The Conductors is a debut novel by Nicole Glover and it starts Murder and Magic series set in 1860s Philadelphia, after the American Civil War. The main character is Hetty Rhodes, a former slave who’s helped other slaves escape to safety as a so called conductor of the Underground Railroad. Now that the war is over, she’s settled in Philadelphia with her husband Benjy, a fellow conductor. She works as a seamstress and he as a blacksmith, but in their spare time they find missing persons and solve other mysteries. They are aided by their extraordinary magic that allows them to perform all sorts of near impossible feats.

A friend is found dead and it appears he was killed with magic. They set out to solve his murder, but new bodies turn up. Hetty is also trying to find a missing woman, and then there’s background noise of grave robberies that she and Benjy don’t pay attention to at first. Alongside the present day there are chapters about Hetty’s and Benjy’s past as conductors.

This book has a great premise, but unfortunately it suffers from a clumsy execution and poorly conducted plot. At the beginning of the book I had to check several times that I wasn’t reading a sequel, as there were references to people and events as if I should already know them. The narrative has some temporal jumps here and there, with no clear indication that the paragraph describes earlier action. And worst of all, it relies heavily on telling, not showing, so that I had hard time connecting emotionally with the characters.

This is especially the case with Hetty who is the sole point of view character. She appeared to be a strong-willed and formidable woman, but I never really figured out why she solved the mysteries. Mostly she seemed to regard it as her duty that didn’t really give her any pleasure. The side characters were even more difficult to get a hang of.

(As an aside, I found it really odd that Hetty and Benjy had chosen Rhodes as their last name. Maybe it has a different connotation among the freed slaves, but as a white European, I immediately thought of Cecil Rhodes, the notorious figure in African colonialism and great believer in white supremacy.)

What really prevented me from immersing myself in the story was a total lack of descriptions. A couple of characters were briefly described, mostly by the colour of their skin, but I had no idea about their ages, heights and looks otherwise. I had no idea what sort of clothing people wore, which is something I’ve come to rely on in historical fiction. Hetty was a seamstress, but fabrics and colours were never described, as if she didn’t care at all. There were no smells, even though there were magic potions, horses, poor slums and bogs. And the town could’ve been anywhere in any era. I imagined earth-covered streets and low wooden buildings, and then the town turned out to be so large it had streetcars, which I would assume means paved streets, gas street lamps, and brick townhouses.

The magic system was divided to sorcery of the white and celestial (?) magic of the Black. I liked how flexible the magic was and how the practitioners could do pretty much anything with it, though it was never properly described either. What annoyed me a little was how the celestial magic was based on zodiac signs of western astrology and Greek gods. Surely there would’ve been other mythologies to base it on, which would’ve explained better why this particular type of magic was natural to the Black and Native Americans.

But what really irked me was that the alt history angle of magic wasn’t properly utilised. Now that the former slaves were free to use their extremely powerful magic, they did nothing to overturn the system that regarded them as lower beings and instead submitted to be treated badly. The author could’ve—should’ve—imagined bigger than solving mysteries, and not limit herself to history.

Solving the mysteries was never a priority to Hetty and Benjy anyway, even though they made a show of it. In the end, they all got solved without their input. The killer got bored with the pair’s inefficiency and made their move against them, and the missing person just showed up. The grave robbery angle sort of went away. The only storyline that progressed at all was Hetty’s and Benjy’s relationship, but even that was fairly low key. So, a great premise, but a really frustrating end result.

The Conductors was a book I was very excited about so when I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, I was stoked!

I loved the magical systems in this book: celestial vs sorcery vs herbs. I loved how Glover was able to take even the various magical system and establish a racial and societal hierarchy of the magics. I loved the Interludes where it would be from times when Hetty and her husband, Benjy were Conductors on the Underground Railroad and a rescue mission immediately pulled me in to the story.

Unfortunately the story as a whole fell a little short for me. The murder investigation of their friend and colleague, while could've built to have a decent path, the mystery and investigation of it all fell a little short for me. It all turned around and came together in the end but it seemed as though there were some plot holes and elements which kind of through me off but I tried to brush off.

I would love to hear more stories of these two as Conductors! Using their magic to lead people to freedom in the North. Like i said, the magic and the concepts of this book were great but the story/murder investigation fell a little short.

This is such an interesting setting and cast of characters. My problem was that I had trouble figuring out people's motives. If they did that, why on earth would they do this? Still it was a good read and I would certainly try a sequel.

I had to DNF this book. I have read 43% and could not bring myself to carry on. I have tried to like Hetty and Benjy, but there was nothing personable about either of them. Their friends seemed like materialistic people who fell with each other over little things. I did not care who killed Charlie and why.

