The Cursed Writer by Holly Hepburn - Book Review

Series: The Baker Street Mysteries #2

Publication Date: 17th Oct 2024 

Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery 

4 Stars 

One Liner: I like this! 

1930s London 

Harriet White decides to stick to her job as Holmes’ secretary, sending the same standard reply to the countless letters received by the Baker Street building society. However, curiosity gets the better of her when she receives a cryptic telegram about the famous writer St John. 

Turns out, Philip St John has been seeing ghostly apparitions and is inching closer to his demise. Some of the residents at the Thurmwell Manor believe it’s the curse. Harry (Harriet) takes up the case on behalf of the famous fictional detective. With Oliver helping her, she needs to save Philip before it’s too late. However, danger lurks everywhere! 

The story comes in Harry’s third-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

I like this better than the previous one! 

The book should work as a standalone but it would help to read the first in the series since there’s a definite improvement overall. However, the little snippets (some repetition, which is necessary for new readers) provided whenever necessary do the job. 

The story starts almost immediately after the previous case ends (maybe a few days later). The beginning (~10%) is a little slow but soon, we get into a steady pace. 

The mystery doesn’t start right away, though we get some information about it. I like that the culprit is not immediately obvious but is easy to guess once you get some clues. It is well-handled for the genre and there’s no info dump. 

There are two side tracks. Both take the lead from the previous book. While one is easier to follow, the other can cause a few questions if you haven’t read the book. I like the developments here. More will come (I hope), and we get what we’ve been waiting for! 

The arcs of both characters (Harry and Oliver) are getting better, so my expectations from the series have climbed up a couple of inches. Romance hasn’t occurred yet. It will, so just have to wait and watch. 

The book ends with a teeny yet strong lead for the next one. I am excited! After all… nope. Won’t reveal anything. ;) 

To summarize, The Cursed Writer is a solid second entry in the series and feels much better than the previous one. Can’t wait for book three! 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheCursedWriter