3 Stars
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Hydra
Date of publication: November 28th, 2017
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Number of pages: 314
POV: 1st person
Series: The Curious Affair of
The Somnambulist and the Psychic Theif – Book 1
The Curious Affair of the Witch at Wayside Cross – Book 2
Where you can find The Curious Affair of The Witch at Wayside Cross: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
Book synopsis (from Goodreads):
The paranormal answer to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Jesperson and Lane are turning the Victorian era upside down in this bewitching series from John W. Campbell Award winner Lisa Tuttle.
“Witch!” cries the young man after stumbling unexpectedly into the London address of the consulting-detective partnership of Mr. Jasper Jesperson and Miss Lane. He makes the startling accusation while pointing toward Miss Lane . . . then he drops dead. Thus begins the strangest case yet to land—quite literally—on the doorstep of Jesperson and Lane.
According to the coroner, Charles Manning died of a heart attack—despite being in perfect health. Could he have been struck down by a witch’s spell? The late Mr. Manning’s address book leads Jesperson and Lane to the shrieking pits of Aylmerton, an ancient archaeological site reputed to be haunted by a vengeful ghost. There they sift through the local characters, each more suspicious than the last: Manning’s associate, Felix Ott, an English folklore enthusiast; Reverend Ringer, a fierce opponent of superstition; and the Bulstrode sisters, a trio of beauties with a reputation for witchcraft.
But when an innocent child goes missing, suddenly Jesperson and Lane aren’t merely trying to solve one murder—they’re racing to prevent another.
Trigger Warning: Talk of rape