A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway

The Basics:
A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway
Del Ray
Book Three in The Baskerville Affair trilogy
Steampunk, Romance, Fantasy
Published December 31, 2013
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES MAY INADVERTENTLY FOLLOW!

Blurb:

As part of her devil’s bargain with the industrial steam barons, Evelina Cooper is finally enrolled in the Ladies’ College of London. However, she’s attending as the Gold King’s pet magician, handcuffed and forbidden contact with even her closest relation, the detective Sherlock Holmes.

But Evelina’s problems are only part of a larger war. The Baskerville affair is finally coming to light, and the rebels are making their move to wrest power from the barons and restore it to Queen Victoria. Missing heirs and nightmare hounds are the order of the day—or at least that’s what Dr. Watson is telling the press.

But their plans are doomed unless Evelina escapes to unite her magic with the rebels’ machines—and even then her powers aren’t what they used to be. A sorcerer has awakened a dark hunger in Evelina’s soul, and only he can keep her from endangering them all. The only problem is . . . he’s dead.

Why I picked up this book:

I love Sherlock Holmes and I loved the cover of this book - the colour scheme, the gorgeous young woman who is *fully clothed*!

My thoughts:

Wow, wow, wow. Magic, machines, mystery, politics, revolution, romance - this is book is phenomenal. It's packed full of all this amazing stuff. There's complex social and political maneuverings that held me in thrall as I raced to find out the fate of the characters I loved, the steam barons and the cast of minor characters that made this world so lush.

I wish I'd read this about a month earlier so I could have bought the first two books in the series for a number of people on my Christmas shopping list.

I love Sherlock Holmes adaptations, and by the blurb, I expected this to be a sort of YA title involving his niece with Holmes cameos. It is so, so much more. There's a dozen or more characters who offer up perspectives as we race to the climax of the Baskerville Affair.

Evelina Cooper is our primary perspective, and at the heart of the tale. Holmes' niece, she's  of the Blood - able to tap into magic. Her training with the sorceror Magnus has left her distrustful of her own abilities, and afraid of the dark powers he taught her to manipulate.

I didn't read either of the first two books in the series - I will definitely pick up the trilogy as a set! Though clearly a *lot* had happened in those two books, this third book does an excellent job of getting the reader up to speed. I never felt like I was out of the loop because I'd skipped the first two books (again, I still want to read them, because this book was so good).

Everyone, most especially Evelina, is dealing with the consequences of actions in earlier books. Her interactions with the Gold King - one of the most powerful of the steam barons - have left her trapped in an agreement that made *me* feel claustrophobic for her. I loved the sense of continuity and that decisions made in earlier books were still haunting these characters, even while new decisions and actions constantly changed the dynamics of the story and the flow of events.

I was able to enjoy A Study of Ashes superficially for the action, adventure and romance, but also on a deeper level for the secrets, backstabbing and manipulation. I loved how everything fit together.

I was extremely satisfied with the end of the novel. There's lots of threads that the author can pull on to start a new trilogy if she so desires, but I still had that sense of resolution. I didn't feel cheated by any shortcuts to finish the book (a common problem for trilogies, I find) nor did I feel like any major questions related to the main thrust of this book were left unanswered.


Bottom line:
I laughed, I cried, I cheered. A Study of Ashes is an amazing book, easily making my top ten for 2013. Read this one.

5 stars
For fans of steampunk, magic and machines, mysteries, political maneuvering, revolution, good books!

The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini

The Basics:
The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini
Tom Doherty Associates
Mystery
Published May 22, 2013

I picked this book up in my local library's "What's New" section.

Blurb:

In The Bughouse Affair, this first of a new series of lighthearted historical mysteries set in 1890s San Francisco, former Pinkerton operative Sabina Carpenter and her detective partner, ex-Secret Service agent John Quincannon, undertake what initially appear to be two unrelated investigations.

Sabina's case involves the hunt for a ruthless lady "dip" who uses fiendish means to relieve her victims of their valuables at Chutes Amusement Park and other crowded places.  Quincannon, meanwhile, is after a slippery housebreaker who targets the homes of wealthy residents, following a trail that leads him from the infamous Barbary Coast to an oyster pirate's lair to a Tenderloin parlor house known as the Fiddle Dee Dee.

The two cases eventually connect in surprising fashion, but not before two murders and assorted other felonies complicate matters even further. And not before the two sleuths are hindered, assisted, and exasperated by the bughouse Sherlock Holmes.

What worked for me:

It's been a long time since I've read a straight mystery, and I found the experience quite enjoyable. I was very conscious of reading in a different way than when I read romance or fantasy or another genre. Mysteries contain a lot more detail and require you to either fully buy-in or else be unable to engage with the story at all (in my opinion).  

The Bughouse Affair was satisfyingly thick on details. The criminal world of 1890s San Francisco comes alive as Sabina and John investigate their two cases. From the language used to the techniques that criminals employed, it's clear that this was a well-researched novel. I did have to think through some of the slang - I was unfamiliar with a fair amount of fit - but it added some needed colour to the book.

I think that the structure of the book - chapters written from either John's or Sabina's perspective - was a clever way to allow the husband-wife team to write the book together. The two characters are written as fully conceived persons: they have histories, they have flaws and different strengths. I was impressed by just how much of their characters came through - sometimes I find detectives in mystery novels to be hastily sketched at best. Of course, given the accolades that these two authors have garnered for past work, I'm not surprised by the quality of the writing.

What didn't work for me:

The inclusion of the Sherlock Holmes character was an interesting choice for me. I didn't necessarily dislike it, but it seemed like an element out of place in a book that was otherwise plausible.  

I had a hard time sinking into this book. I'm not sure what it was - I liked it, definitely. Maybe I just didn't care enough about the resolution of the murder? The stakes didn't seem high for Sabina and John, so perhaps I wasn't invested in the outcome? Regardless, I picked up and put down the book several times before I was able to finish reading it - rarely a good sign! 

Bottom Line:

This was a solid mystery set in a fully rendered 1890s San Francisco. The characters were real to me, I wanted them to be successful.... But. The book was lacking something - perhaps high stakes, perhaps tension, perhaps I simply lacked the attention span for it right now. Whatever the case, it was good, but I didn't ever feel that need to keep turning the pages, to find out what was going to happen next and to make sure that the detectives solved the case(s)!

3.5 stars

For fans of period mysteries,  male-female detective teams, dry wit, Sherlock Holmes.