The Mina Scarletti Mystery Series #1-3

by Linda Stratmann

Death and deception in Victorian Brighton! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and Antonia Hodgson… Get the first three books in the Mina Scarletti mystery series now! Mr Scarletti’s Ghost Psychics and mediums have become all the rage in fashionable Brighton. But can they really communicate with the dead? Mina Scarletti is sceptical, but when her recently widowed mother insists on hosting a séance, she agrees to take part. Concerned that her mother and her vulnerable friends may be falling prey to conmen and tricksters, Mina decides to investigate. Under the ploy of wishing to communicate with her dead father’s – Mr Scarletti’s – ghost, she leaves no stone unturned in her quest for the truth. The Royal Ghost Forty-one years after his death, King George IV is said to be haunting the Royal Pavilion. The story of the ghostly encounter has been published anonymously, and it is sweeping through the town. Mina Scarletti, an author herself, immediately suspects the story to be false. And when she inspects the Pavilion, she is certain her suspicions are correct. But as she prepares to expose the false claims, her past begins to catch up with her. Blackmailed and threatened by those with an ulterior motive, Mina finds herself caught in a trap… An Unquiet Ghost George Fernwood and Mary Clifton, betrothed distant cousins, have a family secret that is preventing them from getting married. Twenty years ago, their alcoholic grandfather died in his bed and since then rumours have been circulating that someone in the family murdered him. Desperate to find out the truth, they have decided to seek out a medium to communicate with their grandfather, and they want Mina Scarletti to help them find one who is genuine. Mina is intrigued by the family mysteryand decides to help them in any way she can. Could one of the new mediums advertising in Brighton really be genuine…? THE MINA SCARLETTI SERIES BOXSET includes the first three cosy mysteries in Linda Stratmann’s intriguing historical series, the Mina Scarletti investigations, a traditional British detective series with a feisty woman sleuth set in Victorian Brighton. "I love Linda Stratmann’s writing. Her descriptions of Brighton are so sharp and vivid you can smell and taste the city on every page." - Peter James, author of Dead Like You ‘Linda Stratmann has provided an indomitable heroine in Mina Scarletti’ - promotingcrime.blogspot.com ‘Linda Stratmann is happily feeding the unquenchable thirst for Victorian crime fiction’ - www.crimefictionlover.com

675 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2018

About the author

Linda Stratmann is a British writer of historical true crime, biography and crime fiction.

Reviews

[Bonnye Reed]

Sapere Books 199

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book set. I like the idea of Miss Mina Scarletti with her scoliosis, her passion for books, the unknown and writing. So as much as I liked her and her mother and brother (what a great character he was - more please), the clinic too. But there was so much irritation that it was annoying to read. Really, I didn’t want to know a complete outline of the books she is writing. Pages of unnecessary drivel (if you need filler tell us what miss Scarletti and her family looked like, what they wore). Unnecessary filler of ghost stories she was writing. All good until Miss Eustace took the focus of the book, and the next book and even squeaked her way into the 3rd book. By book 2 I hated her and the entire storyline. It wasn’t so much a mystery as a character the author couldn’t let go of. It became a continuing painful story of people being conned repeatedly, in depth, with a few bits of Mina doing what she can in a passive aggressive manner to get some kind of justice.

By book three I was already wondering if I should just shelf this mediums/psychics book set. However, the murder in the 3rd book was a great story line and I really wanted to see it solved, but again we got caught up with her stories, cons and supernatural tricksters that took us left and right. Yes, I know the purpose at the end, but lets cover it, hint at it show us something.

But I must say the last few pages were amazing. I wish I had just skipped ahead at the end of book 1 for this amazing wrap-up. It really could have been made into the last 6 chapters rather than a tying up of all the frayed ends. It was so good I read the last chapter twice, hungry for the passion that was missing from book 2 to the end of book three. One thing I really missed was the conclusion of what happened to Mina's sister Enid. Was she unfaithful? OH my so much story just left out. Was she pregnant, was her husband dead/alive? Yes/no/yes? I cant give this more than 2 stars. The ending was a 3 star, and the book set could have been more if they had left out all her mini books and incorporated all that was in the last pages of book 3.

[Jenny Evitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Not my usual sort of books but soon got into loved Mina and her family and look forward to reading a lot more from this author well written and UN put down able