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Cassie Gwynne #1
A Deception Most Deadly
Listening length: 11 hours, 3 minutes
Meet Cassie Gwynne: bookworm, cat lover, reluctant heiress… and determined detective?
Florida, 1883. Cassie Gwynne is looking for a fresh start when she steps off the steamship at Fernandina harbor for the first time. She’s trying hard to be a proper lady, for once. She’s styled her unruly hair, shined her boots, and even purchased a whole new fashionable (or at least fashionably priced) wardrobe. However, she’s certain finding a body is not very ladylike behavior…
While out exploring the beautiful island with her Aunt Flora, Cassie stumbles across the body of Peanut Runkles, town grump and her aunt’s neighbor, lying at the foot of the harbor pilots’ lookout tower. To make matters worse, because Peanut and Flora have been quarreling for years over everything from Flora’s eccentric ideas to her pet pig’s fondness for Peanut’s vegetable patch, Flora is immediately arrested for murder.
Desperate to save the only family she has left, Cassie vows to prove Flora’s innocence and untangle the mystery herself, no matter how much the surly local sheriff disapproves. Cassie’s brilliant mind and nose for a clue lead her on an investigation that takes her all around the island, and even earns her a valiant furry friend in Esy the kitten.
But how does the mysterious ledger Cassie finds hidden in a secret drawer in Peanut’s desk connect to the crime? Cassie is determined to dig up the truth, but can she catch the killer before her time on the island comes to a deadly end?
This warm and witty cozy mystery will transport you to the island city of Fernandina and introduce you to a feisty heroine far before her time! Perfect for fans of Verity Bright, T E Kinsey and Deanna Raybourn.
Meet Cassie Gwynne: bookworm, cat lover, reluctant heiress… and determined detective?
Florida, 1883. Cassie Gwynne is looking for a fresh start when she steps off the steamship at Fernandina harbor for the first time. She’s trying hard to be a proper lady, for once. She’s styled her unruly hair, shined her boots, and even purchased a whole new fashionable (or at least fashionably priced) wardrobe. However, she’s certain finding a body is not very ladylike behavior…
While out exploring the beautiful island with her Aunt Flora, Cassie stumbles across the body of Peanut Runkles, town grump and her aunt’s neighbor, lying at the foot of the harbor pilots’ lookout tower. To make matters worse, because Peanut and Flora have been quarreling for years over everything from Flora’s eccentric ideas to her pet pig’s fondness for Peanut’s vegetable patch, Flora is immediately arrested for murder.
Desperate to save the only family she has left, Cassie vows to prove Flora’s innocence and untangle the mystery herself, no matter how much the surly local sheriff disapproves. Cassie’s brilliant mind and nose for a clue lead her on an investigation that takes her all around the island, and even earns her a valiant furry friend in Esy the kitten.
But how does the mysterious ledger Cassie finds hidden in a secret drawer in Peanut’s desk connect to the crime? Cassie is determined to dig up the truth, but can she catch the killer before her time on the island comes to a deadly end?
This warm and witty cozy mystery will transport you to the island city of Fernandina and introduce you to a feisty heroine far before her time! Perfect for fans of Verity Bright, T E Kinsey and Deanna Raybourn.
11 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 11, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
January 14, 2022
I am a little on the fence with this one. On one hand the last part was good and left me feeling quite satisfied. On the other hand I remember that I speed read whole chunks of the early book where nothing happened at all.
The story is about Cassie Gwynne who comes to visit her estranged Aunt Flora after the distressing events which led to her father's death. There is a lot of drama in this book. Many of Cassie's relatives seem to have died untimely deaths in dramatic ways. Cassie herself is an heiress so she buys lots of new clothes and sets off for Florida to visit her aunt.
Shortly after her arrival her aunt is accused of murdering someone who she thought had stolen her pig and this was where I started to skim. I like quirky books but this one got a bit out of hand. Eventually things settled down and I had a good guess at who the murderer was and all was well. Except for the scene with the donkey.
So three stars for a reasonably good read and I may well try book two. Cassie was very likeable as were several other characters and I think the author has it in her to produce a very good book once she settles into it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The story is about Cassie Gwynne who comes to visit her estranged Aunt Flora after the distressing events which led to her father's death. There is a lot of drama in this book. Many of Cassie's relatives seem to have died untimely deaths in dramatic ways. Cassie herself is an heiress so she buys lots of new clothes and sets off for Florida to visit her aunt.
Shortly after her arrival her aunt is accused of murdering someone who she thought had stolen her pig and this was where I started to skim. I like quirky books but this one got a bit out of hand. Eventually things settled down and I had a good guess at who the murderer was and all was well. Except for the scene with the donkey.
So three stars for a reasonably good read and I may well try book two. Cassie was very likeable as were several other characters and I think the author has it in her to produce a very good book once she settles into it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
December 21, 2021
In a Nutshell: Didn’t work much for me, though it has its moments.
Story:
Where the book worked for me:
✔ It’s quite funny in places. (The very fact that my first positive feedback about a cosy mystery is that it’s funny, should tell you a lot how I felt about the mystery in the book.)
✔ Cassie is an entertaining historical pseudo-detective. It was a different experience to see her trying to solve the mystery while struggling with her fashionable new gowns.
✔ The location of the story, Fernandina Beach in Nassau County, Florida, is put to excellent use in the story.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ There are multiple officials and investigators checking out Peanut Runkles’ death. But guess who correctly interprets each and every clue? Finds objects at various locations that no one else detects? Uncovers the big mystery without help from any single person? Goes into strange and/or dangerous places all alone and comes out unscathed? You guessed it. The amateur Cassie who isn’t even interested in being a detective but just wants to help her aunt escape the death noose. It felt so unrealistic that only one person could detect every single thing and all the others were just bumbling and stumbling around.
❌ A couple of things felt anachronistic, though I'm not too sure about these. For instance, Cassie pays $5 to a young boy to run an errand for her. That’s ridiculously high for 1883. Another thing is that she’s constantly chewing gum, at least in the first half. The book mentions that she has overhauled her entire wardrobe and manners to appear more ladylike, so I didn’t get how chewing gum matched this personality change. Also, was chewing gum so popular in 1883 that a lady would keep popping it in her mouth again and again and no one would comment on that habit?
❌ There are allusions to outfits again and again and yet again. This might have been a deliberate choice to enhance the comic factor of the book but I just got bored by the repeated references to gowns and shirt coats and hats and what-not.
❌ Unfortunately for me, I had a clear suspect in mind very early in the book, somewhere within the first quarter itself. So the rest of the book was just a wait-and-watch situation to see if the big reveal matched my guess. It did. Sigh!
❌ Everyone knows that in a thriller, the person to whom most fingers are pointed at is never the culprit. In this book, there is ONLY one person in whose direction the clues seem to sway. So it is but obvious that that person would not be the actual guilty party. Once this big reveal comes about, the book starts introducing twists, some of which were just for the sake of it and were too farfetched to be believable. This further chipped away from my experience.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook clocks at 11 hours and is narrated by the excellent Lauryn Allman. She deserves full credit for helping me complete this book. Her voice suits Cassie’s character perfectly, but she does justice to the other characters too. And when I say other characters, I mean, every single character. (And even some objects!) Ever heard a narrator who can chime like an actual bell and mew like a real cat? (I was convinced that there was a cat in my room when I heard her mewing!😂) I’m in love with her voice and capabilities. One full star from my rating is for her performance. (I would have given her 5 stars if there were a separate rating field for narrators.) I would love to pick up more books read by her.
There are too many characters at the start, so I had to hear the initial couple of chapters twice to get a rough hang of who was who. But soon things started falling into place. If you get confused with too many names, better skip the audio version and try reading this.
Overall, this was not really ‘A Deception Most Deadly’, more like ‘A Quandary Quite Quirky’. Recommended only if you want a humorous historical cosy mystery and if you read without using the logical side of your brains too much.
3 stars from me. (Remember, 1 star is for narrator Lauryn Allman.)
My thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “A Deception Most Deadly”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Story:
1883, Florida. Cassie Gwynne has just got off the steamship at Fernandina harbour, hoping to meet an aunt she had never known about and whose identity she discovered only after her father’s death. She has also undergone a makeover that befits her status as a wealthy lady. Cassie gets off to a rocky start in this new place when she discovers that her Aunt Flora is in jail for causing social disturbance. When this problem is sorted out, another one comes up. Flora’s grouchy neighbour Peanut Runkles is found dead near the foot of the harbour pilot’s tower. And as Flora and he have had plenty of tussles over the years, Flora becomes the main suspect in this crime. Will Cassie lose her aunt even before she has come to know her well?
Where the book worked for me:
✔ It’s quite funny in places. (The very fact that my first positive feedback about a cosy mystery is that it’s funny, should tell you a lot how I felt about the mystery in the book.)
✔ Cassie is an entertaining historical pseudo-detective. It was a different experience to see her trying to solve the mystery while struggling with her fashionable new gowns.
✔ The location of the story, Fernandina Beach in Nassau County, Florida, is put to excellent use in the story.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ There are multiple officials and investigators checking out Peanut Runkles’ death. But guess who correctly interprets each and every clue? Finds objects at various locations that no one else detects? Uncovers the big mystery without help from any single person? Goes into strange and/or dangerous places all alone and comes out unscathed? You guessed it. The amateur Cassie who isn’t even interested in being a detective but just wants to help her aunt escape the death noose. It felt so unrealistic that only one person could detect every single thing and all the others were just bumbling and stumbling around.
❌ A couple of things felt anachronistic, though I'm not too sure about these. For instance, Cassie pays $5 to a young boy to run an errand for her. That’s ridiculously high for 1883. Another thing is that she’s constantly chewing gum, at least in the first half. The book mentions that she has overhauled her entire wardrobe and manners to appear more ladylike, so I didn’t get how chewing gum matched this personality change. Also, was chewing gum so popular in 1883 that a lady would keep popping it in her mouth again and again and no one would comment on that habit?
