A good story, and also a good mystery
579680
If you are looking for a mystery that is a good read and does not have lots of irrelevant plot intricacies, this is the book for you. The story moves along with interesting characters. The ending is a little weak, but satisfying. I enjoyed this book better than the author's "very English mystery" books.
2897516
A good story and fine, fleshed-put characters.  Quite a mental puzzle - and that is what I liked about this book.
4585801
Interesting characters and a fascinating place and time make this mystery a very enjoyable read.
2081907
I enjoyed this mystery; I was caught by the opening paragraph and teased by glimpses into the backstory of our hero, Garrison Gage.  Like another reviewer, I found the actual motive for the crimes poorly defined, but I was quite pleased by the developing relationships.  I liked the sudden clicking of ideas and connections for Gage, too, which invited me solve along with him.  A nice read!
282961
I have read and re-read the Miss Silver books. While this was somewhat different, I enjoyed it , too. Some reviews called it old fashioned, but her books are well written and satisfying to one who enjoys a page_turning mystery.
4506251
Let me start by saying that I would have given this a 4.5 star rating if there was one. It missed a 5 by very little. I find that if it is a terrific story but once or twice my mind wanders, usually due to more description than I think necessary, then I cannot quite go with a 5. I had already read 3 a.m. by this author, and it was just a little better in terms of how it was written. However, that being said, the story was truly enjoyable. The murder mystery aspect kept me guessing, the characters were interesting, and the main character, Thomas, was developed right to the last sentence. There was a side story within the main story that also had hint of mystery, and the result was surprising and fun. On one level I was mentally solving the main mystery while on a more hidden level I was trying to figure out where this other thread was going. I was not disappointed. I will say, I am not fond of bad language so a few words could have been omitted to make it better. Fortunately,  there was not a lot of it. Excellent read beginning to end!
4462211
I totally enjoyed this mystery.  A bit of science fiction, murder, conspiracies all rolled into one.  The story of a man with Agoraphobia, who got lucky, IMO, to have a home he could actually access right from the main terminal for the NYC subway system.  He didn't have to go "outside" to get a good workout, access to all kinds of shops and whatever he might need.  What more could a person ask for, especially if you are basically forced to live inside?

On one of his little "walks" with his service dog Edison, he notices a man acting furtively, and his curiosity demands that he follow stealthily and find out what he might be up to.  And this is where the story really gets interesting, and the beginning of danger to our Agoraphobic friend.

What I liked about this story is that the main character is very likable.  He's friendly and rather out-going to a degree, there is no excessive foul language or graphic sex or violence.  I really appreciate it when a writer can tell a very good story without falling back on all that nonsense just in the hopes of gaining more attention.  A good story well written needs none of that.

I also appreciated that although in the very last chapter there is a hint at more to come, this is a complete story, with a beginning, middle and a very good end, and it could be left or added to, depending on whatever the Author wants to do.
1766506
I love a mystery with ghosts in it, and when you have ones that can actually solve said mysteries, and interact on different planes, it makes for a story where anything can happen. The characters in this book have a history in the previous ones, which I encourage others to read, but if you have not read them, the author does a good job of letting the reader know enough so they will not be lost. This book has plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested, and guessing who did it. Recommend.
2203022
I liked this 50's era crime and who-done-it tale. Henry, the private detective is determined to solve the mystery of who killed his partner/friend. It was complex and well thought out. Likable characters with lots of twists and turns kept me reading on. It was enjoyable. I'm not a fan of the "closet" clue thing however as it just isn't that believable and in my opinion the story would have been better without its use. But it's a key part of the series now and unfortunately Henry needs the clues the "closet" provides. Still, it's a good story.
3302426
I thought it was a very good story, and I will be reading more in the future.
2398166
The story was very good. I liked the mystery and that both main characters were very strong willed. It added a different element to the story that the woman is smart and strong
4706125
The author successfully handled the attitudes and conventions of the period without getting into the suffragist movement prominent at that time.  I suspect the back story might have been clearer if I had read the author's previous series about the inspector's daughter's father, but the book is definitely "stand alone" in terms of its plot and characterization.  The mystery was handled well, with enough clues that the identity of the murder is not a surprise, but although the murderer's identity is obvious a bit before the main character figures it out, there is sufficient mis-direction that the real murder remains one of a couple possibilities through most of the book.
The settings are particularly well established.
4572926
A well-written story, with twists and turns, good character development and sympathetic characters.
4764859
An ex-cop from New Orleans drives to Ohio to visit his daughter and to meet his grandson. He has seen too much, lost too much, and now drinks too much. He arrives in the small town where his daughter lives shortly after two little girls have been kidnapped. The local police solicit his help and he reluctantly agrees. This is a mystery the way I like mysteries, with clues, feisty little victims, and evil perpetrators. Well, one evil perpetrator - the other perps seem flawed and not very bright (they believe the plan includes the release of the little girls who could identify them), but hardly evil. The characters are well developed and for the most part likeable. The book needs a little editing for typos and a few grammatical mistakes, and there were a couple of contradictory statements, but there were not enough errors to keep me from thoroughly enjoying the book. If you like mystery books, this one is definitely worth reading. I'm  giving it five stars not due to perfect editing (as noted, it could use a bit more editing) but because I just enjoyed reading the book that much. I will look for more books by Greg Enslen.
4148056
I'm very picky about mystery/thrillers. I like well developed characters and a good, compelling story that I can't pick apart in the first three chapters. This novel by Sam Reaves fits the bill. I truly enjoyed it (rare for a mystery these days) and read it in one sitting. The descriptions of the hard facts and loneliness of farm life were excellent. The characters were interesting and well developed, and they were all people I might like to meet. And although there was some introspection about her life, Rachel (the main character) did not spend a lot of time hand-wringing or moping.

My only caveat - and the reason it got four stars (I'd give it 4.5 if I could) and not five - was the ending. I am not sorry I read it. I'm not disappointed in any way. And yet I felt slightly cheated by the ending. But your opinion may be entirely different. So if you want a pleasant afternoon's entertainment, a well-written and interesting mystery, this is it.
2470096
There is a lot mystery going on with this book, so if by any chance you see multiple times that word [mystery] don't look surprised or confused.
Finding an item in some ruins, and a place hidden in those said ruins is not a good sign, but, curiosity is a thing that keep moving us forward into the future, some of that curiosity might lead us to disaster, or even death, but what about finding a scepter in a ruin?
This one is truly an amazing story, the plot doesnt lose anything in the way nor it makes it less interesting, especially in this kind of stories, the characters are also well done, there is a lot of development going on here and it merges well with the situations happening in the story. If you are looking for something intriguing and what to do to prevent something terrible to happen, this one will surely entertain you.
1125244
Although this is the tenth book in the series, there's enough backstory seamlessly woven into the story so new readers aren't lost. There are so many characters, though, that I sometimes had to stop and think about who was who. The interrelationships among the police officers and their families could get a little confusing. This was a good mystery with a surprising twist at the end, but the personal lives of the characters is as important as the police work. These folks seem like real people that the reader can relate to. I appreciate that all the loose ends of the mystery are tied up, but there are enough interesting developments in the characters' lives that the reader wants to read the next installment.