A review by timinbc
The Curse of the House of Foskett by M.R.C. Kasasian

4.0

Well, now. Suppose I told you a book is funny and grisly at the same time. Would you want to read it? If yes, you won't do better than this; if not, skip this one.

You get a warning early on as Kasasian describes the Foskett Curse, detailing past deaths one after another, each less likely than the previous, until you almost have to laugh.

Grice is as nasty as ever but we see hints that it's a facade. Middleton is somewhat cleverer, is clearly learning this detective business, and is becoming confident in her sassiness. The side characters are better than in book 1, the plot rolls along well.

There are lots of murders, several in grisly detail, and an ongoing Victorian air that a murder's no big deal as long as it isn't anyone we know.

If you liked #1, you'll like this more; if you didn't like #1, this won't save it for you.

Final note: amid all the wisecracking, MIddleton's story is developing in the opposite direction, giving the series more weight. Some thought has gone into this, and I suspect we're going to need to read all the books to see it through.