This Victorian novel is a very quick and light read. The book is the second in the Royston and Merriweather series. Merula and Lord Raven are investigating the mysterious disappearance of several young village girls. While involved in the investigation, Merula will discover additional information regarding her origin. The descriptions of the spooky nature of Dartmoor lend an overall foreboding to the story as they try to find missing girls, specimens, and a Kraken.

The characters need further development, they lack depth. The local people are not wise to science or the world. They believe in myths, folklore, and mystery which causes much confusion. Remind yourself of this from time to time to avoid becoming frustrated with the locals. After sorting through all of the clues, will they be able to find the murderer? This story has some missed opportunities, maybe it is on purpose. I felt frustrated that I hadn't read the first book and it was referenced multiple times. In the beginning of this story, a quick summary would have been helpful.

I appreciate the copy from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.

This is the second book in the Merriweather and Royston mystery series, and even though it's a decent and entertaining read I thought it lacked the zest and magic of the first. I do think that you do have to read the first book before this, even though there is a lot of backstories I felt as though the two books are hugely connected and those who haven't read the first may feel as though they have missed out on something.
It felt a bit heavy in places which made me seriously wonder whether or not I could actually finish it. I do hate to say it, but this was one of those books where I did have to put it away and come back to it after time, but oddly enough once I got back into the story and started feeling the mystery again I enjoyed it, I didn't love it but it entertained me.
This leans heavily towards Sherlock Holmes's style of mystery, as the previous book did, I did like the mystery and following as the character put two and two together, but for me, it was the setting which stole the show, Dartmoor was a character and story all of its own.
I think as a reader I have changed in what I like and what I didn't like in books since reading the first book, that one I loved whole-heartedly but this one just didn't appeal to me as I thought it would.
For those who still love the genre then I think this will tick all the boxes!

The cover and title is what drew me to this book. I love Victorian mystery stories. This book is entertaining and enjoyable. Intriguing mystery and great characters.

A fun historical mystery that will transport you back in time. It was an interesting read with a rich environment and unique characters. I like the addition of local superstitions and monsters, it gave some extra depth to the story as a whole. A fun read overall.

I actually ended up reading Death Comes to Dartmoor twice, because my health got in the way when I initially read it with an intent to review so I had to reread it now that I am actually reviewing it.

This historical mystery invokes the feeling of gothics and Sherlock Holmes both in descriptions and the writing style. The setting has a good creep factor, so you definitely know in the first couple chapters that something bad is going to happen.

I liked the main female character a lot. She accepts enough convention to feel credible to the time period while still rebelling enough to be appealing to a modern woman. I liked her intelligence and connected with her insecurities about herself.

Although this is a second book in a series, I was able to read it without having read the first one. I am not left out of anything essential to the mystery and lots of information is provided to fill me in on the history between the female MC and her sleuthing partner. I did occasionally feel a bit like more was going on that I didn't know, but it wasn't essential to this mystery.

The initial opening scene does not feel as strong to me as the rest of the book. It also felt a bit info-dumpy. However, the copy I have is an advance copy, despite my delay actually reviewing it, so it is possible this has been improved in final revisions.

I read a lot of mysteries because I enjoy the puzzle aspect--trying to figure out the culprit from the pieces available. Unfortunately, the resolution in this one was not completely satisfying to me in connection with my personal preferences. I do not want to explain more and potentially ruin things for others.

Despite this slight letdown in the ending, I would definitely read more in this series.

I end up with an overall 3 star rating, which means I consider the book a solid, decent read. It passed the time well on both reads and served effectively as a distraction.

Death Comes to Dartmoor by Vivian Conroy is a very well written novel. The characters are well-crafted and the scenes make you imagine yourself in them as they appear real.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it for mystery lovers.

