Flora Flowerdew and the Mystery of the Purloined Papers by Amanda McCabe

Barbara

Aug 29

Barbara's rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Series: Flora Flowerdew #2
Publication Date: 9/12/23
Period: 1889 - Victorian
Number of Pages: 102

I picked up the first book in the series because it was a historical mystery and because with a name like Flora Flowerdew, it just had to be amusing. I was hoping for the same in this book, but it fell a bit short of meeting that goal. I still enjoyed both the main and supporting characters, but the story itself was a tad bland – not bad, just bland.

Flora's business as a medium has really been busy since she helped Benedict, the Duke of Everton, solve the mystery of his family's missing diamonds. However, she's also grown a bit bored with the whole medium thing since that case as well. She's just lamenting about that very fact to her maid/friend Mary when there is a knock on their door. It is after midnight – who could it be? It was the duke, of course, with his aunt Imogen in tow. It seems she's had some very intimate letters stolen and she wants Flora to help her find them – at a country house party.

Since the duchy is in serious need of an influx of cash, Imogene will also be trying to pair the Duke with the daughter-of-the-house, Marianne. This is the strangest house party. You had to wonder why their host, Lord Windermere, would invite a group filled with so much animosity toward each other. Then, they were all having affairs with each other as well.

I really wanted to love this book so much, but I just couldn't. I didn't dislike it – I was more – meh. It wasn't as exciting, suspenseful, or mysterious as I would hope for in a mystery. There were several places where there could have been some hold-your-breath scenes, but they just weren't fleshed out. Perhaps that was due to the short length of the book. Then, there is the quasi-romance, between Flora and the Duke. There are hints that a romance is developing, but even that seems a bit tame.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews