To earn some extra money and help advertise her struggling music and curiosities shop, Inez Stannert agrees to be the accompanist for a retiring singer who is performing her final shows in the San Francisco area. After Theia’s pet bird is killed and her favorite dress is destroyed, Inez finds herself working alongside private investigator Wolter Roeland de Bruijn to find the perpetrator before Theia becomes the next victim.

I am a big fan of Inez Stannert and the Silver Rush mysteries, but I found MORTAL MUSIC lacking. The mystery was uninteresting until an actual person was killed and another person went missing. The plot seemed to drag, and the writing just wasn’t up to the quality of the other books in the series. Perhaps if Theia – the woman in danger – had not been so unlikable, I might have been more interested in Inez’s investigation. Overall, the Silver Rush series just has not been the same since Inez relocated from Leadville to San Francisco. Parker did do a great job bringing 1880s San Francisco to life through her vivid descriptions of the city.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It's December of 1881, and Inez is a pianist and proprietor of a music store in San Francisco. A renowned vocalist invites Inez to be her accompanist until the end of the year, and Inez finds herself embroiled in strange and disturbing situations, including a shocking murder. I like books with strong female protagonists, and also enjoyed the historical setting and the plot of this mystery. It's part of a series with which I was unfamiliar, but it was fine as a stand-alone. Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5 / 5 stars

1881 Holiday Season - San Francisco
Looking for an interesting historical mystery? Are you curious about the entertainment industry of 1880s San Francisco, its societal strata, and its effects on all those who serve the ton? Then this may well be a book for you.

Plucky Mrs. Inez Stannert, owner of a local music shop, as well as being a gifted pianist, gets tapped by Theia Carrington Drake, the new diva in town, to be her accompanist through the holidays. This is much to the chagrin of Theia's contracted accompanist, Rubio. Later that evening, Theia's precious songbird is killed and her favorite gown ripped to tatters and rendered worthless. Private Investigator, Wolter Roelof de Bruijn, is hired by Theia's wealthy husband, who is owner of the local newspaper, to find out who perpetrated these crimes against his wife. Within days, Theia's understudy is dead and Theia's companion, Yvonne, missing. Meanwhile, Inez and Theia are tirelessly preparing and executing four concerts over the course of two weeks. So much drama and mystery. Can Inez manage around all of the various landmines, the many secrets and perhaps solve the mysteries before anyone else gets hurt? Perhaps it's possible with the aid of Mr. de Bruijn or will she be out on her own limb? Time will tell.

What a twisted and engaging tale Ms. Parker has spun for her readers. There are tremendous twists and turns and many'a red herring throughout this book. The writing is solid. The atmosphere of the times is well described with all its equine dung heaps, opium den smoke, gas lamp aura, and foggy mists of 1880s San Francisco. The main characters are well developed and their backgrounds are revealed bit by bit over the course of the book. It does keep the little grey cells churning.

Ms. Parker has done a yeoman's job in her research of historic San Francisco, opera, the stage, its female performers and the Comstock Lode of Nevada. All of it is deftly woven throughout this interesting and creative story. Although this book is 7th in Ms. Parker's "Silver Rush Mystery" series, it capably stands on its own without leaving the reader adrift with missing details revealed in earlier installments. This is an entertaining, informative and suspenseful story. I look forward to reading other's by this gifted storyteller.

I am grateful to author Ann Parker and Poisoned Pen Press for having provided a free e-book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

A satisfying snapshot of history and a mostly decent plot. Though it lacks the richness of writing, this reminded me a little of Mariah Fredericks’ work.

I enjoyed the historical and atmospheric details of Parker’s novel, and the mystery itself isn’t bad. Though it has a handful of details that suggest cozy mystery, it’s not much for warmth or humor and has a number of elements that are too dark for the genre. I’m not certain why it’s been classed as such. Historical mystery is a much more accurate descriptor.

Though the story is compelling and mostly moves well, the ending left a lot to be desired. The conclusion thankfully doesn’t suffer from the poor writing or plot errors that plague many mysteries, but it’s incredibly depressing and more importantly, is deeply absent any sense of justice, almost to the point of nihilism. I also didn’t love the inclusion of a murder of a pet, which felt unnecessary and makes the book even more of a downer.

Mortal Music has a great premise and interesting characters. It just fell short for me. It didn't keep me interested enough.

Heart pounding, fast-paced book by Ann Parker! I love Inez's strong character. I haven't read the Silver Rush #6 yet, so it took me a few minutes to get used to a different setting for this series. But it is worth it!

A historical mystery set in San Francisco among the upper class, involving musicians and PIs. While the setting was interesting and the musical details handled well, the plot wasn't terribly captivating and none of the characters were appealing enough for me to end up caring much what happened.

I wanted to love love love this book, but there were a few moments that were jarring and I battled to get through it. In particular, the way race is handled in this book left me feeling uneasy. In particular, the use of accents. There are many months until this book hits the shelves. With a few strategic edits, this discordant note need not be hit.