RATING: 3 STARS
2019; Crooked Lane Books

After saving her uncle, Merula and Lord Raven Royston have decided to leave London for a little rest. The two zoologists stay with Royston's friend who "owns a collection of rare zoological specimens—including a kraken, a sea monster of myth and legend." When his maid disappears, the townspeople blame him and his artifacts for the disappearance. They believe some monster has taken her away, and Merula and Raven do not believe that is possible. As the two look into the disappearance they may have to broaden their beliefs. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first novel. I think the "monster" storyline just didn't click with me. I am looking forward to their next adventure.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

This is the second book in the series and I had the opportunity of reading book one a while back and I was quite interested in knowing what else would happen to Merula Merriweather in this new novel.

Merula was quite a brilliantly written character from the very beginning, I loved her attitude and defiance. And following her in this new mystery was an intriguing adventure. I do wish there were some more development in terms of the relationships with other characters, but I assume in the future that may happen. Who knows?

Nevertheless, despite a couple of "Come on!" moments, she's still a fun character. And the new characters that are introduced are interesting as well, and I did wonder a couple of times about some of them and the interactions with Merula.

Another point I like in this series is the connection with nature, that was something I liked in the previous story and I'm glad it continue to exist in this one, because it's part of the main character's essence, and something I found unique.

The storyline was a bit different from book one because of course it had new secrets and questions for us to find out about, but still the plot was fun to read about and uncovering the truth is not always easy. I was asking and theorizing while reading, which is always good because it means I'm very curious about what's going on.

Overall, I enjoyed it and the murder mystery, with enough drama, but comparing this one with the previous one, I enjoyed "The Butterfly Conspiracy" a lot more. Than been said, that doesn't mean I didn't liked "Death Comes to Dartmoor", I did and I am curious to see what other mysteries is Merula going to end up in, because I know there is lot of potential for more novels.

Dartmoor Beckons....
A Merriweather and Royston mystery. Dartmoor beckons for Miss Merriweather for rest, relaxation, recuperation and ...fresh air away from The Smoke. Accompanied by Lord Royston, the trip is rather a treat. However, it’s not long before a mystery raises its head and the pair find themselves donning amateur sleuthing hats. An atmospheric, historical cosy mystery with some nicely drawn characters.

Not the best book I've read but not the worst either. The plot is good and that's what kept me reading and I liked the descriptive writing of Dartmoor. The characters could be better, more believable but that's my only criticism.

*Many thanks to Vivian Conroy, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I was looking forward to reading this novel even though I did not read the first books in this series. Unfortunately, Death Comes to Dartmoor did not turn out to be interesting and I stuggled through it. The plot was not engaging and historical background could be presented with more detail.

Thank you Net Galley. The second installment of the Merriweather and Royston series does not live up to the promise of the first series. The protagonists fail to meld as an investigative team and the historical detail is poor. The book feels disjointed.

I have not read the first book in this series, but I did enjoy this one. The writing was very atmospheric which helped me to imagine the setting, having never been there. The characters were well defined and I liked the light romance. This was a great read for an afternoon on the beach.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was fascinated by the blurb, but to me honest I couldn't get into this book.
I grew up on historical novels and this employs too much modern language. I suppose it is to make it more accessible to those who are put off by the old expressions and manor of speech for the time period, but this modern talk put me off the story.

I don't know if it was the character development or the beginning, but it just didn't pull me into the story enough to make up for the language.

Thank you for opportunity to read this.

Death Comes to Dartmoor is #2 in the Merriweather and Royston Mystery Series by Vivian Conroy.

The story tells of the murder of a girl, who is believed to have been killed by Oaks. Oaks is a bit of an eccentric, with his home full of taxidermy, so obviously suspicion falls on him,

So, as Merula and Raven are staying with Oaks, they decide to use their skills and find out who really is the murderer.

This is an in-depth story, with its many little side plots and lots of background into the main characters, which I really enjoyed as it builds the story into more than just the mystery at hand…..I also love the atmosphere, a glimpse into the past and a simpler time. An easy, enjoyable murder mystery in a classic style.

Thank you to the publishers, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this for free. This is my honest and unbiased review.

