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A review by eyreguide
Bloodstains with Bronte: A Crime with the Classics Mystery by Katherine Bolger Hyde
3.0
The idea of a murder mystery inspired by the Gothic elements in the Bronte sisters book is a great one. Every chapter of Bloodstains with Bronte begins with a quote from of the sister’s books, and the quote colors what happens next. The mystery stands on it’s own, with the literary connection a nice aspect to the story.
This is the second book in the Crime with the Classics series featuring Emily Cavanaugh. I haven’t read the first one so I’m not sure if I’m missing out on character development, but I think the plot is pretty solid without needing to know what happened in the first book. My reservations about the character development though come from the romance between Emily and Luke which didn’t quite draw me in because I felt like their connection was more explained than shown. But perhaps it is built up better in the previous book.
The book had interesting parts to it - I enjoyed the very human issues and conflicts it presented, with the character of Katie dealing with sexual harassment and worse from multiple male characters, and with the side plot of a religious intolerance. I also enjoyed the warmth and quirkiness of Emily and a some of her friends in the story. The murder mystery itself didn’t have as smooth as a flow to me - there were a few times when Emily’s feelings got in the way of the investigation, and I felt like it complicated the plot in a way that didn’t feel as believable and made me frustrated with her. I also didn’t feel the urgency of the story as much, even when it got to the end.
The literary connection and the thoughtful way in which the story was presented, made this a good light read and if you are interested in the concept, it might be a good idea to start with the first Austen related book in the series.
(I received a copy of this novel from the author or publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
This is the second book in the Crime with the Classics series featuring Emily Cavanaugh. I haven’t read the first one so I’m not sure if I’m missing out on character development, but I think the plot is pretty solid without needing to know what happened in the first book. My reservations about the character development though come from the romance between Emily and Luke which didn’t quite draw me in because I felt like their connection was more explained than shown. But perhaps it is built up better in the previous book.
The book had interesting parts to it - I enjoyed the very human issues and conflicts it presented, with the character of Katie dealing with sexual harassment and worse from multiple male characters, and with the side plot of a religious intolerance. I also enjoyed the warmth and quirkiness of Emily and a some of her friends in the story. The murder mystery itself didn’t have as smooth as a flow to me - there were a few times when Emily’s feelings got in the way of the investigation, and I felt like it complicated the plot in a way that didn’t feel as believable and made me frustrated with her. I also didn’t feel the urgency of the story as much, even when it got to the end.
The literary connection and the thoughtful way in which the story was presented, made this a good light read and if you are interested in the concept, it might be a good idea to start with the first Austen related book in the series.
(I received a copy of this novel from the author or publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)