A Study in Temperance Review Tour

Blurb:

“Gee, Miss Plumtartt, after our calamitous arrival on this unsuspecting city, do you think we are still under threat of imminent murder by gangs of assorted, yet stylish, assassins?”

“I say, I do fear this to be the case, Mr. Temperance. The machinations of intrigue are not unlike one of your ingenious spring-driven contraptions, sir. Yes, plots boil and swarms of suspicious characters are at our every turn, eh hem?”

“Yes, Ma’am, Miss Plumtartt, Ma’am. It’s a good thing we have enlisted the assistance of this notorious, Victorian-era London detective to assist us in this baffling murder mystery adventure, for I fear there is more to this tale than meets the eye!”

Excerpt:

Detective Sergeant Basel Wrathebone turns his supercilious eyes upon me. From beneath ponderously languid lids and over the Gibraltar-like extension of his nose, the official investigator peruses his accouter.

“Mmm-nnn-y-y-y-e-e-e-sss, I know you. You’re that amateur sleuth who keeps snooping around on our city’s crime scenes. Pray, stay back young man. Do not interfere with the official force and the execution of our duties. This is an official investigation and not fodder for your ceaseless curiosity.”

“Yes, of course, Detective Wrathebone, I merely wished to avail myself of the opportunity to study under the wing of a master such as yourself. May I please accompany you on this investigation? My crude talents may actually prove useful to you.”

“Ah, hem. Yes. But no. Perhaps on another occasion. In the mean time, I am afraid I must instruct my officers to block you from trespass with a promise of incarceration if disobeyed. Goodnight, young man.”

My Review:

4 stars

I’m not really sure how to describe this book aside from saying that I love the zaniness of this book. It’s crazy, humorous, and a plain fun read that benefits from strong characters that steal the show (and the book). I have a thing for kooky characters done right, and there are plenty of them here. The characters are well-developed and I love how the plot is character driven because it kept me on my toes and guessing throughout the book. I also liked how the author brought in Sherlock Holmes. He could have just taken the character of Holmes and inserted it into the story. Instead, he wove the character in while adding a bit of his thoughts and characterizations to Holmes.

On the other hand, the writing style is a contradiction for me. It did take a bit of getting used to when reading, and while I enjoyed the interesting style at times, at others it annoyed me or didn’t seem to work. Plus, there were parts of the story that dragged when it came to the dialogue and writing style and could have been removed to make the story flow better. I also had a few issues with some of the plot elements, but I don’t want to spoil them, so that’s all I’ll say. Overall though, I really enjoyed this unique read, and now want to go read the other books in the series.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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November 3: Jessica and Gracie's Tree

November 10: Sharing Links and Wisdom
November 17: Becky Flade, Author
November 17: The Book Pound
December 1: Editing Pen and Publishing
December 1: Dalene's Book Reviews
December 1: LibriAmoriMiei

Author Bio and Links:

Ichabod Temperance is a silly little fellow living in picturesque Irondale, Alabama, USA, along with his lovely, gracious and kind muse, Miss Persephone Plumtartt and their furry pack family.

Ichabod Temperance's Amazon Author Page

Ichabod Temperance's Website

Ichabod on Twitter

A Study in Temperance will be $0.99 during the tour.