Death Comes to Dartmoor was an okay read. I liked Merula and the subplot on who her real parents were, in addition to the fact that I had to guess to the very end who the murderer were. Aside from Merula, there were a couple of other likeable characters, but I really disliked Raven. What also frustrated me were the "Americanism" that sometimes showed up a bit, which didn't quite fit as the setting was in Dartmoor and some of the characters were a bit flat.

On a positive note, it was a well written plot and sometimes a bit atmospheric.

The story is set in the modern period but the characters exist in the Medieval period. Mystery Thriller is somehow a refreshing genre in a medieval period and I like it.

Merula is quite a nice name and I'm so glad that there is no love story involved with her and Lord Raven.

There is a lot of suspected characters and revelations while the murderer is still unknown. I was shocked who was the killer. I wasn't able to guess it. Well done!

The hanging question at the end which was about Merula's real identity. I would definitely be looking forward to the next story in the series.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!

Death Comes to Dartmoor is an entertaining read, if a little bogged down in places, and with a few 'Americanisms' that I wouldn't expect to find in a book set in Victorian Britain.
While the mystery is interesting enough, it is when the reader begins to learn about Merula's past that the novel really shows some spark.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

rather convoluted and written blandly

I would like to thank Vivian Conroy, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lord Raven Royston and Miss Merula Merriweather journey to Dartmoor in an effort to escape the scandal they’ve recently been involved in in London. Expecting to relax with some peace and quiet, they are dismayed to find their host, Oaks, raving like a madman and the villagers ready to burn the house down, regardless of who’s inside. A local girl has been found dead—murdered—and the villagers hold Oaks responsible. Though it’s none of their business, Raven and Merula find themselves investigating the mystery, because if they don’t find the true culprit, their friend will be convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and may spend the rest of his life in an asylum.

I had problems with this book. It took a while for me to care about the plot—or the characters, for that matter. I think I started this book three times before I resigned myself to hunkering down and pushing through to the end. I’m not entirely sure why the beginning didn’t grab me; the tension, intrigue, and action began just a few pages in. I’m inclined to think it was the rather bland writing style that in turn made the characters bland. By bland I mean there was a noticeable lack of adjectives and adverbs and the verbs alone weren’t colorful enough to add richness and emotion to the telling. I remember thinking early on that the writing, the descriptions, were plain. Just plain. That sentiment lasted through to the end, though events and heightening tension eventually brought some energy to the story.

That plain writing style infected characterization. Lamb the irritating lady’s maid—I really didn’t like her—and Bowsprit the valet had more personality than Merula and Raven; the pair of whom also lacked chemistry. Hell, Merula had more chemistry with Bowsprit—whose name made me think of the Pokemon Mesprit every time I read it—than Royce, probably because she actually had meaningful conversations with him. Wait—I mean Raven, not Royce; there was no Royce. I keep getting his name confused and calling him Royce, probably because Raven doesn’t suit him. Not only am I used to it being a female name—thank you, X-Men—it’s too sexy and enigmatic for a man who is neither.

There was nothing special about either Merula or Royce—damn it, Raven! I was rather disgusted in the beginning when Merula stayed to cook and do house stuff while Roy—Raven went off to sleuth. That happened again and again—him leaving her behind to go investigate. To my recollection, the only thing she did to help the investigation was speak with the blacksmith when he answered their summons—not a proactive effort on her part—and act as a sounding board for Raven. Oh, and she did talk to the stable boy, but she didn’t even have to leave the grounds to do that. I only started to care about Merula when out of the blue, around 37%, she revealed that her mother had spent time in Dartmoor before she died, and, I inferred, on a subconscious level Merula was hoping to find traces of her there. Suddenly she had something to do—investigate her parentage—and it was completely irrelevant to the main plot.

