alley. Why do I love it? Because it's not paranormal... it's not exactly romance... it's not really a mystery... it's new and different and oh so very refreshing. I think Ballantine and Morris understand what readers of steampunk novels want and they show it here. Strange gadgets, Victorian London turned upside down and some amazing characters. Loved this one!
April 21, 2015
Most authors let a series go for awhile before they break formula, but not these two -- here were are in Book #4, and they're shaking things up in this follow-up to that intriguing cliffhanger. On the one hand, I wish they'd given us a one or two more of the standard Brooks & Braun head off on a mission somewhere (even to another country or something like their trip to the States) before this one -- but I'm not sure it could've waited.
You get a glimpse of what's coming in the previous book -- the Ministry has been decommissioned. The agents who served the Crown so faithfully are now hunted by her government. Yet, they stay true to their mission, as you'd expect. Not the easiest task, even for these agents, used to the peculiar and the impossible. And what they're about to go up against is a lot more peculiar than they're used to. I'm always a sucker for tales of second chances -- and we got a few here, to boot. This book really has a little bit of everything.
Beyond the events of the story, there is just so much here to blow the reader's mind -- events, revelations, characters -- in the last hundred pages that I cannot talk about without utterly ruining the experience for anyone. But if you don't sit up in your chairs a little straighter, mouth agape, at least twice in Chapters 14 and 15 (for example), there's something wrong with you. And the last chapter? Great, just great.
I've always enjoyed the back and forth between the Brooks and Braun, but now they've added this flirtatious (and then some) aspect to it, making the scenes between two cackle with a new energy. The growth in their relationship feels natural, and doesn't go too far. Sure, they're ga-ga over each other, and in the first blush of new love -- but they're still professionals, with work to be done. Now that there's a little more trust in each other, maybe that works better, but it's still the same base relationship we've been following since Phoenix Rising.
One final thought: Is it just me or does that position Eliza is in on the cover look: 1. really uncomfortable, and 2. not that useful for shooting?
A dash of steam=punk, a bit of romance, some intrigue, some "you've got to be kidding me" moments, and good character progression. This is one of my favorite series going, and this entry just solidifies it.
You get a glimpse of what's coming in the previous book -- the Ministry has been decommissioned. The agents who served the Crown so faithfully are now hunted by her government. Yet, they stay true to their mission, as you'd expect. Not the easiest task, even for these agents, used to the peculiar and the impossible. And what they're about to go up against is a lot more peculiar than they're used to. I'm always a sucker for tales of second chances -- and we got a few here, to boot. This book really has a little bit of everything.
Beyond the events of the story, there is just so much here to blow the reader's mind -- events, revelations, characters -- in the last hundred pages that I cannot talk about without utterly ruining the experience for anyone. But if you don't sit up in your chairs a little straighter, mouth agape, at least twice in Chapters 14 and 15 (for example), there's something wrong with you. And the last chapter? Great, just great.
I've always enjoyed the back and forth between the Brooks and Braun, but now they've added this flirtatious (and then some) aspect to it, making the scenes between two cackle with a new energy. The growth in their relationship feels natural, and doesn't go too far. Sure, they're ga-ga over each other, and in the first blush of new love -- but they're still professionals, with work to be done. Now that there's a little more trust in each other, maybe that works better, but it's still the same base relationship we've been following since Phoenix Rising.
One final thought: Is it just me or does that position Eliza is in on the cover look: 1. really uncomfortable, and 2. not that useful for shooting?
A dash of steam=punk, a bit of romance, some intrigue, some "you've got to be kidding me" moments, and good character progression. This is one of my favorite series going, and this entry just solidifies it.
April 27, 2015
Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris have brought readers another installment in the adventures of Eliza Braun and Wellington Books, agents extraordinaire of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, and 'The Diamond Conspiracy' may be the best in the series to date.
As in previous installments, Ballantine and Morris have populated the pages of this Steampunk adventure with assorted historical and fictional figures including science fiction pioneer H.G. Wells, serial killer H.H. Holmes, Dr. Henry Jekyll and Queen Victoria as well as some old friends from previous books including the beautiful assassin with the delicious name: Sophia del Morte. Their ability to blend these real and fictional characters with their own creations makes all of their books a joy to read and that is even more true in this tale of a spectacular plot to take over the British Empire.
I won't give away too much of the novel's plot for those who have not read any of the previous Braun and Books novels, but I will say that the ministry's agents have been disavowed as part of the villains' plans to overthrow Parliament and are on the run while being hunted worldwide. This forces the few that remain alive to band together in what just might prove to be an impossible effort to derail the plans of the plotters while still keeping a weather eye out for those that are hunting them. Meanwhile, a member of Braun's 'Ministry Seven,' a gang of children that she has taken under her wing, has been captured by a mad scientist; disgraced agent Bruce Campbell is being recruited by the people hunting the agents; and Braun and Books have... well, you'll have to read the book to find out what they have discovered.