❌ There are allusions to outfits again and again and yet again. This might have been a deliberate choice to enhance the comic factor of the book but I just got bored by the repeated references to gowns and shirt coats and hats and what-not.
❌ Unfortunately for me, I had a clear suspect in mind very early in the book, somewhere within the first quarter itself. So the rest of the book was just a wait-and-watch situation to see if the big reveal matched my guess. It did. Sigh!
❌ Everyone knows that in a thriller, the person to whom most fingers are pointed at is never the culprit. In this book, there is ONLY one person in whose direction the clues seem to sway. So it is but obvious that that person would not be the actual guilty party. Once this big reveal comes about, the book starts introducing twists, some of which were just for the sake of it and were too farfetched to be believable. This further chipped away from my experience.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook clocks at 11 hours and is narrated by the excellent Lauryn Allman. She deserves full credit for helping me complete this book. Her voice suits Cassie’s character perfectly, but she does justice to the other characters too. And when I say other characters, I mean, every single character. (And even some objects!) Ever heard a narrator who can chime like an actual bell and mew like a real cat? (I was convinced that there was a cat in my room when I heard her mewing!😂) I’m in love with her voice and capabilities. One full star from my rating is for her performance. (I would have given her 5 stars if there were a separate rating field for narrators.) I would love to pick up more books read by her.
There are too many characters at the start, so I had to hear the initial couple of chapters twice to get a rough hang of who was who. But soon things started falling into place. If you get confused with too many names, better skip the audio version and try reading this.
Overall, this was not really ‘A Deception Most Deadly’, more like ‘A Quandary Quite Quirky’. Recommended only if you want a humorous historical cosy mystery and if you read without using the logical side of your brains too much.
3 stars from me. (Remember, 1 star is for narrator Lauryn Allman.)
My thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “A Deception Most Deadly”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
May 5, 2022
Cassie Gwynne looked for a fresh start after her father's death. They lived in New York, her father was an attorney, and she use to help him with his works.
She off to see her aunt who owns a perfume and scented goods store in town, for the first time at Fernandina island, in 1883. As a very gentlewoman and proper lady, as we expect at that time, soon as she arrived, arrested for ...
Well, not exactly arrested but was taken to the police station for answering some questions. Like other usual and ordinary families, she met her aunt for the first time at the jail, accidentally!
Wait a minute, the story didn't begin yet. Aunt Flora has very compassion for animals and cares about them. Like real life, there is always a neighbor who ALWAYS complains about animals.
Peanut Runkles has been quarreling with Flora for years, about everything from Flora’s eccentric ideas to Peanut’s vegetable patch that was destroyed by pet pig Flora.
"Who may have had an issue with Peanut.”
“That’s easy. Downing, Smalls, Meeks, Mr. Shaw, Mrs. Shaw, all of his neighbors, anyone else who’s ever met him."
Cassie accidentally finds Peanut's body lying at the foot of the harbor pilots’ lookout tower. Flora was arrested for his murder. Cassie and a few loyal friends try to find the real killer and help Flora. During this investigation, Cassie finds some unusual information about the last huge fire in town and the insurance company. It looks like is not only about Peanut anymore. There will be another murder, other documents against her aunt and meet an old friend after years, he had changed a lot!
A great start for a new historical cozy mystery series! I really enjoyed the narration; Plot, the island city of Fernandina 1883; the characters, Cassie, her Aunt Flora, their friends, and also their lovely animals, especially new kitty "Hesychia", Esy for short. :) I really like to read how the story could continue.
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read A Deception Most Deadly (A Cassie Gwynne Mystery #1) by Genevieve Essig, I have given my honest review.
Published Date 14 Jan 2022
My review on 11 Dec 2021
She off to see her aunt who owns a perfume and scented goods store in town, for the first time at Fernandina island, in 1883. As a very gentlewoman and proper lady, as we expect at that time, soon as she arrived, arrested for ...
Well, not exactly arrested but was taken to the police station for answering some questions. Like other usual and ordinary families, she met her aunt for the first time at the jail, accidentally!
Wait a minute, the story didn't begin yet. Aunt Flora has very compassion for animals and cares about them. Like real life, there is always a neighbor who ALWAYS complains about animals.
Peanut Runkles has been quarreling with Flora for years, about everything from Flora’s eccentric ideas to Peanut’s vegetable patch that was destroyed by pet pig Flora.
"Who may have had an issue with Peanut.”
“That’s easy. Downing, Smalls, Meeks, Mr. Shaw, Mrs. Shaw, all of his neighbors, anyone else who’s ever met him."
Cassie accidentally finds Peanut's body lying at the foot of the harbor pilots’ lookout tower. Flora was arrested for his murder. Cassie and a few loyal friends try to find the real killer and help Flora. During this investigation, Cassie finds some unusual information about the last huge fire in town and the insurance company. It looks like is not only about Peanut anymore. There will be another murder, other documents against her aunt and meet an old friend after years, he had changed a lot!
A great start for a new historical cozy mystery series! I really enjoyed the narration; Plot, the island city of Fernandina 1883; the characters, Cassie, her Aunt Flora, their friends, and also their lovely animals, especially new kitty "Hesychia", Esy for short. :) I really like to read how the story could continue.
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read A Deception Most Deadly (A Cassie Gwynne Mystery #1) by Genevieve Essig, I have given my honest review.
Published Date 14 Jan 2022
My review on 11 Dec 2021
January 13, 2022
This took a million turns. I felt like everyone was a suspect and at times it was to much. Told with a fluent prose I loved the authors descriptions of most of the story. But when a person was questioned in my opinion, they gave way to much information. Just told their whole life story in one page. So maybe there was just to much to the story. If this was narrowed down I feel like it could be a 5 star. It just went on and on.
I did enjoy the narrator, she made it very enjoyable to listen to.
Thanks Bookouture via NetGalley.
I did enjoy the narrator, she made it very enjoyable to listen to.
Thanks Bookouture via NetGalley.
May 17, 2023
What is a cosy historical mystery? It is satisfying sure, yet in more ways than one! Discover a town in Florida-- over a hundred years ago! A community of "decent" folk who question the motive more than lament the unsolved death, all of them somehow having a good reason to commit murder! They're all likeable; the pets/critters seem to personify the townspeople pretty well. The moments of tenderness between the "good guys" and the animals adorn the mystery so that it is not scary, or too serious. But it is cosy!
Enough in this book to want to continue with Cassie in Book 2. And to continue reading the well-researched yet accessible prose of Essig!
Enough in this book to want to continue with Cassie in Book 2. And to continue reading the well-researched yet accessible prose of Essig!
January 16, 2022
3.5 stars.
Genevieve Essig’s Cassie Gwynne is a bright and curious young woman, suffering deeply with grief over the sudden death of her beloved father. She arrives in Fernandina, Florida, to get to know a previously unknown aunt, Flora.
Cassie is nervous, and as soon as she lands, she witnesses a burglary, meets one of the Sherriff’s deputies, meets her aunt Flora who spending a little time in jail for protesting a case of animal cruelty—Cassie rapidly gets the sense that she’s amongst a lively and colourful bunch of people.
Cassie discovers Flora, in addition to attempting to save mistreated animals, is also an in-demand perfumer. Cassie also discovers that her aunt has a thoroughly dislikable neighbour whom no one in town can stand and with whom her aunt has a loud altercation soon after they arrive at Flora’s cozy home.
Cassie is not hung up on social conventions, easily socializing with the diverse and mixed crowd of friends who surround Flora. Cassie is also charmed by her aunt, and enveloped immediately in Flora’s warmth and kindness.
The next morning, Cassie and Flora discover the man’s body, and the incompetent Coroner charges Flora with the man’s murder very soon afterwards.
Thank goodness Flora has a bunch of devoted and concerned friends, as well as Cassie’s observant eyes, and penchant for asking questions. Having helped her lawyer father with his work, she’s got a sense of how to think and look for evidence, which serves her well when she unearths lots of clues, and motives for a number of townspeople.
I found it pretty easy to narrow down the suspects and figure out who the culprit was fairly early on, I still enjoyed this story. I think Flora’s love and forgiving nature, and who she surrounded herself with, was a large part of this, and how readily she opened her arms and heart to Cassie. Considering how fast I read this book, I’m eager to know what’s next for Cassie, Flora and the rest of this kind and supportive bunch of people.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Genevieve Essig’s Cassie Gwynne is a bright and curious young woman, suffering deeply with grief over the sudden death of her beloved father. She arrives in Fernandina, Florida, to get to know a previously unknown aunt, Flora.
Cassie is nervous, and as soon as she lands, she witnesses a burglary, meets one of the Sherriff’s deputies, meets her aunt Flora who spending a little time in jail for protesting a case of animal cruelty—Cassie rapidly gets the sense that she’s amongst a lively and colourful bunch of people.
Cassie discovers Flora, in addition to attempting to save mistreated animals, is also an in-demand perfumer. Cassie also discovers that her aunt has a thoroughly dislikable neighbour whom no one in town can stand and with whom her aunt has a loud altercation soon after they arrive at Flora’s cozy home.
Cassie is not hung up on social conventions, easily socializing with the diverse and mixed crowd of friends who surround Flora. Cassie is also charmed by her aunt, and enveloped immediately in Flora’s warmth and kindness.
The next morning, Cassie and Flora discover the man’s body, and the incompetent Coroner charges Flora with the man’s murder very soon afterwards.
Thank goodness Flora has a bunch of devoted and concerned friends, as well as Cassie’s observant eyes, and penchant for asking questions. Having helped her lawyer father with his work, she’s got a sense of how to think and look for evidence, which serves her well when she unearths lots of clues, and motives for a number of townspeople.
I found it pretty easy to narrow down the suspects and figure out who the culprit was fairly early on, I still enjoyed this story. I think Flora’s love and forgiving nature, and who she surrounded herself with, was a large part of this, and how readily she opened her arms and heart to Cassie. Considering how fast I read this book, I’m eager to know what’s next for Cassie, Flora and the rest of this kind and supportive bunch of people.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my review.
