Highly Entertaining with a very clever plot
582260
Gordon's clever working of the characters from the Twelft Night produces a very entertaining mystery. Students who study Shakespear as part of their courses will enjoy this book.
612770
A fun and refreshing read.  The author's use of language is clever, delightful, and sometimes downright funny.  The plot moves right along, with insight into the world of business and takeover politics, bringing us to an unexpected and satisfying finish.  Of course, the plot is not without spice, but its affairs are handled discretely and with humor.  I would love to see this book turned into a movie!
1927287
Coming up with a truly unique and fresh mystery novel is not an easy task anymore, and yet with two simple letters Durie manages to put a new spin on an old favourite.
As he lead me through the street of Sydney I found myself delightfully surprised by the careful mix of wit and intrigue that has been peppered throughout the prose and while it may be a slow procession plot wise at the start - after all with all new concepts there must be a healthy dose of exposition in order for any reader to follow along properly - Durie isn't the least bit heavy handed in his approach. He certainly knows when to hold his cards close and when to keep us readers grasping as the slightest clue; much like Harlan does at time, whose personality makes him both charming and amusing.
Once I found myself  at the heart of the story, about three chapters in really, as soon as we are introduced to the Fox's complex relationship and the pseudo-stalker Jenny, I found it quite hard to pull away until I knew just how it all ended.
605509
As DEATH BELOW STAIRS opens, Mrs. Kat Holloway has just accepted the position of cook in the household of Lady Rankin.  She meets the other staff members and appears to ease seamlessly into her new job.  Any thoughts she may have had about a tranquil existence are quickly shattered, as her young assistant, Sinead, is found murdered the very next day.  The volatile Lord Rankin threatens to sack her, and the household is in chaos.  Onto the scene, comes Daniel McAdam, a mysterious man who has a history with Kat.

Daniel is a chameleon - he can take on the guise of a lowly servant, as well as a finely dressed gentleman.  He is fond of Kat, and we learn through her recollections that they have shared a kiss or two, though she has been unable to get a straight answer from him as to who exactly he works for.  He does advise Kat that there are suspicions about the new household she's working in, and he advises her to take caution as she may be in danger.

Kat is a no-nonsense type of woman, though she has a kind nature.  She is abrupt with Daniel, but it's apparent she has a definite soft spot for him.  Kat learned some bitter lessons from her deceased husband, and she's leery of romantic relationships.  She has a young daughter, Grace, who lives with two good friends while Kat works to support her.  Daniel also has a child, a son James, who appears to have inherited his father's cleverness and charm.

It's soon revealed that the murder of Sinead is only a small part of a much larger plot, one that ambitiously seeks to assassinate Queen Victoria.  At this point, the reader has to just go with the flow of this entertaining story, and not expect that it resembles reality.  It's very unlikely that a newly hired cook would have the latitude to leave her position in order to run out whenever the need arises, in order to meet Daniel or to take part in some aspect of investigating this treasonous plot.  It's even more unlikely that she could take off for longer than a day, and have Daniel install a temporary cook in her place.

I very much enjoyed DEATH BELOW STAIRS, and its main characters.  Daniel has the type of charm that is genuine, and he is obviously fond of Kat, and is a very capable man.  Kat is cautious and good hearted, and a dedicated parent.  While the romance takes a backseat to the mystery, it is definitely there at a slow simmer.  The story is all told in first person, and Kat's point of view often includes an inordinate amount of information about food and its preparation.  While Kat's thoughts fill in some of the puzzle pieces of her past with Daniel, I still felt that I should have more information.  I later found out that there is a novella prequel to this story, titled A SOUPCON OF POISON, which I intend to read.  The writing of DEATH BELOW STAIRS felt very different from the Jennifer Ashley historical romances, though equally as captivating.  If you enjoy a well written and entertaining mystery with a touch of romance, I recommend DEATH BELOW STAIRS, but I strongly urge reading the prequel first.