Ballantine and Morris have provided their readers with plenty of action sequences in this novel and some very interesting new gadgets with which to wage war against the forces trying to overthrow the Empire. They have also, in 'The Diamond Conspiracy,' thrown in a dash of romance and given their readers a deeper understanding of Books by adding a little more to his back story. As always, the narrative flows easily from one chapter to the next and the dialogue is as snappy as ever.
All in all, a great addition to the series and one that I would highly recommend not only for those who, like me, are Steampunk fans but also for those who just enjoy a good adventure story.
As in previous installments, Ballantine and Morris have populated the pages of this Steampunk adventure with assorted historical and fictional figures including science fiction pioneer H.G. Wells, serial killer H.H. Holmes, Dr. Henry Jekyll and Queen Victoria as well as some old friends from previous books including the beautiful assassin with the delicious name: Sophia del Morte. Their ability to blend these real and fictional characters with their own creations makes all of their books a joy to read and that is even more true in this tale of a spectacular plot to take over the British Empire.
I won't give away too much of the novel's plot for those who have not read any of the previous Braun and Books novels, but I will say that the ministry's agents have been disavowed as part of the villains' plans to overthrow Parliament and are on the run while being hunted worldwide. This forces the few that remain alive to band together in what just might prove to be an impossible effort to derail the plans of the plotters while still keeping a weather eye out for those that are hunting them. Meanwhile, a member of Braun's 'Ministry Seven,' a gang of children that she has taken under her wing, has been captured by a mad scientist; disgraced agent Bruce Campbell is being recruited by the people hunting the agents; and Braun and Books have... well, you'll have to read the book to find out what they have discovered.
Ballantine and Morris have provided their readers with plenty of action sequences in this novel and some very interesting new gadgets with which to wage war against the forces trying to overthrow the Empire. They have also, in 'The Diamond Conspiracy,' thrown in a dash of romance and given their readers a deeper understanding of Books by adding a little more to his back story. As always, the narrative flows easily from one chapter to the next and the dialogue is as snappy as ever.
All in all, a great addition to the series and one that I would highly recommend not only for those who, like me, are Steampunk fans but also for those who just enjoy a good adventure story.
October 19, 2015
Jumped the Shark!
Now, I haven't read a lot of Steampunk and can't therefore comment on what is normal for the genre, but while I'm willing for the sake of some gentle escapism to accept steam powered cars, computers (or 'analytical engines') and a few cunningly constructed weapons, I feel that we have now ended up in a place where it's essentially science fiction in corsets!
Looking back at my review of the previous book in the series, I was uncomfortable with the way that fictionalised representations of genuine historical characters had been shoe-horned into the story. Well, I suppose I should have been prepared for what came next.
While it is still a light-hearted and fun adventure, the series has gone so far beyond 'suspension of disbelief' that I'm really not sure that I'll be back for the next one.
2.5 stars, grudgingly rounded up to 3.
Now, I haven't read a lot of Steampunk and can't therefore comment on what is normal for the genre, but while I'm willing for the sake of some gentle escapism to accept steam powered cars, computers (or 'analytical engines') and a few cunningly constructed weapons, I feel that we have now ended up in a place where it's essentially science fiction in corsets!
Looking back at my review of the previous book in the series, I was uncomfortable with the way that fictionalised representations of genuine historical characters had been shoe-horned into the story. Well, I suppose I should have been prepared for what came next.
While it is still a light-hearted and fun adventure, the series has gone so far beyond 'suspension of disbelief' that I'm really not sure that I'll be back for the next one.
2.5 stars, grudgingly rounded up to 3.
May 16, 2016
The story is moving along quite well in this book. The Books and Braun duo have new challenges to face. Like the other books, the middle section of the story tends to slow down somewhat and gets somewhat "nerdy." And speaking of nerds, Wellington Books finally gets some real chemistry going with Elisa. Elisa, the worldly bombshell (in more ways than one), finds the archivist adventurer is someone she can cozy up to. Alice, Elisa's housekeeper/guard, and the Ministry 7 also figure prominently in this book as well.
These stories are fun, inventive, and action packed (for the most part). The characters and plot lines are developing quite well, just not the same thing over and over with each book. The end this of book leaves the reader with a bit of a cliffhanger.... Hopefully, the next installment is in the works.
