Having thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, A Portrait Of Death, I cannot tell you how excited I was to be offered a place on this, the Blog Tour for the second book in the The Versipellis Mystery Series, Death In The Sound by Rhen Garland.One of several bloggers participating, I do hope you can find the time to visit some of the other bloggers as listed below.
The year is 1900, responding to a desperate plea from an old friend, Elliott, Giselle, and Thorne, accompanied by Veronique the Labrador, travel from England to New Zealand to unravel a new and complex mystery.
For his daughter’s twenty first birthday, Millionaire philanthropist Octavius Damant orchestrates a weekend party aboard the Taniwha, a luxurious paddle steamer moored in the primordial and isolated landscape of Milford Sound.
Several high society guests are invited to their remote home for the celebrations; Sir Wesley Eade, society lawyer and his beautiful but icy mistress Lady Leonora Carlton-Cayce, Dona Carla Riva, a flamboyant Brazilian dancer, and Carolyn Nolloth, O.D’s estranged sister-in-law who has a great love of other people’s money.
But O.D is the subject of persecution; a series of anonymous letters accuse him of past crimes and threaten the life of his daughter unless he gives in to their creator’s poisonous demands.
Elliott, Giselle, and Thorne discover the odds stacked against them when an unforeseen murder is committed, and they find themselves trapped aboard the Taniwha with a killer who will seemingly stop at nothing to achieve their ends.
As the body count rises, they must unravel the clues and piece together a devilish jigsaw that includes blackmail, extortion, desire, and the reappearance of the fabulous Larkspur Diamond, a gemstone with a past as murky and blood soaked as that of the relentless killer on board.
Set in the late Victorian era, with a touch of the odd, and a twist of the macabre, “Death in the Sound” continues the crime solving, paranormal escapades of Elliott Caine, Giselle Du’Lac, and Abernathy Thorne.
- Synopsis
Thomas Nibbs hurriedly tucked the item he had just stolen into his deepest pocket and ran for his life through the lush undergrowth of Sinbad Gully.
- First Sentences, Prologue
- First Sentences, Prologue
Ralph had tried to explain very politely that there were no other cabins that could be offered as alternative accommodation ... this piece of information had not been well received and Mrs Nolloth had revealed an almost operatic talent for screaming her demands at the top of her voice, possibly believing that a louder request would be met ... It was not.
- Memorable Moment, Page 45
- Memorable Moment, Page 45
MY THOUGHTS ... A 'Victorian' murder mystery thriller with paranormal touches that's every bit as good as its predecessor, A Portrait Of Death, which by the way I strongly recommend you read first if you want to get the best out of this, the second book in the series.
Though not generally of the opinion that one book being held up as being 'like' another book/one author's writing being similar to another authors is necessarily helpful I think it fair to say that in all probability fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy these books and in particular Death In The Sound which I have seen compared to Christie's Death On The Nile. After all both 'murder mysteries' set aboard a paddle steamer (though if memory serves right, strictly speaking, Christie's 1937 novel takes place not aboard a paddle steamer but a steam ship) in more or less the same period (this in 1900, Christie's in the 1930's).
With twists and turns and red herrings aplenty, the guest of honour, family, high society guests, entertainers and our intrepid trio of detectives (Elliott, his wife Giselle and Thorne) find themselves aboard the luxurious paddle steamer Taniwha. The occasion? A 21st birthday party like no other. The job in hand? With the body count rising, to fit together the pieces of the puzzle and find the fiendish killer who is also aboard.
Incredibly well written, engaged from start to finish; the impression that no one is safe, deftly conveyed, I actually found myself to have held my breath such was the way I found myself expertly drawn into the story. There must be a part three ... please tell me there is a part three.
Though not generally of the opinion that one book being held up as being 'like' another book/one author's writing being similar to another authors is necessarily helpful I think it fair to say that in all probability fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy these books and in particular Death In The Sound which I have seen compared to Christie's Death On The Nile. After all both 'murder mysteries' set aboard a paddle steamer (though if memory serves right, strictly speaking, Christie's 1937 novel takes place not aboard a paddle steamer but a steam ship) in more or less the same period (this in 1900, Christie's in the 1930's).
With twists and turns and red herrings aplenty, the guest of honour, family, high society guests, entertainers and our intrepid trio of detectives (Elliott, his wife Giselle and Thorne) find themselves aboard the luxurious paddle steamer Taniwha. The occasion? A 21st birthday party like no other. The job in hand? With the body count rising, to fit together the pieces of the puzzle and find the fiendish killer who is also aboard.
Incredibly well written, engaged from start to finish; the impression that no one is safe, deftly conveyed, I actually found myself to have held my breath such was the way I found myself expertly drawn into the story. There must be a part three ... please tell me there is a part three.
SUMMED UP IN A SENTENCE ... Delightfully macabre and chock-a-block with great characters (how I loved the villain), my goodness, can Garland weave a story!
ABOUT DEATH IN THE SOUND ...
Genre:Victorian murder mystery, supernatural mystery,
Publication Date:14th December 2019
Book Two in The Versipellis Mystery Series
Estimated Page Count: 340
ABOUT RHEN GARLAND ... Rhen Garland lives in Somerset, England with her folk-singing, book-illustrating husband, approximately 4000 books, an equal number of ancient movies, and a large collection of passive-aggressive Tomtes.
She enjoys the countryside, peace, and Prosecco and the works of Ngaio Marsh, Glady Mitchell, John Dickson Carr/Carter Dickson, Agatha Christie, Simon R Green, and Terry Pratchett.
"I watch far too many old school murder mystery films, TV series, and 1980s action movies for it to be considered healthy."
"Death in the Sound" is a murder mystery thriller with paranormal touches set in late Victorian England and is the second book in the Versipellis Mysteries Series, book one “A Portrait of Death” was released in 2018.
FOLLOW RHEN GARLAND ...
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE ...
20th March:
21st March:
22nd March:
23rd March:
24th March:
25th March:
26th March:
BookLoverWorm ~ Radzy Writes ~ littlemrsreader
My thanks to Rachel for not only a place on this tour but for a copy of the book.
My thanks to Rachel for not only a place on this tour but for a copy of the book.
8 comments:
How nice that this second book totally lived up to your expectations following the first. It really does sound like a good series. Thanks for sharing your glowing review!
Felicity,
After you reviewed the first book,
I added it to my list. But I will
definitely keep the second book in
mind.
And as always, thank you for your
excellent review!
Raven
Sounds like a suspenseful book. I think I'd enjoy this one. Thanks for sharing!
Hello, just testing the comment moderation is working....
i love a great villain
sherry @ fundinmental
i absolutely love your reviews! so detailed and full of words from the heart!
and this victorian murder mystery sounds delightfully intriguing! How i wish i could write a good mystery with “red herrings aplenty!”
i live in awe of authors who can!
and thanks for supporting my Beast World campaign!
Tara Tyler Talks
Wow! This looks awesome. I'm going to check the first one out.
Ash @ JennReneeRead
This mystery book/series sounds wonderful, so I am not surprised that you loved it so much! Excellent review, Felicity!
Post a Comment