January 23, 2022
I chose to listen to the audiobook Arc of this brand new cozy mystery series set in the late 1880s. It was narrated well by the narrator Lauryn Allman but in hindsight I think it would have been better if I had chosen to read the book instead. The mystery was fine and the twist and reveal at the end was good but I had difficulty keeping up with the large array of characters, their backstory and their connection to the plot and my attention did wane at times while listening.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author for the audio ARC of the book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author for the audio ARC of the book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫.
January 3, 2022
A classic mystery, but a lot of characters. It seemed to take a while for this book to get going after a lot of character introductions. Since this is the first book in the Cassie mystery series, hopefully future books get to the actual mystery a bit quicker.
I liked that this book covered the murder mystery, a fire, and learning about family all in one book. Once the pace picked up after halfway in I became more hooked into the mystery.
I listened to the audiobook version which had a pretty engaging narrator and helped in keeping characters straight. I wonder what the next book will be like since a lot was covered in this one.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this audiobook for my honest review.
I liked that this book covered the murder mystery, a fire, and learning about family all in one book. Once the pace picked up after halfway in I became more hooked into the mystery.
I listened to the audiobook version which had a pretty engaging narrator and helped in keeping characters straight. I wonder what the next book will be like since a lot was covered in this one.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this audiobook for my honest review.
January 3, 2022
3.4 Stars
When I read the description of the Historical Cozy Mystery
~ Meet Cassie Gwynne: bookworm, cat lover ~
I didn’t read any future as it sounded like a story I would like.
Story begins with Cassie looking for a fresh start and steps off the steamship on a Florida harbor in 1883, hoping to meet Aunt Flora whom she recently became aware. She finds Aunt Flora in jail for causing a disturbance. That is no sooner sorted out when Peanut Runkles is found dead.
(No Peanut is not a cat but Aunt Flora’s grumpy ‘grapefruit throwing’ neighbor.) Yep Aunt Flora is the prime suspect.
I like Cassie😃 and yes I like the kitty ‘Esy’ as well. 🥰
Story is narrated by Lauryn Allman who does a great job in performing all the characters!
Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio ~ for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 14, 2022
When I read the description of the Historical Cozy Mystery
~ Meet Cassie Gwynne: bookworm, cat lover ~
I didn’t read any future as it sounded like a story I would like.
Story begins with Cassie looking for a fresh start and steps off the steamship on a Florida harbor in 1883, hoping to meet Aunt Flora whom she recently became aware. She finds Aunt Flora in jail for causing a disturbance. That is no sooner sorted out when Peanut Runkles is found dead.
(No Peanut is not a cat but Aunt Flora’s grumpy ‘grapefruit throwing’ neighbor.) Yep Aunt Flora is the prime suspect.
I like Cassie😃 and yes I like the kitty ‘Esy’ as well. 🥰
Story is narrated by Lauryn Allman who does a great job in performing all the characters!
Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio ~ for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 14, 2022
January 31, 2022
A delightful historical cozy featuring Cassie Gwynne, a young woman who spends way too much time trying to remember how to act like a lady. While doing so, she ends up banging head first into trees, tripping over her petticoats, and trying to remember not to pull at her underwear. She even made a list of ladylike behaviors for which she finds it hard to conform.
Cassie is an amusing and courageous woman, who although she has had trauma and recent loss in her life, she embarks on a trip to Florida to visit her relatively unknown Aunt Flora who runs a perfume business. Because of her aunt's quirky social issues and an ongoing feud with a neighbor, when the he is found dead, Flora is arrested for his murder. Cassie, of course, feels compelled to insert herself into the investigation and the fun intensifies.
Looking forward to the next in the series.
Cassie is an amusing and courageous woman, who although she has had trauma and recent loss in her life, she embarks on a trip to Florida to visit her relatively unknown Aunt Flora who runs a perfume business. Because of her aunt's quirky social issues and an ongoing feud with a neighbor, when the he is found dead, Flora is arrested for his murder. Cassie, of course, feels compelled to insert herself into the investigation and the fun intensifies.
Looking forward to the next in the series.
March 23, 2022
Thank you Netgalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Following her father's death Cassie Gwynne goes to stay with her long lost Aunt Flora. This historical mystery had it all. Murder, mystery, twists and turns.
December 16, 2021
Thank you Bookoture and NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.
Amelia Island, Florida 1883
Cassie Gynne has arrived in Florida to find the aunt she never knew existed, the only family she has left in the world after the death of her father. In her first few minutes in Florida, Cassie discovers she's allergic to sunlight, meets a dog with the same affliction, witnesses a pickpocket make off with a lady's pocket and meets her aunt for the first time in jail! Aunt Flora is an animal rights activist and in jail for causing trouble. Cassie is a bit overwhelmed by her aunt's lively household filled with a variety of pets, including a pet pig, as well as various items for making perfume. While out on bail, Aunt Flora receives a threatening message indicating her beloved pig has been killed. She believes this note is from her cranky neighbor, Peanut, in retaliation for Roger rooting in Peanut's shrubs. An altercation with Peanut ends with a threat to his life and Aunt Flora wielding a shovel. She backs down, however, but someone else seems to want Peanut dead. The next morning after the altercation, Cassie discovers Peanut's dead body in the woods next to the lookout tower. The coroner assumes Peanut fell to his death but Cassie notices details that point to a staged scene and thereby foul play. All right then, Mr. Shaw changes course and announces Peanut was murdered and Aunt Flora is the chief suspect! Cassie knows in her heart her aunt is innocent. She teams up with her aunt's policeman friend, Jake to help solve the mystery. Meanwhile, she's embarassed, flustered and pleased to be noticed by an old flame. When he indicates he wants to make her childish dreams come true, Cassie thinks her heart should be thrilled but for some reason, her head doesn't match up to what her heart is telling her. Sam asks for her help in proving his sister's would-be fiance is no good. Cassie suspects Sam is right but can she find evidence and if she does, what does she tell Sam and Lily?
This book is LONG and there's a lot of exposition to get through before the fun starts. I got a little bored with it and kept moving on to look at other stuff. I thought I figured out who the murderer was right away but it turns out I was wrong about that guess. I did guess who it was halfway through and felt frustrated Cassie couldn't figure it out. The clues were a little obvious. Usually, this is the type of cozy mystery I enjoy where the victim was someone so nasty that everyone has a motive for murder. In this book, however, it drags the story out too long because there are SO many characters to introduce. There's also a lot of info dumping about the history of Fernandina. It ties into the mystery but again it makes the story feel a little too long and dragged out. The story picks up in the second half and I wasn't bored with it anymore.
Cassie is a likable enough character if you like flawed heroines. She's young- early 20s, and sheltered. She's a LOT naive even after the death of her father at the hands of some would-be robbers. As soon as she revealed her story I knew exactly what had happened. At first as she teases her backstory with little dribbles of information, it seems as if her father died a natural death. Her father bears some of the blame for treating her like a child and not explaining why. I understand completely he didn't want to risk losing her after all he had been through. Cassie is clumsy and awkward around her childhood crush. I like that about her even though it makes me cringe to read it. It makes Cassie more human and relatable. She also clashes with a hot-tempered, obtuse policeman. Cassie is kind to animals and children and very perceptive. She notices things other people don't and knows a bit about how the law works because she used to help her father with his work. I think she knew a lot more about what happened to Peanut than she realized, especially after I figured it out. Her dramatic and comedic confrontation with the murderer is true classic cozy mystery style!
Aunt Flora is fabulous! I want her for my aunt or sister, since she's younger than I am now. I adore her for her passionate animal rights defense. She's not PETA passionate, she doesn't eat animals but she doesn't mind if her friends eat animals around her. She puts a tie on a pig and keeps animals as pets. Aunt Flora loves each and every member of her menagerie as if they were her children and like any mother, she reacts badly when one of her children is threatened or harmed. Aunt Flora is kind and welcoming to everyone she meets. Most people, aside from the sexist men, adore her. She's a talent parfumier (I'm allergic so no visits to Aunt Flora for me) and carries on as if her precious composition book has not just burned in a fire. She does turn out to be a flawed character, though. I forgive her for her past mistake and give her a lot of credit for trying to make amends. Was it even her fault? Esme Cole is Aunt Flora's devoted apprentice. Talented in her own right, she is eager to help Aunt Flora recreate the recipes lost in the devastating commercial block fire. I get the sense Aunt Flora likes Esme but often overlooks the other woman or Esme sometimes feels that way. Aunt Flora is carelessly kind to Esme, I think. She gets consumed by her passion for making perfume she forgets the human element.
Officer Hughes is an ineffective policeman. He's hot-tempered and rude to Cassie and anyone who stands in his way. I sense he's going to be a love interest if this becomes a series. He does eventually improve and sucks it up to investigate the murder-after Cassie has done most of the work. Jake Gordan is a much more pleasant and agreeable man. He's devoted to Flora and is a devoted father with his little girl Metta. Jake is calm and sensible in the face of adversity, except when he fears his daughter is missing. Metta is precocious and I find her a little annoying. Her pal, Paddy is funny and enterprising. The animals are cute but aside from the bird, I kept forgetting which was which. Roger, the pig, is the cutest of all the pets but Cassie's kitten almost makes me like cats.
Flora's closest allies are Miss. Porter and Mrs Keene. They seem to be of the so-called bluestocking variety of women. Nosy but only to the point of wanting to help a friend, they're eager to hear when the coroner's jury has to say and pitch in to save Flora. They're very funny. I enjoyed them and wanted more. Mrs. Kenne is a strong woman. She's kind of domineering in a way. Her son-in-law Mr. Charles Hillard, can't stand up to her and seems afraid of her. Mr. Hillard is a merchant, isnurance agent and lawyer. He's overworked and underpaid and I don't think he's all that bright. It's Cassie who figures out connections in Mr. Hillard's papers. Major Drury, the town drunk, pops up for comic relief and sometimes for misdirection in the investigation. Occassionally it seems like he may know what he's talking about after all. Mrs. Rydell at the post office is the biggest gossip in town. She's lively and fun and seems to be on Flora's side. She wants to hear what Jake and Cassie have to say so she can tell everyone else. This could be valuable in getting the people on Flora's side.
Peanut, the nasty neighbor who ends up murdered, is truly an awful person. He's fueding with Flora over property rights. He's an angry, ill-tempered man and hasn't been remotely pleasant to anyone since his wife died years ago. He threatens to shoot anyone who sets foot (or hoof, or paw) on his property. Peanut will shoot to kill too. SO, who among the townspeople wanted him dead the most?
I don't understand why the coroner is the one to handle investigating the crime and why the conquest has a jury meeting privately with the suspect and witnesses behind closed doors? Why is the coroner an elected official? He threatens the police to stay out of HIS investigation. What the heck? Mr. Shaw is horrid. He's stupid, small-minded, has a giant ego and seems to be on a big power trip. I admit that some of the clues DO point to Aunt Flora but would the woman who can't bring herself to kill an ANIMAL, not even for food, kill a human being? Yes animals are better than people but still, in 1883, killing animals is normal behavior. Plus, she's a woman and most men wouldn't believe a woman could do such a thing. Is Mr. Shaw covering up for someone, like say himself? Or what about his wife who seems to be the only one mourning Peanut! Her brother, Mr. Meeks, keeps following her around town. What does he suspect her of doing? Was she having an affair with Peanut? EW! Could Mr. Meeks have killed his sister's lover to protect her reputation? He seems to have a temper and has no problems laying a hand on a woman so why not a man?
Mr. Ambrose Smalls had a run-in with Peanut that caused him to lose valuable cargo, therefore a lot of money. His alibi is super weak and sounds fishy to me. What was he really up to Tuesday night? William Marsden runs the Three Star Saloon in town, a place Peanut frequently visited. Cassie thinks there may be a motive there but how can she find out? Mr. Downing lives next to Peanut and owed Peanut money, yet they were last seen getting along great. Did Mr. Downing stab Peanut in the back (or front in this case) to avoid paying what he owed? That was a HUGE risk he took and not a good one. His family would be devastated and destitute if Peanut called in that debt. Peanut had an ongoing argument with Captain Beale. That gives Capt. Beale a motive for murder. Who is the man with the large nostrils people have seen around town and can't identify? Hopefully he's the murderer and not a local.
Sam, an old friend from New York, turns up on Amelia Island. Cassie hasn't seem him since they were children getting into mischief together. Her heart thumps wildly when she sees him and she becomes an awkward, clumsy girl. I don't like Sam or trust him. He's CLEARLY broke and after her money. He's rude, mean and has a bad temper. I don't like the way he treats his sister Lily. It is not his JOB to know what's best for her. She's an adult with a brain in her head. She may be a mean girl and a total stereotype of a southern belle but she knows what she wants. Sam is not her father. I'm sure they have enough money for a divorce if Lily's husband proves to be a wastrel or get him arrested on some charge. Sam would consider it an embarassment and they'd have to leave Savannah AGAIN probably never to return until their family name is forgotten. With Brooks, Lily's chosen one, that wouldn't be hard to do. The man is often drunk and spends money like there's no tomorrow. Rumor has it all is not what it seems witb him and Cassie aims to find out if it's true. Is he connected to Peanut's murder? There are so many suspects and so many motives! Who killed Peanut?
I liked this book but I'm not sure I'd want to read another. Maybe I'd give it a try if it's a little shorter.
Amelia Island, Florida 1883
Cassie Gynne has arrived in Florida to find the aunt she never knew existed, the only family she has left in the world after the death of her father. In her first few minutes in Florida, Cassie discovers she's allergic to sunlight, meets a dog with the same affliction, witnesses a pickpocket make off with a lady's pocket and meets her aunt for the first time in jail! Aunt Flora is an animal rights activist and in jail for causing trouble. Cassie is a bit overwhelmed by her aunt's lively household filled with a variety of pets, including a pet pig, as well as various items for making perfume. While out on bail, Aunt Flora receives a threatening message indicating her beloved pig has been killed. She believes this note is from her cranky neighbor, Peanut, in retaliation for Roger rooting in Peanut's shrubs. An altercation with Peanut ends with a threat to his life and Aunt Flora wielding a shovel. She backs down, however, but someone else seems to want Peanut dead. The next morning after the altercation, Cassie discovers Peanut's dead body in the woods next to the lookout tower. The coroner assumes Peanut fell to his death but Cassie notices details that point to a staged scene and thereby foul play. All right then, Mr. Shaw changes course and announces Peanut was murdered and Aunt Flora is the chief suspect! Cassie knows in her heart her aunt is innocent. She teams up with her aunt's policeman friend, Jake to help solve the mystery. Meanwhile, she's embarassed, flustered and pleased to be noticed by an old flame. When he indicates he wants to make her childish dreams come true, Cassie thinks her heart should be thrilled but for some reason, her head doesn't match up to what her heart is telling her. Sam asks for her help in proving his sister's would-be fiance is no good. Cassie suspects Sam is right but can she find evidence and if she does, what does she tell Sam and Lily?
This book is LONG and there's a lot of exposition to get through before the fun starts. I got a little bored with it and kept moving on to look at other stuff. I thought I figured out who the murderer was right away but it turns out I was wrong about that guess. I did guess who it was halfway through and felt frustrated Cassie couldn't figure it out. The clues were a little obvious. Usually, this is the type of cozy mystery I enjoy where the victim was someone so nasty that everyone has a motive for murder. In this book, however, it drags the story out too long because there are SO many characters to introduce. There's also a lot of info dumping about the history of Fernandina. It ties into the mystery but again it makes the story feel a little too long and dragged out. The story picks up in the second half and I wasn't bored with it anymore.
Cassie is a likable enough character if you like flawed heroines. She's young- early 20s, and sheltered. She's a LOT naive even after the death of her father at the hands of some would-be robbers. As soon as she revealed her story I knew exactly what had happened. At first as she teases her backstory with little dribbles of information, it seems as if her father died a natural death. Her father bears some of the blame for treating her like a child and not explaining why. I understand completely he didn't want to risk losing her after all he had been through. Cassie is clumsy and awkward around her childhood crush. I like that about her even though it makes me cringe to read it. It makes Cassie more human and relatable. She also clashes with a hot-tempered, obtuse policeman. Cassie is kind to animals and children and very perceptive. She notices things other people don't and knows a bit about how the law works because she used to help her father with his work. I think she knew a lot more about what happened to Peanut than she realized, especially after I figured it out. Her dramatic and comedic confrontation with the murderer is true classic cozy mystery style!
Aunt Flora is fabulous! I want her for my aunt or sister, since she's younger than I am now. I adore her for her passionate animal rights defense. She's not PETA passionate, she doesn't eat animals but she doesn't mind if her friends eat animals around her. She puts a tie on a pig and keeps animals as pets. Aunt Flora loves each and every member of her menagerie as if they were her children and like any mother, she reacts badly when one of her children is threatened or harmed. Aunt Flora is kind and welcoming to everyone she meets. Most people, aside from the sexist men, adore her. She's a talent parfumier (I'm allergic so no visits to Aunt Flora for me) and carries on as if her precious composition book has not just burned in a fire. She does turn out to be a flawed character, though. I forgive her for her past mistake and give her a lot of credit for trying to make amends. Was it even her fault? Esme Cole is Aunt Flora's devoted apprentice. Talented in her own right, she is eager to help Aunt Flora recreate the recipes lost in the devastating commercial block fire. I get the sense Aunt Flora likes Esme but often overlooks the other woman or Esme sometimes feels that way. Aunt Flora is carelessly kind to Esme, I think. She gets consumed by her passion for making perfume she forgets the human element.
Officer Hughes is an ineffective policeman. He's hot-tempered and rude to Cassie and anyone who stands in his way. I sense he's going to be a love interest if this becomes a series. He does eventually improve and sucks it up to investigate the murder-after Cassie has done most of the work. Jake Gordan is a much more pleasant and agreeable man. He's devoted to Flora and is a devoted father with his little girl Metta. Jake is calm and sensible in the face of adversity, except when he fears his daughter is missing. Metta is precocious and I find her a little annoying. Her pal, Paddy is funny and enterprising. The animals are cute but aside from the bird, I kept forgetting which was which. Roger, the pig, is the cutest of all the pets but Cassie's kitten almost makes me like cats.
Flora's closest allies are Miss. Porter and Mrs Keene. They seem to be of the so-called bluestocking variety of women. Nosy but only to the point of wanting to help a friend, they're eager to hear when the coroner's jury has to say and pitch in to save Flora. They're very funny. I enjoyed them and wanted more. Mrs. Kenne is a strong woman. She's kind of domineering in a way. Her son-in-law Mr. Charles Hillard, can't stand up to her and seems afraid of her. Mr. Hillard is a merchant, isnurance agent and lawyer. He's overworked and underpaid and I don't think he's all that bright. It's Cassie who figures out connections in Mr. Hillard's papers. Major Drury, the town drunk, pops up for comic relief and sometimes for misdirection in the investigation. Occassionally it seems like he may know what he's talking about after all. Mrs. Rydell at the post office is the biggest gossip in town. She's lively and fun and seems to be on Flora's side. She wants to hear what Jake and Cassie have to say so she can tell everyone else. This could be valuable in getting the people on Flora's side.
Peanut, the nasty neighbor who ends up murdered, is truly an awful person. He's fueding with Flora over property rights. He's an angry, ill-tempered man and hasn't been remotely pleasant to anyone since his wife died years ago. He threatens to shoot anyone who sets foot (or hoof, or paw) on his property. Peanut will shoot to kill too. SO, who among the townspeople wanted him dead the most?
