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The Steampunk Detectives #2
A Hanging at Lotus Hall: The Steampunk Detectives
Family secrets are the most dangerous…. All is not well at Lotus Hall, the home of the Dukes of Bennington, powerful mages who sit at the highest levels of power in the British Empire. Consulting detective Gregor Sherringford, youngest brother of the current duke, is summoned home by his mother, the Dowager Duchess, after the mysterious arrival of a family member long presumed dead. Joan Krieger, Gregor’s investigative partner and lover, accompanies him, though the summons is badly timed. Gregor has been pushing to get married while Joan, who saw the ruins of a marriage destroy her parents, balks. In her experience, families bring nothing but grief. Besides, she’s no proper match for Gregor, with her reputation as a “fallen” woman, and being from a Jewish merchant family. Her fears are realized after their arrival at Lotus Hall. The duke is distant, Gregor’s mother is concealing a secret about the long-lost family member, Gregor’s other brother is hiding an affair that could bring scandal down on the family, and the other guests, important members of the Metaphysical Society, warn Joan of dire consequences if she continues to use forbidden magic in her investigations. When one of the signature Sherringford inventions is used to kill, uncovering the truth behind all the facades becomes imperative. For someone is hunting Sherringfords and unless they can all learn to trust each other, their family will be utterly destroyed.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2019
About the author
Corrina Lawson
26 books97 followersWriter, Mom, Geek & Superhero, Corrina Lawson is the author of the superhero romance series, the Phoenix Institute, and the alternate history Seneca series, in which Romans and Vikings have settled in ancient North America.
She is also co-founder and Content Director for GeekMom.com and a mother of four, including twins.
She is also co-founder and Content Director for GeekMom.com and a mother of four, including twins.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 11, 2019
From page one, heroine Joan Krieger is placed in a situation that will be challenging to navigate. Why? Because she is a woman that wields magic. Make that a Jewish woman that wields magic. Illegally, since only men are considered to be able to handle the power of magic. But Joan’s challenge came in the form of an offer to be the first to teach girls at a mage school. Does this mean that society is ready to accept female mages?
Add all this to the fact that Joan is both the magical apprentice and lover of Gregor Sherringford, the 3rd son of a duke, and you can see that Joan’s life is not uninteresting.
When Gregor’s mother asks him to return home and bring Joan with him, the game is afoot. While only an attempted murder has occurred at this time in the book, the trip home sets up the circumstances for the real murder. Suddenly Gregor is the detective, with Joan as his assistant and everyone, from Gregor’s brother Jared (the Duke) to his niece, Anne, is a suspect.
This country manor murder mystery is both classic and original. The setting, the Sherlockian elements (down to the name of Moriarity), the family dynamics – those are all time-honored ingredients of many very good mysteries. Add the mage factor, the changing mage society in England and the conflicts that go with that and you have a fresh twist on the English manor murder mystery.
Intertwined in the mystery is the ongoing story of Gregor and Joan. Their relationship is solid, but on a wood foundation sort of way, as opposed to bedrock. Gregor is extremely protective and uncommunicative. These are Joan’s pet peeves and her reason for holding back. This is a couple that will always be interesting, but I would really like to see their relationship mature to more of a partnership. Hoping that A Hanging at Lotus Hall is not the last book in the series, I will be patient!
Gregor and Joan are the main characters, but this book is full of fascinating supporting characters. Gregor’s mother Vai, the returned-from-the-dead Edward Dale, and older brothers Jared and Nick. Just to name a few. Pay attention to each and everyone for clues if you wish to solve the mystery.
I read book one in the Steampunk Detectives series, The Curse of the Brimstone Contract, in 2015. At that time, I was really getting into steampunk. So I ate it up. Similarly, I devoured A Hanging at Lotus Hall. This book is for anyone that enjoys a complex plot, great character, and mystery with twist.
Many thanks to the author who provided a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.
Add all this to the fact that Joan is both the magical apprentice and lover of Gregor Sherringford, the 3rd son of a duke, and you can see that Joan’s life is not uninteresting.
When Gregor’s mother asks him to return home and bring Joan with him, the game is afoot. While only an attempted murder has occurred at this time in the book, the trip home sets up the circumstances for the real murder. Suddenly Gregor is the detective, with Joan as his assistant and everyone, from Gregor’s brother Jared (the Duke) to his niece, Anne, is a suspect.
This country manor murder mystery is both classic and original. The setting, the Sherlockian elements (down to the name of Moriarity), the family dynamics – those are all time-honored ingredients of many very good mysteries. Add the mage factor, the changing mage society in England and the conflicts that go with that and you have a fresh twist on the English manor murder mystery.
Intertwined in the mystery is the ongoing story of Gregor and Joan. Their relationship is solid, but on a wood foundation sort of way, as opposed to bedrock. Gregor is extremely protective and uncommunicative. These are Joan’s pet peeves and her reason for holding back. This is a couple that will always be interesting, but I would really like to see their relationship mature to more of a partnership. Hoping that A Hanging at Lotus Hall is not the last book in the series, I will be patient!