I’m honestly not sure I liked Raven; I’m probably closer to dislike than like. To me he came off as disrespectful and dismissive—generally arrogant, I suppose. He kind of did what he wanted and expected everyone else to go along with it and/or accommodate him. (I was so pleased when Merula blatantly ignored his wishes and went off to do what she wanted. That show of independence and backbone is probably the only thing that made me like her.) One could argue that it wasn’t unexpected he would be like that—being a lord and all. But there was some mention of him falling pretty much into ruin in the not-so-distant past, and I would think—hope—that experience would have humbled him. And that’s the heart of the matter—I just didn’t know enough about him—his history, his influences, his motivations, his values—to care. All I knew was that he was something of a natural historian and his mother had died under mysterious circumstances when he was boy. And the latter didn’t matter to the plot, so it was hardly explored.

Which leads me to another problem—I haven’t read the first book in this series, The Butterfly Conspiracy, and I really got the feeling Conroy expected me to have done so. Which, to be fair, is her prerogative—this is a series after all, following the same characters. Naturally the events of the previous book and the consequences thereof would factor in here. But the events of book one were alluded to so frequently—and often so vaguely—that I really began to feel like I was missing major information, and that distanced me from the story. I felt rather excluded, like I was new to a group of friends and didn’t understand their inside jokes. It was unfortunate.

As for the mystery, it…kind of made sense in the end. I have enough of a vague understanding to know that most of it was superfluous; instead of clever storytelling, Conroy buried us in a sprawl of suspects with vague motivations and figured simply confusing us was the same as intriguing us. And it was largely futile; I knew who the culprit was pretty early. What I didn’t understand was why, and imagine my disappointment when the true villain—the true motivation for all the suspects, the thinnest of threads making them at all relevant to each other—was the mere concept of progress. It came down to whether they were for it or against it, and each had their reasons for wanting or not wanting it and limits as to what they would do to see it achieved—or not. The murder mystery itself was good—but adding in all that crap about the railroads and investors and land and whatever—was convoluted and took away any satisfaction to be felt in the capture of the murderer.

One of the most frustrating things was that no one ever asked for names. It became such a thing that I immediately highlighted the one time Raven actually said to the stable boy, “So, my boy…what’s your name, anyway?” It was most notable when Merula met with that man who knew her mother; they met three times, and she never once tried to get his name. Wouldn’t that be one of the first natural things to say— “Who are you?” I mean, jesus. It was ignored so deliberately that it’s obvious Conroy is trying to prolong the intrigue. I did not appreciate it. It just made Merula look stupid. It was also notable when Merula and Royce interrogated first Webber, then Fern. Both denied Merula and Royce’s accusations and tried to discredit their statements again and again—but neither Merula nor Roy—goddamn it, RAVEN—asked, “All right, if it wasn’t you, then who? Who do you believe to be the father? Who do you believe to be the killer? We’re open to suggestions.”

Last thing—Merula should have shown Raven her sketches in the end. It was a huge missed opportunity to develop their relationship—which isn’t surprising; their relationship was nowhere near top priority. From the very first page, it was clear time and time again that Raven wanted to see her sketches—wanted to see that private part of her, to feel as if he were someone special to her for having been shown them—and she was too wary of their attraction to one another, and what could develop from it, to allow him. If the development of their relationship had been more important, it would have been a wonderful demonstration of her acceptance of him, of her letting him in, if the book had ended with her showing him her sketches.

Overall, many aspects of this story were interesting and full of storytelling potential—but few if any of them were well executed. Having recently read Anna Lee Huber’s Lady Darby mystery series, as well as Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell series, I can’t help but compare them with this book, as it could very well be pitched as the marriage of the two—which is why I wanted to read it. But I’ve found this book does not measure up to either of those series.

Wasn't quite sure how I was going to feel about this book as it started off slow and I just wasn't getting into it. but still I gave it a chance.. after the mystery was set into place I was really enjoying the story. I like how the main characters were very determined to help out their friend and prove his innocence. I like the face this it felt like a stand alone with minimum mention to the first book in the series, so I didn't feel like I was missing much, since I had not read it. what I didn't like that that the author added to the story by adding a secondary story of Merula and finding out who she really is.. I felt that it took away from the main story and was just confusing. Overall all I enjoyed the story and would read more from the Author.

lastly I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC.