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The Shadows of London: The gripping new historical crime thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Royal Secret (James Marwood & Cat Lovett, Book 6)

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Like all the previous books, which I’ve loved, this is a wonderfully immersive book that really captures a sense of time and place, you can almost hear and smell the sights and sounds of C17th London. Travels to the past drive the plot, but it's the complexity of the present that makes this book worth spending time with. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. Yet another triumphant novel, exposing the corruption and power politics in the court of Charles II where lives are ruined at the whim of the aristocrats as they jostle to gain favour. Both Cat and Marwood are subject to the caprices of wealthy men pushing and pulling them in different directions. What I like about Andrew Taylor's novels is although the investigation process may be convoluted I often suspected the person from the start so the unveiling of the murderer's identity has a sense of rightness to it. The murder mystery is complicated first of all because the victim had no face, and nothing by which he could be identified. Both the characters and the settings are well described and the mixture of fact and fiction works well. It is fast paced, full of action and intrigue. The narrative is told from both Cat’s and James’s viewpoints switching from one to the other throughout the book. Their relationship continues to develop as they work together to find the culprit and it reaches a turning point in this book. I hope that there will be a 7th book as I really want to know what happens next …

The IRL - Institute of Registered Latents. A government-funded agency that controls, tests and registers latents, making sure they're safe to be a part of society.

2. The Calves' Head Club

This was my first Ariana Nash book, but it won't be the last and not just because this book ended on a cliffhanger. I got an advance copy of it so I knew going it probably wouldn't be fully resolved by the end, and I'm okay with that. In case you're not, here's your warning. What intrigued me the most was Olivia's ramble about the lurking shadow, the coin Kempthrone seems to horde like that was what made him Midas and Alexander Kempthorne, the man, himself. I would love to see more of this guy's past. The things he seems to derive joy from are... well questionable for a ruch guy with too many houses and toys to play with. Also I'm hoping something goes down between Dom and Alex because their chemistry?🤯 I couldn't carve it out with a knife if I tried. :3 All these huge changes and it’s sometimes the smallest details that are the hardest to get your head around. There are a few words to get used to in this book, but everything is very well explained, and it’s not an info-dump, the information is just incorporated into the plot when we need it, and it’s easy to understand the magic system Ariana Nash created in this book.

This is a brilliant, absorbing series which entertains and informs and is highly successful with a growing readership. More murder, intrigue, scandals, and plots are in this sixth instalment of Andrew Taylors' excellent Marwood and Lovett series. An unidentified body found on Cats' latest job, an old almhouse, throws her career off course. Marwood is sent to investigate, and we find that things are a wee bit tense after Cats' decision in the last book. Things get a lot tenser as Marwood begins courting the daughter of Cats' latest employer. She's not happy at all, but Marwood is rather caught up in his usual intrigues. It turns out the body is either a treacherous government employee or the French tutor who is linked to the almshouses owners daughter, and possible love interest of Marwood. Oh, and just to confuse all and up the stakes even more, all this business is also linked to a young French woman who the king has a lecherous eye on! I loved that the grumpy boss is not at all grumpy, but a shy, taciturn man… and maybe with cero sexual experience? He was too shy and cute. I laughed, because what else was there to do? At least I knew where I stood. And really, was I even surprised?With a mixture of real and fictional characters, this tale of intrigue and power imbalance is well up to standard in a series that has set a benchmark for this historical mystery fiction.” - The Guardian

Frankie isn't entirely convinced and decides on more proof by shooting the angel (Joe) with his shotgun, reasoning that a real angel would be immortal. Apparently Joe would have died, (probably did die that December night in 1962), but W.P. Brown was also sent on a mission to London that same night and the only thing it seems Bill could think of was to leap in front of the gun just as it fired, taking most of the blast. Bill's mission was to save Joe and he did, but Mr. Brown lost his life in the process.

1. The School of Night

Later, when W.P. Brown pops in again, he explains the radio was a stolen focus object planted by parties unknown. The mission to 1960s London had already been assigned to a professional time traveler, but someone left the radio where Joe-the-amateur would touch it and become unalterably connected to the change event of saving Lucy. Why, because Joe was more likely to fail? These change events are opportunities to put things right when they've gone wrong. Joe has to save Lucy, so she can raise and influence her son Gus, who'll go on to accomplish things of critical importance to the future. If you think Ariana Nash's books are too dark or triggering, but you still really want to read her work, I definitely recommend this series! Compared to her other work, Twisted Pretty Things is less graphic and the sex isn't elaborated, which makes it the perfect candidate! Kempthorne's antics. When the writing continued to justify Kamothorne's selfish actions, it nearly drove me insane. Kempthorne continued to use Dom as a means to his own ends, selfish and ignorant of Dom's feelings. Dom allowed it to happen, which was infuriating, and even justified it at some points. For example, after the first auction where Kempthorne endangered Dom's life, and Dom rightfully blew up in the car with an epic rant, later Kempthorne gave his non-action apology, and DOM APOLOGIZED for getting angry. The issue was settled with, 'so I suppose we are even, now.' This kept me thoroughly entertained with a very interesting plot. I just struggled at times to see Joe as a modern, young guy and wanted more of what I can only call emotion from him. He was undoubtedly likeable but for me perhaps a little weak but he definitely thought on his feet and I would be very interested in reading more about his exploits. Mr Taylor has created a different story for Louise de Kerouaille, a version in which she is more victim than anything else. If you can't see your way out of the situation then taking what you can for your own benefit is pretty much all that's left you. As she says in the book how would she be as a humble nun in France? It just wouldn't do and she would be a stone in the abbess' shoe for sure.

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