As reviewed at rosesareblue dot net.  I received a complimentary copy of this book.
2797463
A very fun and interesting plot with likable characters and witty comments.
 I spent the day reading this and didn't want to put it down, the plot had me hooked. The ending left me feeling pretty satified, though there are a few things I'm Ieft wondering about.
Also very happy Juliet (the girl in question) was actually a pretty badass and likable character, rather than a damsal.
4303988
Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help features many great characters, a biting wit and marvelous vocabulary - all things that make for an entertaining read.  The ending did leave something to be desired - without giving anything away, I though that things came together too neatly.  As a young adult book, though, this was certainly more entertaining than a sappy romance or a coming of age story generally tends to be (not that I'm knocking those story-lines).  I had a hard time putting this one down.  Milrose and Arabella along with their ghoul friends share in excellently biting dialogue that made me chuckle more than once.  At the awesome price of FREE this is more than worth the buy, a story that can be read and enjoyed regardless of age.  I kind of hoping for a sequel...
4175290
My 5-star rating reflects my delight and satisfaction in this book's capacity to entertain; readers in search of literary mastery may find it to be somewhat less, but within the genre of tongue-in-cheek fiction it surpasses most in its intelligence and dynamic plot.

The author's style in Mercury Falls is unquestionably reminiscent of Douglas Adams.  The characters drawn from lore and how they & the plot weave together as the novel progresses also remind me a great deal of Neil Gaiman.  It is also worth noting the nod to Franz Kafka's portrayals of the numbing futility of bureaucracy.

The story playfully makes use of many traditional, religious representations of an impending apocalypse without--from my perspective--any undue or offensive irreverence.  It certainly is not a straight forward telling out of the pages of the King James Bible, and should not be mistaken as a study guide on the book of Revelations; however, open minded readers with a sense of humor will undoubtedly find themselves smiling at some thought provoking takes from behind the scenes of Heavenly machinations.
1216139
The sarcasm is spot on and the plot is very creative. The descriptions of places, characters, and events are in incredibly entertaining and engaging.  Many laugh out loud moments.
4521613
This just might be the most fun Ive had reading a book in a while. Its pure escapism, done really well.

Ellie Hudson, an Olympic-class archer, is in Nottingham, England, for a high-level competition. She follows a man strangely dressed in a friars robe into the tunnels below Nottinghams castle and finds herself mysterious transported back in time to the late 1100s. Ellie has to figure out how to stay safe, avoid doing anything to change history, and find a way back to her own time. But all of that is easier said than done, especially since she begins her adventures by almost getting arrested by the shire reeve of Nottingham just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact, the shire reeve is an all-around bad guy, oppressing the good people of the area with high taxes and harsh punishments. In an era rife with that kind of injustice, whats a twenty-first century archer to do?

Ellie is, without a doubt, the perfect person to time travel back to twelfth-century England. As an archer, she can defend herself. Ellies father is a theoretical physicist, her mother a professor of medieval historyso she can accept the idea of time travel and knows a lot about the period she winds up in. Ellie conveniently speaks both English and French. (All she would need is to know Latin, and she would have the medieval trifecta.) Shes slender enough to pass as a boy, so shes able to disguise herself when needed. All of this is so perfect that it would strain belief if the reader let it.

But this reader didnt, because Ellies adventures are just so terrifically fun to follow that its easy to ignore the unlikely elements of the story. Ellie is brave and quick-witted, and many of her reactions flow naturally from those qualities. (Jump off a bridge? Sure, why not, if its the best avenue of escape?) She maybe doesnt always make the best choices, but she owns up to her mistakes and works to correct them. Ellie is also sarcastic and funny, which makes her even more likeable. It does take her a little too long to twig onto the fact that SHE is Robin Hood, though. Its more than halfway through the book before she realizes, as she puts it, I had become a fictional character.

The author does a couple of things with the story that I especially appreciated. First, she acknowledges that its hard for Ellie and the people she meets to understand each other, which is something time travel books don't always get right. For a speaker of modern English to try to understand Middle English would be something like listening to someone speak English with a heavy foreign accent, completely mangling some words, and randomly inserting unfamiliar words from their own language. (For example, the word is would have been pronounced more like ees, so even simple words would sound different.) She still makes it a lot easier for the characters to translate back and forth than it would be, but at least she doesnt completely gloss over the problem.