I don't understand why the coroner is the one to handle investigating the crime and why the conquest has a jury meeting privately with the suspect and witnesses behind closed doors? Why is the coroner an elected official? He threatens the police to stay out of HIS investigation. What the heck? Mr. Shaw is horrid. He's stupid, small-minded, has a giant ego and seems to be on a big power trip. I admit that some of the clues DO point to Aunt Flora but would the woman who can't bring herself to kill an ANIMAL, not even for food, kill a human being? Yes animals are better than people but still, in 1883, killing animals is normal behavior. Plus, she's a woman and most men wouldn't believe a woman could do such a thing. Is Mr. Shaw covering up for someone, like say himself? Or what about his wife who seems to be the only one mourning Peanut! Her brother, Mr. Meeks, keeps following her around town. What does he suspect her of doing? Was she having an affair with Peanut? EW! Could Mr. Meeks have killed his sister's lover to protect her reputation? He seems to have a temper and has no problems laying a hand on a woman so why not a man?
Mr. Ambrose Smalls had a run-in with Peanut that caused him to lose valuable cargo, therefore a lot of money. His alibi is super weak and sounds fishy to me. What was he really up to Tuesday night? William Marsden runs the Three Star Saloon in town, a place Peanut frequently visited. Cassie thinks there may be a motive there but how can she find out? Mr. Downing lives next to Peanut and owed Peanut money, yet they were last seen getting along great. Did Mr. Downing stab Peanut in the back (or front in this case) to avoid paying what he owed? That was a HUGE risk he took and not a good one. His family would be devastated and destitute if Peanut called in that debt. Peanut had an ongoing argument with Captain Beale. That gives Capt. Beale a motive for murder. Who is the man with the large nostrils people have seen around town and can't identify? Hopefully he's the murderer and not a local.
Sam, an old friend from New York, turns up on Amelia Island. Cassie hasn't seem him since they were children getting into mischief together. Her heart thumps wildly when she sees him and she becomes an awkward, clumsy girl. I don't like Sam or trust him. He's CLEARLY broke and after her money. He's rude, mean and has a bad temper. I don't like the way he treats his sister Lily. It is not his JOB to know what's best for her. She's an adult with a brain in her head. She may be a mean girl and a total stereotype of a southern belle but she knows what she wants. Sam is not her father. I'm sure they have enough money for a divorce if Lily's husband proves to be a wastrel or get him arrested on some charge. Sam would consider it an embarassment and they'd have to leave Savannah AGAIN probably never to return until their family name is forgotten. With Brooks, Lily's chosen one, that wouldn't be hard to do. The man is often drunk and spends money like there's no tomorrow. Rumor has it all is not what it seems witb him and Cassie aims to find out if it's true. Is he connected to Peanut's murder? There are so many suspects and so many motives! Who killed Peanut?
I liked this book but I'm not sure I'd want to read another. Maybe I'd give it a try if it's a little shorter.
December 26, 2021
Review: A Deception so Deadly
ARC kindly given to me by Bookouture and NetGalley; all opinions are my own!
When I read the title of this book, I knew I had to request it from Netgalley. Lately, I’ve been really into reading mysteries, and this title immediately made me want to pick up this book and find out what the deception is.
In 1883, when Cassie Gwynne’s father passes away, she is looking for a fresh start. She moves from New York to Fernandina Island to live with her aunt, who of course, like everyone else, she meets in jail! Aunt Flora is a woman with a passion for animals (and is in jail for causing trouble to the town) so it isn’t strange that she doesn’t like her neighbor Peanut, who always complains about animals. As a surprise to everyone (or maybe not such a surprise) Peanut ends up dead, and Flora is arrested for his murder. Cassie and friends try to find the real killer, certain it isn’t Flora. But life is never certain, and a lot of new twists and new mysteries make the work harder for Cassie.
As a non-English native, I was a little bit disappointed with the audiobook. The accent of the narrator undoubtedly added to the experience of the book, but I found it hard to hear and process exactly what was being said. I found I had to focus more on the book than I need to with ‘general’ American accents. That being said, if you are more well-known with Southern American accents, I can see the accent really adding to the experience.
The narration wasn’t all bad though; I thought it was very easy to differentiate between different characters because of the different voices, and because of the enthusiastic reading type, it felt more like listening to a story rather than listening to someone reading a book.
As for the book itself, I thought A Deception so Deadly was really fun. All the characters in it are amazing, and lovely to read about. Cassie is an amazing protagonist.The story is well-comprehensible and well-written. I would definitely say it’s more of a cozy mystery, and so it didn’t really surprise me to find out what had happened before the main characters did. I would have given the book five stars, had it not been for the fact that it was so (at times, unnecessary) long.
I 100% recommend this book for everyone who wants to get lost in a book and not break their braincells trying to understand the mystery!
ARC kindly given to me by Bookouture and NetGalley; all opinions are my own!
When I read the title of this book, I knew I had to request it from Netgalley. Lately, I’ve been really into reading mysteries, and this title immediately made me want to pick up this book and find out what the deception is.
In 1883, when Cassie Gwynne’s father passes away, she is looking for a fresh start. She moves from New York to Fernandina Island to live with her aunt, who of course, like everyone else, she meets in jail! Aunt Flora is a woman with a passion for animals (and is in jail for causing trouble to the town) so it isn’t strange that she doesn’t like her neighbor Peanut, who always complains about animals. As a surprise to everyone (or maybe not such a surprise) Peanut ends up dead, and Flora is arrested for his murder. Cassie and friends try to find the real killer, certain it isn’t Flora. But life is never certain, and a lot of new twists and new mysteries make the work harder for Cassie.
As a non-English native, I was a little bit disappointed with the audiobook. The accent of the narrator undoubtedly added to the experience of the book, but I found it hard to hear and process exactly what was being said. I found I had to focus more on the book than I need to with ‘general’ American accents. That being said, if you are more well-known with Southern American accents, I can see the accent really adding to the experience.
The narration wasn’t all bad though; I thought it was very easy to differentiate between different characters because of the different voices, and because of the enthusiastic reading type, it felt more like listening to a story rather than listening to someone reading a book.
As for the book itself, I thought A Deception so Deadly was really fun. All the characters in it are amazing, and lovely to read about. Cassie is an amazing protagonist.The story is well-comprehensible and well-written. I would definitely say it’s more of a cozy mystery, and so it didn’t really surprise me to find out what had happened before the main characters did. I would have given the book five stars, had it not been for the fact that it was so (at times, unnecessary) long.
I 100% recommend this book for everyone who wants to get lost in a book and not break their braincells trying to understand the mystery!
December 27, 2022
Format: audiobook
Author: Genevieve Essig ~ Title: A Deception Most Deadly ~ Narrator: Lauryn Allman
Content: 3.5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars
Complete audiobook review
This is not my usual choice of a book because I rarely read cozy mysteries. I chose this title because I was curious and because it’s available in audiobook form. This is a cozy mystery put in the 19th century, but I would categorize it also as women’s fiction.
I loved aunt Flora, her love for animals and perfumes. She is a strong and independent woman, which was not usual for that time.
Pacing is slower than expected, especially in the beginning. In exchange, there are picturesque descriptions of the surroundings and characters, and we can easily be transported in time and place of the novel.
There were a few details I wasn’t sure about, but otherwise, this was quite an enjoyable read. But I think this could work for me only in audiobook form. I would say that those who like medium-paced historical cozy mysteries could like this.
The narrator is excellent. Her voice is pleasant, and she impersonates all the characters very well.
Thanks to Bookouture Audio for the ALC! All opinions are my own.
Author: Genevieve Essig ~ Title: A Deception Most Deadly ~ Narrator: Lauryn Allman
Content: 3.5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars
Complete audiobook review
This is not my usual choice of a book because I rarely read cozy mysteries. I chose this title because I was curious and because it’s available in audiobook form. This is a cozy mystery put in the 19th century, but I would categorize it also as women’s fiction.
I loved aunt Flora, her love for animals and perfumes. She is a strong and independent woman, which was not usual for that time.
Pacing is slower than expected, especially in the beginning. In exchange, there are picturesque descriptions of the surroundings and characters, and we can easily be transported in time and place of the novel.
There were a few details I wasn’t sure about, but otherwise, this was quite an enjoyable read. But I think this could work for me only in audiobook form. I would say that those who like medium-paced historical cozy mysteries could like this.
The narrator is excellent. Her voice is pleasant, and she impersonates all the characters very well.
Thanks to Bookouture Audio for the ALC! All opinions are my own.
January 6, 2022
My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC and to Bookouture Audio for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition, both via NetGalley, of ‘A Deception Most Deadly’ by Genevieve Essig in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first in the Cassie Gwynne series of historical mysteries set in late nineteenth century Florida. The audiobook was narrated by Lauryn Allman.
It’s 1883 and following the death of her father, Cassie Gwynne is looking for a fresh start. She has travelled by steamboat from New York to Amelia Island, Florida where her Aunt Flora lives and runs a perfumery business. Cassie has hardly started settling in when she and Flora come across a body!Then Flora is arrested and the local police appear to consider it an open and shut case. So, in order to clear Flora’s name Cassie decides to undertake her own investigation.
It’s always fun to start a new series of historical cosy mysteries. I found Cassie an engaging lead and appreciated the theme of animal welfare. Plus, as the cover indicates, Cassie soon acquires her own feline companion.
There are quite a few characters introduced and a number of subplots. This led to my feeling that there was a bit too much going on; though I can appreciate that the author may have been overly enthusiastic about launching her plucky heroine into the world.
I felt that the historical setting was well realised. The author provided historical details of Fernandina, which had been a haven for outsiders of all kinds. It seems likely to provide a rich environment for future books in the series.
With respect to the audiobook, this was my first experience of Lauryn Allman as a narrator. I found her voice very pleasant. In addition, she moved with ease from character to character and even provided the occasional meow for the kitten.
Overall, I felt that this was a promising start and will be looking forward to news of further Cassie Gwynne mysteries.
This is the first in the Cassie Gwynne series of historical mysteries set in late nineteenth century Florida. The audiobook was narrated by Lauryn Allman.
