Book Review: The Mystery of Albert E. Finch

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love the Victorian Bookclub Mystery series by Callie Hutton, and was so excited to see a third one in the series. Lord William Wethington and Lady Amy Lovell have gotten married! What should be a happy occasion is marred at the wedding breakfast when Lady Amy’s cousin Alice Finch jumps dead in to her food. Amy and William battle wits again with Detectives Carson and Marsh when they decide that Alice’s husband Albert is the killer. With Amy’s mystery writer identity revealed to all, and the couple’s previous successes, Albert has requested their assistance to proving his innocence. Unfortunately for everyone who is investigating, suspects begin to pile up including Albert, and soon a second body is discovered. According to the same detectives and to William’s consternation, the happy couple is not allowed to go on their honeymoon. To add insult to injury, Amy’s father, brother, and Aunt Margaret have temporarily moved into William and Amy’s home as unexpected repairs are being done to their own home. Now that there is a threat to their happiness, the two decide to take matters into their own hands before there becomes one to their lives as well.

I was so happy that the author didn’t extend out the relationship with these two characters, Amy and William. Too many authors do that, and it just becomes this annoying situation that is distracting to the plot lines. Callie Hutton appears to have a wonderful intuition for character growth. She expands on Amy and William, but also on the people that surround them. I enjoyed the extra interaction with Amy’s father and her brother Michael. I am excited to see what happens with two other couples, but also what will happen with Amy’s father and Aunt Margaret. I was also excited to see William with progressive ideals towards his new wife as opposed to what society thought of females.

I am still greatly annoyed with Detective Carson, but I really want to know what the deal with Detective Marsh is. Does that man ever argue with his partner and the rude, slightly stupid things that he says? I was happy to see that the chief inspector does require more from these two individuals, so again it is a situation that the author doesn’t allow to extend throughout the series without consequences. I would like to see a different detective couple or one different detective. I would even like to see the chief inspector, and how he interacts with William.

The murder was elaborate but not convoluted which I appreciated. The suspect list growing with each new discovery made it difficult to guess at the ending. It was interesting how the murderer choose when to strike, because it such felt out of place, but I also wasn’t expecting the overall outcome. The side mystery with Aunt Margaret’s Othello, and Amy’s dog Persephone was simply adorable. I laughed at the solution, which felt like it should have been obvious, but wasn’t what I was expecting. I will also say that I was happy Persephone was mentioned, and had her own mystery, but she wasn’t actively involved like she was in the second book. I was also happy to see that Amy could, and would, compromise with William concerning Persephone and her place in the household.

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars, since I couldn’t find anything wrong or that put me off with the writing or the plot line. I sincerely hope that there is more to come.