Anne Cleeland

I always look forward to the next Doyle & Acton mystery because they are always exciting, interesting, and you just never know what Acton has been up to. Then, it is always fun to watch Doyle figure out his latest plot and foil it. If you’ve ever thought of opposites attracting, this is the poster child for it – they are as different as night and day. Doyle is straight-laced, introverted, religious – and just a tad fey. Acton is handsome, smart, diabolical, plays by his own set of show more rules, he doesn’t mind bending the laws if it suits him to do so, and he is absolutely obsessed with Doyle.

Doyle is expecting their second child and Acton has become hyper-vigilant in assuring she is taking care of herself. Yet, she still manages to stumble into an investigation with strange vibes. A volunteer doctor at a charity clinic is attacked – and she has a strange tale to tale to tell. She keeps telling Doyle “the evil ones are eating the souls of the children.” Oh! My! Is the woman a nut or is something more sinister afoot?

We don’t have new villains in this book, so you’ll have to figure out which of the previous villains are committing the crime(s) – and who might be victims. With multiple unrelated victims, you’ll have a good time figuring out if any are related and whodunit. You’ll remember Martina Betancourt and her wayward husband Antonio, as well as Mr. Javid from previous books. What a motley crew of villains to untangle along with all of Acton’s behind-the-scenes machinations.

I’m not sure what it is about this series that intrigues me – I certainly shouldn’t like the characters, but I do. If I read Acton in any other book, I’d cringe – but – there is something endearing about him in this series and I just love him. With Doyle, I’d just disbelieve that anyone with her upbringing and beliefs could have any respect for or love for someone like Acton – but again – with this series – I can see her loving him. I’d say it is a testament to the excellent writing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent read and I hope you will as well. If you enjoy unusual characters and pairings, this series will be right down your alley. I love it. show less

I am always excited when a new addition to the Doyle and Acton Mysteries series is released. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It is well written, well plotted and the characters are complex and interesting. You can read this as a stand-alone book, but to get the real flavor for the characters, you really need to read at least the first couple of books – but why not read them all, they are all good, fun and quirky.

Scotland Yard has been through scandal after scandal over the last several show more books and many – if not most – of the higher-ups are either jailed or removed from their jobs. They are working short-handed, but hopefully, all of the bad actors and the scandals are behind them so they can concentrate on protecting the citizens and providing justice.

It is Doyle’s first day back from maternity leave and the powers-that-be have decided to ease her back into the routine by having her assist DS Munoz on her cases. They are almost immediately dispatched out to the scene of a dead body that they assume is an overdose. It is in the slum area that is riddled with drugs, so the assumption is a reasonable one. However, when they arrive, they discover that it is not self-induced – not accidentally nor purposefully. They have a murder on their hands.

Acton quickly arrives on the scene because he’s not happy that Doyle has been sent into that neighborhood. To say that Acton is a determinedly protective husband would be putting it very mildly. Not long after he arrives, he realizes that there is more to this scene than meets the eye. He quickly comes to understand that it was a set-up as a way to ambush DS Munoz and the only reason it didn’t go as planned was that Doyle was there also.

We soon learn that the last of the corruption isn’t yet out of Scotland Yard and that if things aren’t handled with finesse, there will be yet another scandal. As usual – Acton is behind the scenes manipulating things to work out the way he wants – and he keeps poor Doyle in the dark. Doesn’t matter, she always figures him out and calls him out on it.

This is a lovely, fun, quirky, and interesting read show less

This is my second time reading this book and it's still a solid 5 star read for me. It definitely won't be for everyone, so be forewarned. But, even though it deals with some fairly dark topic matter it has beautiful character development, a solid mystery component and a steady sense of humor that had me laughing out loud numerous times. In spite of the taboo romance, it's done in such an endearing way that you can't help but cheer for a 'happily ever after'. So twisted, but oh so good show more :)

Highly recommend for those who are looking for something different and are wanting a book that will mess with your head a bit :) show less

This is the latest in this entertaining, quirky and addictive mystery series featuring DI Kathleen Doyle and her boss paramour Chief Inspector Lord Acton of Scotland Yard. Each entry, beginning with [Murder in Thrall], features solid writing, intricate plots, and increasingly beguiling characters. Lord Acton has a genius ability to sort out the big picture and move the chess pieces, and intuitive Doyle has an intensely acute sense of what is true and what is lies, along with a strong, show more religion-based view of right and wrong. The last (her view of right and wrong) often causes a clash between Acton and Doyle, with Acton trying to hide what he is up to from Doyle, and Doyle figuring it out and trying to keep him on the right side of the law. (Yes, even though he's Chief Inspector, Acton has a very pragmatic view of the law). Scotland Yard itself is not free of scandal, as we've seen previously in the series.

I don't want to tip off spoilers from previous books; I'm hoping that you'll pick up the first one and read straight through. In this one Doyle is paired with the attractive but difficult Isabella Munoz to investigate what appears to be a simple overdose in a rundown area. But several aspects don't jibe, and they suspect it may be a staged murder. Acton is always protective of Doyle, and shows up when he realizes she's in a dangerous part of town. He quickly sees that something is wrong with the crime scene, and knows it is part of a larger scheme to draw Munoz there.

Acton once again tries to keep Doyle in the dark for, in his mind, her safety. She knows him well, and begins to see why he is manipulating events this time.

If you're looking for a witty, romantic and clever diversion, look no further. Be ready to be somewhat at sea at the first book's beginning ([Murder in Thrall]), until what is happening starts to sink in. If you're already this far in the series, you'll love this one. show less