It’s 1883 and following the death of her father, Cassie Gwynne is looking for a fresh start. She has travelled by steamboat from New York to Amelia Island, Florida where her Aunt Flora lives and runs a perfumery business. Cassie has hardly started settling in when she and Flora come across a body!Then Flora is arrested and the local police appear to consider it an open and shut case. So, in order to clear Flora’s name Cassie decides to undertake her own investigation.
It’s always fun to start a new series of historical cosy mysteries. I found Cassie an engaging lead and appreciated the theme of animal welfare. Plus, as the cover indicates, Cassie soon acquires her own feline companion.
There are quite a few characters introduced and a number of subplots. This led to my feeling that there was a bit too much going on; though I can appreciate that the author may have been overly enthusiastic about launching her plucky heroine into the world.
I felt that the historical setting was well realised. The author provided historical details of Fernandina, which had been a haven for outsiders of all kinds. It seems likely to provide a rich environment for future books in the series.
With respect to the audiobook, this was my first experience of Lauryn Allman as a narrator. I found her voice very pleasant. In addition, she moved with ease from character to character and even provided the occasional meow for the kitten.
Overall, I felt that this was a promising start and will be looking forward to news of further Cassie Gwynne mysteries.
December 30, 2021
The year is 1883 and Cassie Gynne has just arrived in Florida from New York after her father's death and is about to meet her aunt Flora. Not quite prepared to find the dead body of Peanut Runkles, Cassie is further shocked to find that due to previous quarrels between Flora and Peanut, not only is Flora a prime suspect, she is immediately jailed. Cassie may not know her aunt, but she depends on her gut feeling that her aunt is innocent, and vows to do whatever she can to prove that.
Cassie sticks her nose in whenever and wherever she can, even to the point of sneaking about Peanut's residence. Upon so doing, she finds a curious note in a hidden drawer of his. Could this be the clue she needs to prove her aunt's innocence and be the one to solve the crime? At the same time, how will Cassie avoid the dangerous pitfalls of asking one too many questions? Then considering that the victim had run-ins with more than a few people keep Cassie quite busy, even if it means clashing with those responsible for solving this case at hand.
All while Cassie is working on this, she is also trying to fit into the role of a lady, donning appropriate fashion. This makes this cozy mystery all that more enjoyable. There was a very light flow to this enjoyable story, especially considering how Cassie met her aunt for the very first time.
What an engaging read to what promises to be quite an enjoyable new series. Meeting Cassie definitely made it easy for me. She is more than likeable, as is her aunt Flora. The fact that they both loved animals and that there was an adorable kitten along for the ride only added to the delightful charm this book had.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Cassie sticks her nose in whenever and wherever she can, even to the point of sneaking about Peanut's residence. Upon so doing, she finds a curious note in a hidden drawer of his. Could this be the clue she needs to prove her aunt's innocence and be the one to solve the crime? At the same time, how will Cassie avoid the dangerous pitfalls of asking one too many questions? Then considering that the victim had run-ins with more than a few people keep Cassie quite busy, even if it means clashing with those responsible for solving this case at hand.
All while Cassie is working on this, she is also trying to fit into the role of a lady, donning appropriate fashion. This makes this cozy mystery all that more enjoyable. There was a very light flow to this enjoyable story, especially considering how Cassie met her aunt for the very first time.
What an engaging read to what promises to be quite an enjoyable new series. Meeting Cassie definitely made it easy for me. She is more than likeable, as is her aunt Flora. The fact that they both loved animals and that there was an adorable kitten along for the ride only added to the delightful charm this book had.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
March 18, 2022
I told my sister to add this book to her To Buy pile.
Ok that won't mean much but it is pretty rare that I do this because we don't have the same taste in books generally (except Tolkein and Pratchett) and she is a little picky.
But this is such a fun book!
Taking place in Florida in the late 1800s this book has a different feel than many other historical novels. It has a distinct American feel (which it should. Reading this alongside Sorcery and Cecelia which takes place in Regency England was an amusing head trip since they take place within about sixty years of each other but S&C takes place in England).
The characters are great, very small town America feel, and it played like a really good graphic novel in my head. Colorful but also a little grim in places.
2 things I really liked:
No romance! Often historic novels have a lot of romance. I think it cannot be helped - big dresses, balls and Proper Behavior is a catnip lure. While this one had hints of potential romance later, the focus was definitely on family and the mystery at hand.
And theres a cat. Who plays a pretty active role!
So there. I reccomend it for anyone who likes cozy mystery with a spotlight on family, intellegence, a bit of drama and animals.
And a female protagonist who is *really trying to be a Proper Lady* but cannot help following her nose into trouble. Fortunately she can get herself out again in an intelligent fashion!
Ok that won't mean much but it is pretty rare that I do this because we don't have the same taste in books generally (except Tolkein and Pratchett) and she is a little picky.
But this is such a fun book!
Taking place in Florida in the late 1800s this book has a different feel than many other historical novels. It has a distinct American feel (which it should. Reading this alongside Sorcery and Cecelia which takes place in Regency England was an amusing head trip since they take place within about sixty years of each other but S&C takes place in England).
The characters are great, very small town America feel, and it played like a really good graphic novel in my head. Colorful but also a little grim in places.
2 things I really liked:
No romance! Often historic novels have a lot of romance. I think it cannot be helped - big dresses, balls and Proper Behavior is a catnip lure. While this one had hints of potential romance later, the focus was definitely on family and the mystery at hand.
And theres a cat. Who plays a pretty active role!
So there. I reccomend it for anyone who likes cozy mystery with a spotlight on family, intellegence, a bit of drama and animals.
And a female protagonist who is *really trying to be a Proper Lady* but cannot help following her nose into trouble. Fortunately she can get herself out again in an intelligent fashion!
January 12, 2022
I was so excited to read this historical fiction cozy mystery. I have read tons of cozies but not many historical fictions ones. I was not disappointed at all. Cassie was such a fun character. I loved getting her backstory. It helped to understand her and her relationship with her Aunt Flora. They mystery was interesting and kept me interested. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narration done by Lauryn Allman. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review.
December 5, 2021
In this historic cosy mystery, I found Cassie Gwynne to be a very likeable leading lady. Unsurprisingly she's a little unconventional for the time.
Her visit to her newly discovered aunt doesn't quite go to plan and before long she is using her wits and smarts to great effect in an effort to price her innocence. Much of the novel is scene-setting as you learn about Cassie's family history and the cast of interesting islanders that I'm sure will continue to play an important part going forward.
It will be interesting to see where the author takes the storyline next. I have some ideas. I wonder if I will be right.
With thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Her visit to her newly discovered aunt doesn't quite go to plan and before long she is using her wits and smarts to great effect in an effort to price her innocence. Much of the novel is scene-setting as you learn about Cassie's family history and the cast of interesting islanders that I'm sure will continue to play an important part going forward.
It will be interesting to see where the author takes the storyline next. I have some ideas. I wonder if I will be right.
With thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2022
This introduction to a new series is a great one. Cassie is likable. Even better, she’s an animal lover.
The characters and setting are introduced in a time period that’s fresh and new to me.
The characters and setting are introduced in a time period that’s fresh and new to me.
January 28, 2022
Just wonderful. Thrilling and suspenseful. A beautifully plotted mystery. Loved the historical element. Highly recommend this one.
January 16, 2022
Cassie travels from her home in New York to meet her Aunt Flora in the town of Fernandina, Florida.
Aunt Flora is truly modern woman of 1883 - never married, no children, owns her own business - a perfumery recently ruined a fire. Though she has many friends, and pets - Aunt Flora also has a few enemies , such as Peanut Runkles, her next door neighbor.
On an evening walk, Cassie finds his body; Aunt Flora is charged with his murder and Flora is determined to prove her innocence.
In the course of the investigation, Cassie learns about her father, recently deceased, as well as many family secrets.
This is a slow build cozy mystery - twists were good as well as family secrets. But the story lagged - could be cut down to allow for a quicker and more interesting read.
Aunt Flora is truly modern woman of 1883 - never married, no children, owns her own business - a perfumery recently ruined a fire. Though she has many friends, and pets - Aunt Flora also has a few enemies , such as Peanut Runkles, her next door neighbor.
On an evening walk, Cassie finds his body; Aunt Flora is charged with his murder and Flora is determined to prove her innocence.
In the course of the investigation, Cassie learns about her father, recently deceased, as well as many family secrets.
This is a slow build cozy mystery - twists were good as well as family secrets. But the story lagged - could be cut down to allow for a quicker and more interesting read.
December 26, 2021
A Deception Most Deadly, the first in a cozy mystery series by Genevieve Essig, is a bit of a mess. It's a fun mess, but it's a mess all the same.
Cassie Gwynne has come to Florida to meet the aunt she has never known. Shortly thereafter, the local curmudgeon is killed, and Cassie's aunt Flora becomes the prime suspect.
It's a good thing the characters are so likeable, because the book reads more like a modern-day cozy that just happens to be set about 140 years ago. Cassie is not all that bright, yet she somehow solves the case ahead of multiple officials. You'd also think, given the results of her behavior back home, that she'd be a bit more circumspect now.
I think the author tried a little too hard to write a madcap cozy, and while it works some of the time, it does feel forced on occasion. Essig's sophomore effort will hopefully be stronger.
3/5 stars
I received an advanced copy from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This, and other reviews, are posted to Goodreads and my blog, https://redhatcatreviews.com/.
Cassie Gwynne has come to Florida to meet the aunt she has never known. Shortly thereafter, the local curmudgeon is killed, and Cassie's aunt Flora becomes the prime suspect.
It's a good thing the characters are so likeable, because the book reads more like a modern-day cozy that just happens to be set about 140 years ago. Cassie is not all that bright, yet she somehow solves the case ahead of multiple officials. You'd also think, given the results of her behavior back home, that she'd be a bit more circumspect now.
I think the author tried a little too hard to write a madcap cozy, and while it works some of the time, it does feel forced on occasion. Essig's sophomore effort will hopefully be stronger.
3/5 stars
I received an advanced copy from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This, and other reviews, are posted to Goodreads and my blog, https://redhatcatreviews.com/.
April 8, 2024
A bit too predictable but an interesting cast of characters.
February 19, 2022
Enjoyable!
I liked the characters and the setting, both the location and time frame. I got a bit lost in terms of where the house was relative to locations out of the neighborhood. It puzzled me why Cassie and her aunt didn't keep looking for the lost pet more diligently. That seemed important even though other matters came up. Overall I enjoyed the book and will read the next in the series.
I liked the characters and the setting, both the location and time frame. I got a bit lost in terms of where the house was relative to locations out of the neighborhood. It puzzled me why Cassie and her aunt didn't keep looking for the lost pet more diligently. That seemed important even though other matters came up. Overall I enjoyed the book and will read the next in the series.
January 10, 2022
🔥 A Deception Most Deadly 🔥
An utterly addictive historical cozy murder mystery
A Cassie Gwynne Mystery Book
✒️ Genevieve Essig
https://www.facebook.com/essigauthor/
Release Date 01/14/2022
Publisher Bookouture
➪ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M7LM6HS/...
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
Meet Cassie Gwynne: bookworm, cat lover, reluctant heiress… and accidental detective? America, 1883. Cassie Gwynne is looking for a fresh start when she steps off the steamship to meet her Aunt Flora, a famous perfumer, for the first time. After losing her father, her aunt is the only family she has left so she wants to make a good impression. She’s styled her unruly hair, shined her boots, and even purchased a whole new fashionable wardrobe. However, she’s certain finding a body is not very ladylike behavior… While out exploring the beautiful island of Fernandina, Cassie stumbles across the body of Peanut Runkles, town grump and her aunt’s neighbor, lying at the foot of the harbor pilots’ lookout tower. To make matters worse, because Peanut and Aunt Flora have been quarrelling for years over Flora’s pet pig’s fondness for Peanut’s vegetable patch, and had their biggest argument the day before, Flora is immediately arrested for murder. Cassie is certain her sweet aunt is innocent, and vows to prove it, to save her from a most unjust fate. It doesn’t take her long to realise the island is full of people who had reason to want Peanut dead, including the brusque barkeep and a fickle financier who owed him money. Soon, Cassie’s brilliant mind and nose for a clue lead her back to the scene of the crime and the mysterious colored glass found by the body… but what does it mean? Then a break-in at Flora’s store throws Cassie off course. It seems sabotage is afoot, and the culprit is striking ever closer to home… Can Cassie get to the bottom of the case before her time on the island comes to a deadly end?
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
As she was looking for a new beginning, her future is threatened…
There is nothing more enjoyable than a first book in a historical mystery series as it introduces the characters we are to follow along the cases.
Yet the beginning of this one was filled with many protagonists, a bit too many, lot of descriptions and details, so I quite struggled to enter the story, jingling with the names, places and links between them all.
Plus the action really began only near half mark.
Still, I liked the heroine’s past and secrets are all revealed here, clearing the air, like a new dawn, a clean slate for any further story.
Cassie is a young woman who after a traumatic event and a dramatic loss is rebuilding herself, new clothes, new place, new relationships.
Yet as her newly discovered aunt’s future is threatened, she has to revisit her family history and finds clues to exempt her of any suspicions.
Sure, assisting her late father in his business helped her to be able to see past first appearance and to look for hints. So here she is always a step ahead, untangling the many ramifications between the victim and the long list of possible suspects.
I do like my history mysteries with a dash of romance, but I do not know if there will be something in the next books, but here she closes a page of her life, so it might open her to something else later (Hughes?).
3.5 stars rounded up as it has premises for a good series.
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 none
I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Bookouture, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYi5ZauI...
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...
#bookstagram #historicalromance #romance #romancebookblog #romancebookblogger #bookblog #romanceauthor #bookblogger #2022read #bookstagrammer #bookreview #romancebookreviewer #arcreader #bookquote #romancestagram #readersofinstagram #historicalmystery
An utterly addictive historical cozy murder mystery
A Cassie Gwynne Mystery Book
✒️ Genevieve Essig
https://www.facebook.com/essigauthor/
Release Date 01/14/2022
Publisher Bookouture
➪ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M7LM6HS/...
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
Meet Cassie Gwynne: bookworm, cat lover, reluctant heiress… and accidental detective? America, 1883. Cassie Gwynne is looking for a fresh start when she steps off the steamship to meet her Aunt Flora, a famous perfumer, for the first time. After losing her father, her aunt is the only family she has left so she wants to make a good impression. She’s styled her unruly hair, shined her boots, and even purchased a whole new fashionable wardrobe. However, she’s certain finding a body is not very ladylike behavior… While out exploring the beautiful island of Fernandina, Cassie stumbles across the body of Peanut Runkles, town grump and her aunt’s neighbor, lying at the foot of the harbor pilots’ lookout tower. To make matters worse, because Peanut and Aunt Flora have been quarrelling for years over Flora’s pet pig’s fondness for Peanut’s vegetable patch, and had their biggest argument the day before, Flora is immediately arrested for murder. Cassie is certain her sweet aunt is innocent, and vows to prove it, to save her from a most unjust fate. It doesn’t take her long to realise the island is full of people who had reason to want Peanut dead, including the brusque barkeep and a fickle financier who owed him money. Soon, Cassie’s brilliant mind and nose for a clue lead her back to the scene of the crime and the mysterious colored glass found by the body… but what does it mean? Then a break-in at Flora’s store throws Cassie off course. It seems sabotage is afoot, and the culprit is striking ever closer to home… Can Cassie get to the bottom of the case before her time on the island comes to a deadly end?
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
As she was looking for a new beginning, her future is threatened…
There is nothing more enjoyable than a first book in a historical mystery series as it introduces the characters we are to follow along the cases.
Yet the beginning of this one was filled with many protagonists, a bit too many, lot of descriptions and details, so I quite struggled to enter the story, jingling with the names, places and links between them all.
Plus the action really began only near half mark.
Still, I liked the heroine’s past and secrets are all revealed here, clearing the air, like a new dawn, a clean slate for any further story.
Cassie is a young woman who after a traumatic event and a dramatic loss is rebuilding herself, new clothes, new place, new relationships.
Yet as her newly discovered aunt’s future is threatened, she has to revisit her family history and finds clues to exempt her of any suspicions.
Sure, assisting her late father in his business helped her to be able to see past first appearance and to look for hints. So here she is always a step ahead, untangling the many ramifications between the victim and the long list of possible suspects.
I do like my history mysteries with a dash of romance, but I do not know if there will be something in the next books, but here she closes a page of her life, so it might open her to something else later (Hughes?).
3.5 stars rounded up as it has premises for a good series.
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 none
I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Bookouture, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYi5ZauI...
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...
#bookstagram #historicalromance #romance #romancebookblog #romancebookblogger #bookblog #romanceauthor #bookblogger #2022read #bookstagrammer #bookreview #romancebookreviewer #arcreader #bookquote #romancestagram #readersofinstagram #historicalmystery
March 1, 2022
A Deception Most Deadly is a cozy mystery novel set up in 19. century Florida.
The first few scenes were great, but everything goes down hill very fast and doesn’t go up until the very end. There are two main problems in the book, characters, and pacing.
Let’s first talk about characters. The main character is Cassie Gwynne, a young heiress from New York whose father was recently murdered and is now looking for her only living family, her estranged aunt Flora, who lives in Fernandina harbor. Cassie is fine. I don’t really have any problems with her. In the beginning of the story, she seems like interesting and funny character but soon after she gets swallowed by so many things in the book and the story loses all focus.
Aunt Flora was awfully annoying for me, both as a character and as a narration voice in the audio book. She is described as strange but kind perfume maker, animal lover and animal rights activist with large company of friends and animals and respected business owner. In reality, my impression of her was one of a whinny character without much agency in the story. We later find out about her tragic back story and how her mistakes led to the tragic accident and ruining of her family. Ever since then she is trying to redeem herself by kindness to others, but we don’t get to see much of that in the book. In short, I was not impressed by her and generally don’t like her.
In the first scene we also meet Hugh, a strongheaded police officer with whom Cassie enters into quarrel and everything leads you to think there will be some romance story developed there, but Hugh is not mentioned much until very end of the story and hints of a romance remain, I guess, for the next installment, which is missed opportunity in my opinion.
There are many, many more characters in the book, but honestly, I don’t remember much about any of them, and I didn’t really care. The similar thing happened with the plot.
We have a standard murder mystery. The local authorities want to frame Flora for it and Cassie is determined to find the real killer. The mystery part wasn’t intriguing for me. The main problem was the style. Descriptions are too overwhelming and detailed. It works in the beginning because we got familiar with the setting but later on it’s unnecessary and it keeps you away from the story. Every minor character is described in elaborate way, every scene, house, garden, road, everything. On so many pages nothing happens. For example, there is a dinner situation, bunch of random people are sitting in the living room, talking, like regular people does, but nothing contributes to the story, and it takes half the chapter. After a while I wasn’t interested in any part of the story anymore. It picks up close to the end but after all it’s not enough.
I’m going to give it 2,5/5 only because deep down there was a version of this book that could have worked.
I would like to thank NetGalley for a free audio book copy.
The second book A Plot Most Perilous will be published on April 1, 2022.
The first few scenes were great, but everything goes down hill very fast and doesn’t go up until the very end. There are two main problems in the book, characters, and pacing.
Let’s first talk about characters. The main character is Cassie Gwynne, a young heiress from New York whose father was recently murdered and is now looking for her only living family, her estranged aunt Flora, who lives in Fernandina harbor. Cassie is fine. I don’t really have any problems with her. In the beginning of the story, she seems like interesting and funny character but soon after she gets swallowed by so many things in the book and the story loses all focus.
Aunt Flora was awfully annoying for me, both as a character and as a narration voice in the audio book. She is described as strange but kind perfume maker, animal lover and animal rights activist with large company of friends and animals and respected business owner. In reality, my impression of her was one of a whinny character without much agency in the story. We later find out about her tragic back story and how her mistakes led to the tragic accident and ruining of her family. Ever since then she is trying to redeem herself by kindness to others, but we don’t get to see much of that in the book. In short, I was not impressed by her and generally don’t like her.
In the first scene we also meet Hugh, a strongheaded police officer with whom Cassie enters into quarrel and everything leads you to think there will be some romance story developed there, but Hugh is not mentioned much until very end of the story and hints of a romance remain, I guess, for the next installment, which is missed opportunity in my opinion.
There are many, many more characters in the book, but honestly, I don’t remember much about any of them, and I didn’t really care. The similar thing happened with the plot.
We have a standard murder mystery. The local authorities want to frame Flora for it and Cassie is determined to find the real killer. The mystery part wasn’t intriguing for me. The main problem was the style. Descriptions are too overwhelming and detailed. It works in the beginning because we got familiar with the setting but later on it’s unnecessary and it keeps you away from the story. Every minor character is described in elaborate way, every scene, house, garden, road, everything. On so many pages nothing happens. For example, there is a dinner situation, bunch of random people are sitting in the living room, talking, like regular people does, but nothing contributes to the story, and it takes half the chapter. After a while I wasn’t interested in any part of the story anymore. It picks up close to the end but after all it’s not enough.
I’m going to give it 2,5/5 only because deep down there was a version of this book that could have worked.
I would like to thank NetGalley for a free audio book copy.
The second book A Plot Most Perilous will be published on April 1, 2022.
January 29, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of A Deception Most Deadly (A Cassie Gwynne Mystery)!
This was an amazing audiobook. I loved the characters, narration by Lauryn Allman and the story were great. This book was a typical murder mystery taking place in Florida in 1883. It had the usual aspects of a murder mystery, someone gets murdered, a person helps the detective to find the murderer but it takes a lot of twist and turns till the end reveal. I personally love this setup with a murder mystery. This setup makes it a easy way to read because you know how the setup is, BUT it works every time! (I also lover every BBC murder mystery series with this setup so I am just a sucker for these.)
The story is written in one perspective, that of Cassie Gwynne. She needs a fresh start and visits her aunt Flora in Florida. She is a bit clumsy even if she tries to be a proper lady she ends up multiple times with a tear in her skirt, messy hair or dirty shoes. I loved this aspect of her and made her for me more relatable. (I am also clumsy) During a walk with her Aunt they find the body of Peanut Runkles, the town grump and her aunt's neighbor. Flora and Peanut have been fighting for year witch is make matters worse for Flora.
The characters were amazing. Everyone has a different story with a different personality. I didn't found any character annoying and found them very layered with they're different backstory's. They also were very shoutable for the time period. All they're problems were perfect for 1883 and reminded the reader that the story wasn't in the present time.
The narration of the book was very enjoying. Lauryn Allman has a nice voice to listen to and gave the characters suitable voices. She didn't over do the voices and were also proper for the time period. I found that I forgot the time while listening to her and will definitely look for other story's narrated by her.
If you like a quick murder mystery story witch isn't complicated but fun to read I would definitely recommend this book. It's a great book to get you out of you're reading slump.
This was an amazing audiobook. I loved the characters, narration by Lauryn Allman and the story were great. This book was a typical murder mystery taking place in Florida in 1883. It had the usual aspects of a murder mystery, someone gets murdered, a person helps the detective to find the murderer but it takes a lot of twist and turns till the end reveal. I personally love this setup with a murder mystery. This setup makes it a easy way to read because you know how the setup is, BUT it works every time! (I also lover every BBC murder mystery series with this setup so I am just a sucker for these.)
The story is written in one perspective, that of Cassie Gwynne. She needs a fresh start and visits her aunt Flora in Florida. She is a bit clumsy even if she tries to be a proper lady she ends up multiple times with a tear in her skirt, messy hair or dirty shoes. I loved this aspect of her and made her for me more relatable. (I am also clumsy) During a walk with her Aunt they find the body of Peanut Runkles, the town grump and her aunt's neighbor. Flora and Peanut have been fighting for year witch is make matters worse for Flora.
The characters were amazing. Everyone has a different story with a different personality. I didn't found any character annoying and found them very layered with they're different backstory's. They also were very shoutable for the time period. All they're problems were perfect for 1883 and reminded the reader that the story wasn't in the present time.
The narration of the book was very enjoying. Lauryn Allman has a nice voice to listen to and gave the characters suitable voices. She didn't over do the voices and were also proper for the time period. I found that I forgot the time while listening to her and will definitely look for other story's narrated by her.
If you like a quick murder mystery story witch isn't complicated but fun to read I would definitely recommend this book. It's a great book to get you out of you're reading slump.
December 27, 2021
Cassie Gwynne, a young woman in her twenties, has no idea what she is about to find when she lands on Amelia Island. She is determined to meet the aunt she never knew she had. In the span of twenty-four hours, Cassie chases after a pickpocket, collides with a local officer, meets her aunt in jail, and finds a body. When her aunt is accused of murder, Cassie feels it falls to her to learn the truth.
Despite the title proclaiming it to be an "utterly addictive" mystery, I found myself mostly annoyed. I had to read it in small chunks because I kept rolling my eyes. Cassie is a character who doesn’t fit the time period. She hates that the bustle is back in fashion! Her corset is too tight! (Really, that's her own fault, since she dresses herself. And if it is the corset fault, why did she not have a properly fitting one if she just purchased her wardrobe?) She is an independent, modern thinker, and I just didn't like her.
I never like when a story makes me pause and go off on a Google search to find out if a detail is true or not. And I had a lot of moments like that with this one. So many characters are introduced that I forgot most of them. When the murderer is revealed, it didn’t come as a shock. It was more of an "oh, yeah. I remember that character in a couple other scenes." The narrative shifts between what I think was supposed to be comedic scenes (that I was not amused by) and very dramatic tones. They did not mesh well together and left me confused about what the author expected a reader to feel.
The author notes that she put hours of research into bringing to life what honestly sounds like an interesting time and place. However, by the end of the book, I didn’t have a strong idea of what Amelia Island was really like.
Overall, this was not a favorite, though there was nothing awful about it. I'm pretty sure I will not continue reading the series. I received a free copy through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
Despite the title proclaiming it to be an "utterly addictive" mystery, I found myself mostly annoyed. I had to read it in small chunks because I kept rolling my eyes. Cassie is a character who doesn’t fit the time period. She hates that the bustle is back in fashion! Her corset is too tight! (Really, that's her own fault, since she dresses herself. And if it is the corset fault, why did she not have a properly fitting one if she just purchased her wardrobe?) She is an independent, modern thinker, and I just didn't like her.
I never like when a story makes me pause and go off on a Google search to find out if a detail is true or not. And I had a lot of moments like that with this one. So many characters are introduced that I forgot most of them. When the murderer is revealed, it didn’t come as a shock. It was more of an "oh, yeah. I remember that character in a couple other scenes." The narrative shifts between what I think was supposed to be comedic scenes (that I was not amused by) and very dramatic tones. They did not mesh well together and left me confused about what the author expected a reader to feel.
The author notes that she put hours of research into bringing to life what honestly sounds like an interesting time and place. However, by the end of the book, I didn’t have a strong idea of what Amelia Island was really like.
Overall, this was not a favorite, though there was nothing awful about it. I'm pretty sure I will not continue reading the series. I received a free copy through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
December 15, 2021
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of A Deception most Deadly, the first novel to feature Cassie Gwynne.
After the death of her father in New York, 1883 Cassie travels to the fictional island of Fernandina, Florida to visit her only surviving relative, her aunt Flora. When the body of Peanut Runkles is found Cassie deduces that he was murdered and soon wishes she hadn’t as Flora has been feuding with Peanut for years and certain elements in town are determined to find her guilty. Can Cassie save the day?
I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about this novel in the first half. It didn’t capture my attention and I kept finding other things to do rather than pick it up again. It picks up speed in the second half with several twists and an action packed, if unlikely, finale.
The novel is told entirely from Cassie’s point of view, which is a plus as theoretically it allows the reader to get involved with her character. This works better in the second half, but the first half is full of scene setting and doesn’t feel focused on the main event, saving Flora and solving the murder.
I must admit that I didn’t find the novel particularly amusing, light and frothy rather than funny. I also didn’t like the setting and the characters’ attitudes. It seems like modern sensibilities in a Victorian setting. As such, I couldn’t take it as credible. Maybe I’m being pedantic but it’s simply not my kind of thing.
Cassie Gwynne as a character shows promise. She’s smart and logical with an enquiring mind and endearing in her doubts and pain. It’s not enough, however, for me to overcome my dislike of the background and I won’t be rushing to see her again.
A Deception most Deadly is not for me, but will probably appeal to many cosy readers.
After the death of her father in New York, 1883 Cassie travels to the fictional island of Fernandina, Florida to visit her only surviving relative, her aunt Flora. When the body of Peanut Runkles is found Cassie deduces that he was murdered and soon wishes she hadn’t as Flora has been feuding with Peanut for years and certain elements in town are determined to find her guilty. Can Cassie save the day?
I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about this novel in the first half. It didn’t capture my attention and I kept finding other things to do rather than pick it up again. It picks up speed in the second half with several twists and an action packed, if unlikely, finale.
The novel is told entirely from Cassie’s point of view, which is a plus as theoretically it allows the reader to get involved with her character. This works better in the second half, but the first half is full of scene setting and doesn’t feel focused on the main event, saving Flora and solving the murder.
I must admit that I didn’t find the novel particularly amusing, light and frothy rather than funny. I also didn’t like the setting and the characters’ attitudes. It seems like modern sensibilities in a Victorian setting. As such, I couldn’t take it as credible. Maybe I’m being pedantic but it’s simply not my kind of thing.
Cassie Gwynne as a character shows promise. She’s smart and logical with an enquiring mind and endearing in her doubts and pain. It’s not enough, however, for me to overcome my dislike of the background and I won’t be rushing to see her again.
A Deception most Deadly is not for me, but will probably appeal to many cosy readers.
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