Play Book Tag discussion

In looking for a book to fulfill the letter "I" of BWF, my research led me to this book, the 4th installment of the Penny Green mystery series. Despite not having read any of the other books, I found I could pick up the storyline quite well. I went with a rating of 3 stars because there were specific aspects of the book that worked really well for me but also specific aspects that didn’t.

I was intrigued by the book's whole premise, which is that an inventor named Simon Borthwick brings a stunning illuminations display to The Crystal Palace of 1884 London and then leaves the event only to shoot himself in a hansom cab. At the crime scene, he leaves behind a letter indicating unnamed persons are persecuting him. Her editor also assigns Penny to cover the investigation of the murder of a researcher at the medical library of a local hospital. As Penny investigates further, she begins to suspect the two murders are connected and is determined to see these cases through despite herself and her family and friends receiving threatening letters that attack her character. The beginning portion of the book drew me in, and I was eager to unravel the mystery alongside Penny. I also thought the setting and details provided reflected the time period well without being too overdone.

I struggled with the middle portion of the book as the investigation and interviewing of suspects seemed to drag on and on, with some side characters being interviewed 3+ times. Additionally, I found the storyline of a potential search for Penny’s lost father to take up space that was not needed in a book where Penny is already investigating two murders. At the beginning of the book, Penny comes across as smart and plucky, but a little over halfway in, her cat disappears, and she demands an arrest when evidence is yet inconclusive. She becomes distraught, and her character comes across as whiny. Finally, the ending is abrupt and leaves the story in the middle of a dinner party. I am guessing book five picks this scene up and continues on with the story.