Book Reviews: Emily Castles Mysteries by Helen Smith - BLOG TOUR

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Title: Three Sisters

Series: Emily Castles Mysteries #1
Author: Helen Smith
Publisher: Tyger Books
Release Date: 5th February 2011
Format: eBook
Source: Author for Blog Tour

Twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles has been invited to a party in the big house at the end of her street. How could she know, as she left her house that evening, that she was making an appointment with death?

Three Sisters

Title: Showstoppers
Series: Emily Castles Mysteries #2
Author: Helen Smith
Publisher: Tyger Books
Release Date: 1st January 2011
Format: eBook
Source: Author for blog tour

When twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles helps out at a local stage school, she’s soon mixed up in murder. She teams up with eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel to solve the case.

Showstoppers

My Review

Emily Castles Mysteries are fun, humorous and intriguing. You can’t help but get drawn into the mysteries that Emily undertakes. It’s like Scooby Doo or Nancy Drew, Emily gets the help of her neighbour, Dr Muriel and together they search for clues to discover the culprit to the murders.

Three Sisters
Emily is still grieving the loss of her beloved Golden Retriever, Jessie and to help her think about something else, she is invited to a street party down the road. There is to be a bonfire and fireworks, plus performers and all sorts of entertainment. Moving from room to room throughout the house, Emily is trying to sort out what is an act and what is a real person. During a performance, a knife throwing act, two sisters’ are blindfolded and throwing knives at each other, one gets misdirected and a sister dies, but does she. The next minute the sister walks on stage and gives a bow. Emily is determined to get to the bottom of it all. Was it really a murder or just part of the entertainment?

Showstoppers
Emily’s work contract has ended and her neighbour across the road, Victoria, needs some help at her drama school, Showstoppers. While returning mail to Victoria, Emily is unloaded with details of “poison pen” letters that have arrived trying to threaten Victoria about a long ago filmed video that apparently killed a man. With another mystery on her hands, Emily agrees to help Victoria at Showstoppers and help discover who is sending these elusive letters. During the end of term performance a murder is committed and there are several possibilities as to “who did it”. Emily and Dr Muriel take it upon themselves to find the clues and the culprit. What is the old boyfriend from the video or the landlord trying to sell the building? Perhaps it is Victoria seeking attention or the handyman Dizzy?

In both of these novellas, all of the characters are strong, personable people that everyone can relate to. Emily and Dr Muriel are determined, sticky-nose characters, that like to get into everybody’s business in order to solve the mystery at hand. With Dr Muriel’s analytical approach and Emily’s thoughtful, intellectual methods, they both make a fantastic team to solve the mysteries. I enjoyed Showstoppers more than Three Sisters, as it was faster paced and the mystery began towards the beginning of the book, which allowed more mystery and more time to think about the suspects. Overall this is a great series with well written, light and entertaining mysteries.

4 FUN BOOKS - LOVED THEM

Amazon Purchase

Showstoppers * Three Sisters

Author Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

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Ends 2/28/13

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