I liked this book because it offers something a little on the different side for mystery/adventure type stories. If you remember the Wild, Wild West movie (circa 1999, TV show 1969), you get the steampunk flavor of the books. Except this story is set in England and Europe. One of the other treats is the chemistry written into the characters.
I listened to the audio book for this story. Simon Vance does an outstanding job with the multitude of characters. If you can, I recommend the audio book.
These stories are fun, inventive, and action packed (for the most part). The characters and plot lines are developing quite well, just not the same thing over and over with each book. The end this of book leaves the reader with a bit of a cliffhanger.... Hopefully, the next installment is in the works.
I liked this book because it offers something a little on the different side for mystery/adventure type stories. If you remember the Wild, Wild West movie (circa 1999, TV show 1969), you get the steampunk flavor of the books. Except this story is set in England and Europe. One of the other treats is the chemistry written into the characters.
I listened to the audio book for this story. Simon Vance does an outstanding job with the multitude of characters. If you can, I recommend the audio book.
July 24, 2015
Warning! Do not read beyond page 238 unless you have time to finish the book. The action is fast and furious, the plot twists many and fantastic, and sleep will be lost!!
The Diamond Conspiracy could be described with one word: diabolical. Multiple plot twists occurred that I never imagined. Friends became foes, and foes became... less foe-like. Where the previous books flirted with horror, The Diamond Conspiracy leapt joyfully into the horror pool to swim with the doctors (two horrific, nightmare worthy characters). The authors have shown they will kill off major, loved secondary characters in previous books, so I should have expected the body count to be heartbreaking. The long expected romantic pairing of Books and Braun was sweet, quietly erotic (without graphic sex), at times hilarious, but always heartwarming. To call the ending a cliffhanger would be a gross understatement; the ending caused a stunned, open-mouthed, glazed stare.
The Diamond Conspiracy could be described with one word: diabolical. Multiple plot twists occurred that I never imagined. Friends became foes, and foes became... less foe-like. Where the previous books flirted with horror, The Diamond Conspiracy leapt joyfully into the horror pool to swim with the doctors (two horrific, nightmare worthy characters). The authors have shown they will kill off major, loved secondary characters in previous books, so I should have expected the body count to be heartbreaking. The long expected romantic pairing of Books and Braun was sweet, quietly erotic (without graphic sex), at times hilarious, but always heartwarming. To call the ending a cliffhanger would be a gross understatement; the ending caused a stunned, open-mouthed, glazed stare.
September 5, 2017
Eliza D. Braun and Wellington Thornhill Books are Agents for Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences currently on the run from The Department for unknown reasons. Agents Braun and Books along with Alice and The Ministry Seven must stay steps ahead of The Department. Dr. Sound has initiated Phantom Protocol. The Diamond Jubilee is a time of celebration for all of England but doesn't help The Ministry Seven because one of their own is missing. What does The Department want? Can a former agent make a difference? Will The Ministry Seven be whole again? What do we learn about Dr. Sound? Your answers await you in The Diamond Conspiracy.
I love this series! I certainly hope there are more books in this series to come. The characters and story are intriguing, compelling, rich, bold, complex, full of heart, mystery, down to earth, and most of all full of adventure.
I love this series! I certainly hope there are more books in this series to come. The characters and story are intriguing, compelling, rich, bold, complex, full of heart, mystery, down to earth, and most of all full of adventure.
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November 4, 2016It takes a cunning mind to weave a story filled with romance, humor, adventure, royalty, madness, travel and a handful of kids into a coherent, exciting adventure. And I have to say I appreciated all the little side-jokes and wordplay. It was nice to be reminded now and again that this brilliant series is written by authors who are also fans of the genre. It took me a week of casual reading to get to the halfway mark... and then I finished the book in three hours. There was no stopping once everything really got exciting! Looking forward to starting the next volume, which is taunting me from atop my to-read stack right now.
August 11, 2016
I loved most of the book, until they got to the restricted area. Then the authors took the cheap way out. Aliens, Mars....REALLY!? Time travel maybe, but to fight off the bad guys you couldn't get more creative than to go into the future and have a UFO delivered into the past, like that makes sense. Plus it beat a handful of mechman then crashed, what was the point. I won't be reading the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2015
Short and sweet spoiler:
Was all going swimmingly and another great instalment, until it took an Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull turn - alien technology. Very disappointing as the story all around that revelation was fast-paced and interesting as usual. Plus the time travel and the director being H.G.Wells *sigh*
Was all going swimmingly and another great instalment, until it took an Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull turn - alien technology. Very disappointing as the story all around that revelation was fast-paced and interesting as usual. Plus the time travel and the director being H.G.Wells *sigh*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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