Gregor and Joan are the main characters, but this book is full of fascinating supporting characters. Gregor’s mother Vai, the returned-from-the-dead Edward Dale, and older brothers Jared and Nick. Just to name a few. Pay attention to each and everyone for clues if you wish to solve the mystery.
I read book one in the Steampunk Detectives series, The Curse of the Brimstone Contract, in 2015. At that time, I was really getting into steampunk. So I ate it up. Similarly, I devoured A Hanging at Lotus Hall. This book is for anyone that enjoys a complex plot, great character, and mystery with twist.
Many thanks to the author who provided a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.
July 20, 2022
It was so much fun to enter the steampunk world of Joan Krieger and Gregor Sherringford just one more time – the last time for now, as there are no other books in the series to my knowledge.
In this installment, some time has passed since the conclusion of The Curse of the Brimstone Contract. Joan and Gregor have been working together for a while, solving mysteries in a Victorian England fueled by steam and magic. When they’re called – commanded – to attend Gregor’s mage mother at the family’s ducal estate, Joan’s interest is piqued – and rightly so, because, to coin one of Gregor’s favorite turns of speech, murder is afoot.
I’d like to give this story an unbridled five stars, but had to stop at four for a few reasons; first, there’s never anything like the first book in a mystery series; no one is ruled out as a suspect, and the reader never knows how each character is going to behave. There’s no way to duplicate that in future installments. There was also a bigger cast of characters than in the first book, and if you’ll recall, one of my favorite aspects of that book was the limited number of suspects.
I also noticed what seemed to be some minor inconsistencies between facts in the first and second books, and I would have liked greater detail around how Joan ended up in a house of her own, considering that her family home was blown to smithereens at the end of the first book.
These are minor points, though – the story was still enjoyable, if marginally less engaging than its predecessor, and I rate it at a solid four stars.
In this installment, some time has passed since the conclusion of The Curse of the Brimstone Contract. Joan and Gregor have been working together for a while, solving mysteries in a Victorian England fueled by steam and magic. When they’re called – commanded – to attend Gregor’s mage mother at the family’s ducal estate, Joan’s interest is piqued – and rightly so, because, to coin one of Gregor’s favorite turns of speech, murder is afoot.
I’d like to give this story an unbridled five stars, but had to stop at four for a few reasons; first, there’s never anything like the first book in a mystery series; no one is ruled out as a suspect, and the reader never knows how each character is going to behave. There’s no way to duplicate that in future installments. There was also a bigger cast of characters than in the first book, and if you’ll recall, one of my favorite aspects of that book was the limited number of suspects.
I also noticed what seemed to be some minor inconsistencies between facts in the first and second books, and I would have liked greater detail around how Joan ended up in a house of her own, considering that her family home was blown to smithereens at the end of the first book.
These are minor points, though – the story was still enjoyable, if marginally less engaging than its predecessor, and I rate it at a solid four stars.
March 15, 2019
This is really between 3 and 4 stars. I really enjoyed the first of this series and so I was super excited to see years later Lawson had provided the sequel. I thought the characters were certainly characters. Lawson didn't shy way from throwing prejudices, stereotypes, and discrimination onto her pages both from the aspect of a character it was aimed at and in the aspect of the uncomfortable observer. While I did not have the impression Lawson condoned such behavior, given the rising tension and increase in hate crimes going on today I found myself rather critical and put-off by it.
April 13, 2019
Moriarity is causing trouble again and is bad!!
This book combined magic, castles, flying cars and some good alternative stuff. I especially liked Reg who was a Pinkerton agent working with the Dukes brother; who in the meantime was being controlled by the EVIL MorIaty. Really good book!!.5
This book combined magic, castles, flying cars and some good alternative stuff. I especially liked Reg who was a Pinkerton agent working with the Dukes brother; who in the meantime was being controlled by the EVIL MorIaty. Really good book!!.5
July 7, 2022
A good one. Set in a magical Victorian era, there are steampunk vibes throughout the book. Joan and Gregor head to his family home following an attack on Joan's life. While most of his family is accepting of them, something isn't right in the ancestral home. As they uncover what's being hidden, things move much swifter when a guest is killed with magic.
February 17, 2019
Satisfying mystery and romance
The next adventure for Joan and Gregor has plenty of interesting characters and plot twists. You won’t want to put it down until you have read the last page! I can’t wait to see what new excitement awaits the steampunk detectives.
The next adventure for Joan and Gregor has plenty of interesting characters and plot twists. You won’t want to put it down until you have read the last page! I can’t wait to see what new excitement awaits the steampunk detectives.
December 6, 2021
Od ok zabave do guilty pleasure zabave za samo dve knjige :D Ako napiše treću, čitaću i nju.
July 3, 2023
I can't even say for sure if I was supposed to read something else first as there was no clear indication that this was even a continuation of the series.
August 31, 2023
Honestly better than the first book, the pacing was different and I think it was an improvement! (Opinion)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2023
A nice sequel with family drama on the other side of the detective duo. Naming a character Moriarty is an iffy choice, but deciding whether the name is a hint or a red herring makes it fun.
Read
February 26, 2025Honestly I just got bored. DNF
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews