Garden of Sins by Laura Joh Rowland
A Victorian Mystery, Book 6
Publication Date: 11th Jan 2022
Genre: Historical Crime Fiction
3.8 Stars
Garden of Sins brings the famous photojournalist Sarah and her police officer husband, Barrett, back into action. This time, Sarah has more than her hands full with her father’s trial (a cold case), her sister’s anger as Sarah is still doubtful about her father’s innocence, the death of a stranger, the mysterious events at Cremorne Gardens, and the trouble in her newly married life.
It’s too much to handle at once, but Sarah knows she
has to do what she always did- tackle things head-on and trust her
instincts.
With danger and mistrust surrounding her, can Sarah
come out victorious and save her marriage?
I directly read book 5 last year and enjoyed the
unconventional heroine from the Victorian era. The book doesn’t deal with
nobles and balls but rather with the common folk. Though the language seems a
bit too modern at times, I don’t mind it much.
Book 6 brings a sort of closure to a couple of
sidetracks from book 5. While the previous book wasn’t that hard to read and
understand as a standalone, this one is different. It might seem too vague and
messy without book 5 to support the storylines of-
- Sarah’s
father’s trial
- The
triangle of Sarah-Barrett-Jane
Both these have been more or less resolved in this
book. The father’s trail is sorted (no spoilers) with a new twist that seems a
bit too convenient.
The actual case of the book is centered on the
illegal activities in the seedy pleasure park called the Cremorne Gardens. The
case involves even the royalty, and we cannot expect the expected outcome in
such instances, can we? (Yeah, that’s me trying to avoid spoilers)
Hugh is still recovering from his injury and heartbreak
(ref: book 5). Mick and Anjali are more than friends, but Sarah is rightly
worried about how it would affect the two. After all, they are still so
young.
I guess we can do without the mandatory sex scene
between the lead couple just for the sake of it. 🙄
The book progresses at a steady pace, and the climax
has good action scenes. The mystery element isn’t the strength of the book. The
characters are, and that’s where the knowledge of the previous book ensured
that I enjoyed this one.
The author will have to come up with a new sidetrack
for the next in the series, and I'm looking forward to reading that one (though
I need to go back and finish books 1-4 in the meantime).
To sum up, Garden of Sins is an interesting and
engaging continuation of the Portrait of Peril. I’m not sure it’ll hold the
readers’ interest as a standalone despite the backstory provided in bits and
pieces.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Crooked Lane
Books.
#GardenofSins #NetGalley
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