Three Sisters (Emily Castles Mysteries)
Three Sisters introduces twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth Emily Castles in this entertaining new mystery series from best selling British author Helen Smith.
Emily receives an invitation to a party in a large house at the end of her street, hosted by a mysterious troupe of circus performers. She accepts, despite her misgivings, because her dog has died and she needs cheering up. But when she witnesses a murder in the midst of the surreal entertainment, no one will believe what she has seen. Is Emily befuddled with grief at the loss of her pet? Or has something wicked happened in plain sight of all the party-goers? Emily and her eccentric neighbours attempt to discover the truth in a charming story that will have you giggling at every funny line.
Three Sisters by Helen Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first Emily Castles mystery I have ever read, and for the most part, I truly enjoyed it. Hardly any profanity (almost not worth mentioning) and no sex scenes, and a very easy-to-read book. Although this is a short book, I recommend that you have a dictionary handy. Helen Smith has a fantastic vocabulary, and her writing is very descriptive. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciated that! I look forward to reading a full novel featuring the character Emily Castles.
I only have one criticism, and I suppose I can identify with to a degree. I myself am an unpublished author, and I tried to write mystery. And for some reason, it never really came out the way I wanted. I had potential in the area, but it was not my most comfortable genre. In time, I think I could get better, but I sort of gave up. What I see in Helen Smith is vast potential in the area of mystery-writing, but I do wonder if it is her most comfortable genre. Perhaps when she writes a full length novel with this character, she will have more time to develop the mystery. Although portions of the mystery story were quite clever, I felt that some parts of the story did not match up.
But let me say that I love the English feel of the book! Okay, so it helps that the author is English, but this book definitely has more an English feel that some “English” books I have read. I look forward to reading more from this author and Emily in the future!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
Showstoppers (Emily Castles Mysteries)
Twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth Emily Castles helps out at a local stage school in London. As parents and prospective new pupils turn up at the end of term show – where prizes will be handed out by eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel and famous romance novelist Morgana Blakely – Emily deals with a blackmail threat and two deaths, before teaming up with the guests of honour to try to prevent a massacre happening live on stage.
The funny lines will keep you giggling as you race through this madcap story to discover whether Emily and her friends will triumph over disaster.
Showstoppers by Helen Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the second Emily Castles mystery, and I found it just about as pleasing as the first. No profanity, no sex, and nothing inappropriate. At least I feel that I knew the characters better, but I still struggled to really get into the mystery. Again, her vocabulary and descriptions are impeccable. I am not sure what genre I would like to see her write besides mystery, but she certainly has a gift. I am still looking forward to a full novel featuring Emily, and I can only hope that the mystery will be better-developed.
Lest you think I did not like the book, nothing could be further from the truth. I think I preferred the first story, but there were elements in the second story that intrigued me. I would have liked to have been more surprised in this story like I was somewhat in the first book, but I still found the writing exceptional and the story line pretty decent. And who can complain when a mystery book is short and readable?
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
About Helen Smith
Helen Smith is a British novelist and playwright who lives in London.
She’s the author of acclaimed cult novels Alison Wonderland and Being Light; dystopian novel The Miracle Inspector; and the popular Emily Castles Mysteries.
Helen Smith’s books have been praised in The Times, The Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian, Time Out and Wired.com. They have appeared on “best books of the year” lists in For Books’ Sake, The Cult Den, The Independent and the Guardian and reached number one on Amazon in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany.
Her work has been translated into foreign language editions and optioned for development by the BBC.
“Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.” Booklist
“This very funny book makes you wonder how it is done.” Times Literary Supplement
