Third and last chance for this series. I wonder if I would have been less harsh on it if I hadn’t recently read (and abandoned) The Hangman’s Secret. I’m glad though, reading them so close together made me realise what I don’t like about both series. Outside of not liking the romantic interest LOL.
Just on the romantic interest, I found it really annoying how Cleo very obviously is attracted to Armitage but still acts like she doesn’t understand. I guess I also feel a bit annoyed because Edward seems like a decent bloke, who seems to want an intelligent wife, who maybe would even be open to Cleo working (since he’s a businessman not nobility). I think that could be an interesting set-up given this era seems to relegate wives to ornaments. But it’s not to be, it’s so obvious Cleo is meant to end up with Armitage, so dragging it out doesn’t make it suspenseful or anything.
As for the reason why I don’t like A Victorian Mystery or A Cleopatra Fox Mystery series is because firstly, they don’t really deduce, they just speculate. And secondly, their investigative methods are pretty much blunt force. Other series have characters use/build connections for information or smartly take into account human nature to entice (or sometimes threaten) other characters to give them the clues they need. Or they take the risk upon themselves to break the law and not farm it off to other characters (who would theoretically take the fall for them if they were caught). The blunt force method pretty much ensures that they just piss off all the people they are interviewing LOL.
I also feel like the hotel staff are pretty hard done by. It feels like Cleo is just using them, she’s only actually interested in a partnership with Armitage. So they’re like a side-note. Oh yeah and on the hotel, Cleo probably would make a good hotel manager. Too bad she wants Armitage so much (romantically and business wise) to take on what would also be an interesting set-up. Oh well.
Also on the hotel, it feels like the ‘structure’ for this series is something hotel related will provide Cleo with a major clue to solving the mystery. Which makes things feel pretty trite.
A small complaint – I like it when period pieces incorporate important or unique events from that time (ignoring the overuse of Jack the Ripper). I feel like both of Deanna Raybourne’s series (Lady Grey and Veronica Speedwell) do an awesome job of this. But I felt like the mention of women’s suffrage was hard done by in this one LOL. It was just chucked in as a not very convincing red herring.
The final nail in the coffin is none of the characters are all that interesting, including Cleo herself. Obviously I’ve made it clear that I don’t like Armitage, but even the hotel staff aren’t that well fleshed out and the family members are moderately annoying but not enough to hate on them. The most interesting characters are probably Edward and Victor.
Categories: Book Reviews
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