The Harlot of St. Cecelia's

Inspector Garrett Mysteries, #1

by

Darcy Graves

Secrets run deep, and emotions run high in this new historical mystery debut.

The Harlot of St. Cecelia's is the first book in author Darcy Graves's new 1920s London-set mystery series featuring Detective Inspector William Garrett of the Dayneton CID. When the body of a beautiful French actress is discovered in the Reading Room of the university library, DI William Garrett is tasked with finding her killer. Clues, however, are hard to come by, and the only witnesses on site were purposely locked in the basement vault the entire time. 

The 1920s time frame and London setting provide a vivid, often rainy backdrop for this tale of jealousy, betrayal, revenge, and murder. The victim, Isabelle Jalbert, while having had many admirers over the years, was not well liked among her peers, and several characters were glad to see her demise. Jealousies among the theatre fold abound, and I thought there were a couple of very strong suspects coming from that direction. However, Isabelle had also developed strong emotions in acquaintances outside the theatre, and Garrett had his eye on both witnesses from the library. 

While Simon Cross, a former soldier with a damaged soul from his time in the First World War, seemed resigned to being the chief suspect, his sister, Meg, and his library companion, Eden Brior, were not nearly as complacent as to allow the police to dilly-dally around. I enjoyed how they teamed up and took the bull by the horns, working through several clues to try to identify the real killer. The final reveal is exciting and is a surprising showdown of sorts. I look forward to seeing these characters return for the next case. 

I recommend THE HARLOT OF ST. CELELIA'S to readers of historical mysteries. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.