A review by swampkun
Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer

3.0

Pretty fun! An interesting debut: I had some problems with the orientalizing and felt that a lot of the characters fell too comfortably into established tropes (almost as if I were expected to understand the characters motives and actions just based on their archetypes, as opposed to any in-narrative reasoning). I also found some of Jane's internal monologue a bit hamfisted--especially when drawing connections between herself and smuggled artifacts--and would have enjoyed a bit more subtlety. That being said, I enjoyed the protagonist's realistic reactions, the way she just falls into the mystery, and the dynamic between her and her aunt. I hope the romance with Redvers heats up some more without relying too heavily on the fact that he's just a handsome white man; I'd really like to see some more chemistry between him and Jane based on a more compelling emotional connection! Since this is just the first book, I'm sure we'll get there.

Over all, a decent weekend read for fans of Phyrne Fisher and Frankie Drake.