For a book about poison and murder, this was a pretty refreshing read! A good mystery full of plot twists, red herrings, drama (oh, the drama) and all the things you need for a thrilling puzzle just waiting to be solved. I'm glad I finally got around to finishing it, as it's been on my "to read" list for some time now. Let's see how it goes.
The world is changing, the war is consuming all the young men and resources the world has to offer them, and influenza is sweeping the country. Still, life moves on as Allene gets engaged and insists that her old friends, Jasper and Birdie, are to attend her engagement party. But the party ends unexpectedly when one of the party guests turns up dead and the three friends suspect poison. Soon, more and more victims keep popping up along with mysterious notes to the three friends. Each must make use of their talents and resources to get to the bottom of this mystery before all the people they love end up dead.
This book definitely knows how to keep its readers guessing and uses clever means to keep all of its secrets a surprise. I was stumped for a long time with this book and, while I had a list of suspects as anyone would, the way everything came together still left me stunned and impressed by the author's skills. There's also a lot of death in this book, but not all of it is related to murder, so you have no idea what's just bad luck and what's murder. It was a clever detail that I admired about this book.
Allene, Jasper, and Birdie are very interesting characters to be following along in this story. The perspective shifts between the three of them, so we get to see how each of them thinks, what their lives are like, and most especially what they think of each other. It's kind of an odd dynamic going on between these three. They all kind of love and yet kind of hate each other at the same time. Allene is upper class, privileged, and a bit naive. Jasper is ambitious, headstrong and overconfident. Birdie is soft spoken and pretty but possesses a bitterness to, what seems to be, the world at large for her misfortunes and being the daughter of a prostitute. Yet they still come back to each other, they liven up each other's lives, and continue to care for each other no matter how resentful they can be of one another. Plus, they make a good team. Allene has a passion for chemistry, Jasper works for the medical examiner, and Birdie is good at manipulating others to get what she needs. It's a very intense, though not always positive, relationship and I found it very interesting.
While the mystery plays a key role in the plot of the book, there's also a whole lot of drama. Almost soap opera drama. Affairs, secrets, guilt, manipulations, rule breaking, law breaking, this book has it all. Even with all this stuff going on, the pace is fast and it's not a difficult read. I actually really liked the language that the author uses in this book. It sticks to the time period that it's in and uses old slang and worked like "hoity-toity" and "golly". Finally, though, readers should be warned that there are some pretty graphic depictions of autopsies in this book that might churn a stomach or two. That being said, it does add to the overall dreariness and unclean tone of a terrible time in history. I thought things all came together nicely.
Final Verdict
This book was a definite good time. Despite the overall tone of melancholy, the violence, and all the death, you still get deep and interesting characters, a rich plot, a compelling mystery and a satisfying conclusion. All in all, I think any mystery fan will enjoy it and that it's worth your money at your local bookstore.
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Next Time: Does it have a 13th floor? Because if it doesn't, it'd only be 999 floors.
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