The author also avoids the problem of romantic entanglements. Theres attraction, sure. But Ellie knows that it would be a bad idea to get involved, and the men she meets have their own issues to deal with. It was really refreshing to read a young adult novel where the focus remains firmly on the action rather than having the main characters get distracted by going googly-eyed over each other.

Id highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a thoroughly fun, relatively quick read.

An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
2575224
I found this story funny, entertaining and totally hilarious.  The author takes you on a wacky journey and you can't help but love the main character in the plot. The characters come to life with the author's brilliant and imaginative descriptions.

If you're looking for some escapism in the form of a short story that will make you laugh then get this one. In my view, Helen Mallon addresses some underlying themes that are quite serious, but managed to broach them in a light-hearted way.

Loved it, still laughing. Will definitely read more from her if available.
4808286
This book has so much going for it -- engaging characters, an entertaining plot that keeps you guessing (and, as a bonus, teaches you something about the rare book business), and strong writing with many amusing lines. I enjoyed meeting Henry Swann when he first appeared in "Swann's Last Song," and I'm looking forward to his next adventure.
4759724
I am aged far above the target audience for this book, but I do know a quality book when I read it.  And this book is just so much FUN!  It has great characters and an age-appropriate mystery about a missing dog.  As a nod to the original Sherlock Holmes mysteries, it just hits all the right notes for me.  It is just so very CLEVER and well-done!  Shelby's absolutely genius bulldog, Sir Arthur, made me laugh with delight.  I hope Shelby, Watson and Sir Arthur go on many more adventures together__can't wait for the next one coming out in Sept. 2017!
2084922
I enjoyed the story line and the characters are so very diverse. The writing is clever and entertaining. I can certainly imagine that a very entertaining sequel could come from the fun and interesting tale.
3387311
I really enjoyed this book, it's so clever in so many ways.  The author manages to get humour to sit comfortably alongside murder and the examination of the mental effects of disabilities.  The idea of weaving into the plot of a cosy murder mystery a creative writing course....about cosy murder mysteries, is a brilliant idea.  The characters, even the minor ones, and their back stories are perfectly crafted.  Congratulations to the author for having the conviction to step away from the genre of his previous well received book, Where The Dead Walk.  I enjoyed that one too but this is even better.
2041480
Red, White, and Dead is one of the most enjoyable and entertaining books I've read in a long time.  The main character, Jack, jumps right off the page and makes you wish you knew somebody exactly like him.  He's lovable and yet he's not perfect by any means -- he's just a perfect protagonist for this book.  The plot never ceased to surprise me.  It is smart.  It's a treasure hunt for intelligent people, but it's very accessible, too.  The action is another strong suit -- I was flipping through the pages as fast as my fingers would let me during the really tense, exciting moments.

This book really and truly has something for everyone.  It's a fast and fun read, but it also makes you think.  I highly recommend.
2481058
A very entertaining story with wonderful twists. The story develops so many possibilities as to guilt with many revelations about the dysfunctional British couples. I will not reveal any clues about the ending but this was a lot of fun!
4533354
A brilliantly creative and entertaining story balanced between farce and tragedy. This is an especially delightful book for anyone who has a passing familiarity with Irish mythology, but it isn't really necessary. There are prophetic crones, ghosts, animals that talk to each other and humans as well, all somewhat loosely gathered around a central murder-mystery plot.
The entire tale is narrated by a Puca, which in Irish lore is a profane, trickster fairy with a passion for mischief and drinking and a talent for being in several places at once. The cast of characters is so multi-dimensional that they fairly leap off the page into your living room, and they are alternately hilarious and poignant.
Although I wouldn't say he's yet reached their level of virtuosity, Walsh's skill with the depiction of a particular type of rural/small town character has echoes of Donal Ryan and Kevin Barry. Like those authors, his use of a singularly Irish syntax and rhythm turns the most mundane descriptions into something lyrical. ("Conall walked the four odd mile road into town with the dog Red Bob at heel and his stick heard a good acre in every direction smacking off the tarmac, shocking crows out of trees and disturbing field mice in the long rushes.") . All in all, a fun read.