This book is one of my most anticipated releases, so I was thrilled when I received an e-ARC of it on NetGalley. The start of a historical fantasy mystery series about a married couple who were former Conductors for the Underground Railroad and now work together to solve mysteries!? Count me in! And I'm telling you, The Conductors did not let me down!
I think that it can be really difficult to balance the first book in a series like this where you have to introduce the characters, magic system and historical context--all while having an engaging mystery--but I think that Nicole Glover did an excellent job. Not to mention, the social commentary that is so seamlessly weaved into this story.
I really loved Hetty and Benjy, and their relationship with one another. I think that it was also refreshing to see a married couple so prominently featured in a series like this. I also really enjoyed Hetty and Benjy's relationship with their friends and how they have developed a sort of found family with them. I cannot wait to read more scenes with them in future books.
I think that the magic system was also really interesting. I liked how we got a good basic understanding of how magic works, but that Nicole Glover also left enough room to explore the relationship between Celestial magic and wand magic in future stories.
In terms of the mystery, I think that it was really intriguing and well balanced with all of the other aspects of the story. Although the pacing of the novel can come across as "slow" at times, I think that the mystery did a good job of driving the plot forward and compelling you to keep reading.

Thank you HMH and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC of The Conductors by Nicole Glover, a book steeped in history and magic. The book sets off at a deliberate pace filling you in on the backgrounds of Hetty and Benjy, as well as, those community members around them. While there is plenty of mystery and thrilling scenes the story offers a slice of life of what it was like in the seventh ward of Philadelphia, and in this version of that place, why many turn to this magical duo for help. The magic is based on the constellations and called upon when those symbols are sewn, written, drawn, waved, etc. The magic system was interesting but I found it difficult to follow.

Nicole Glover fills in each scene with plenty of description to the point where the reader can smell, feel, see each room. I cannot wait to read more from her.

The Conductors is one of those historical fsntasies that manages to enact such careful and clever world-building that you can't quite shake the feeling that history was a magical place, after all. This post-Civil War mystery envisions a world brimming with both exclusionary white imperialist sorcery and Black sigil magic using constellations. The magic systems map well onto sociopolitical realities and extend them with the flick of a wand or brewing of a potion. It's a great story from either the historical perspective or the fantastical one.

Our protagonist, Hetty, was formerly a conductor on the Underground Railroad with her husband. Now, the pair use their magic and wits to solve mysteries that the police won't as a service to the community. When a friend shows up murdered, their investigation reveals the hidden life of the victim as well as the secrets of the other friends that make up their found family. The whole group is endearing and multifaceted, even as they each slide in and out of suspicion for murderous activities.

Beyond the loveable side characters, a friends-to-lovers romance between Hetty and her husband-of-convenience, Benjy, was a sweet counterpoint to more nefarious goings on and was emotionally well-developed. I was cheering them on as Hetty realized how deep her feelings go. The messaging about family was also moving, as Hetty carries on her long search for her sister, who was separated from her when they ran from slavery. In short, this book boasts complex characters, stunning world-building, and a twisty mystery. It wields historical and social commentary with dexterity even as it offers an epic romance. I highly recommend it.

I really tried to get into this book. I lost interest .
I think some people would enjoy it but it’s just not for me.

I admit I had a hard time with this book. The premise is so interesting and the story started off so well, and I loved the combination of a real historic event with fantasy elements. I've never read a fictional story set during the times of the Underground Railroad (or at least I can't remember one), Sadly, I didn't enjoy the world building and the magic system too much. The magic was never properly explained, so while we know that white people can use sorcery and black Americans, who are banned from using wands and sorcery, can use celestial magic. But how any of this actually works? I have no idea. There is also an overabundance of dialogue, and I know this is a weird thing to say because who doesn't love dialogue? But the dialogue in this book often consists of the characters repeating what we already know, telling someone else about what they, and we as the readers, have already learned. That is pretty boring and I caught myself skipping a few lines here and there.
The main character, Hetty, has so much potential and I really do like her. She's a protagonist I enjoyed following and I wanted her to succeed. The other characters, sadly, weren't fleshed out at all - I honestly had a hard time distinguishing between them. There was just no meat to them so I simply didn't care. The same goes for the romance between Hetty and her husband Benjy. While I really like the concept of two characters that once married for practical reasons and then develop romantic feelings later on, I just didn't feel the chemistry between them.

I really wish I liked this book more because there is so much potential here, but in the end, I had to force myself to finish the book because I wasn't excited about the murder mystery aspect of it either. This is a debut novel and it reads like one, but I'm sure that with more in-depth exploration of the world, the magic system and the characters this could turn into an interesting series.

The Conductors takes what could have been a heavy story of Underground Railroad conductors and shifts the focus from life under slavery to what life might look like for those conductors once slavery has ended. Plus, there's magic! Glover has crafted a compelling duo in Hetty and Benjy, a married couple who insist they're really just close friends. The focus of the plot is a murder mystery that would be exciting even on its own, but the issues of a community still recovering from enslavement and its assorted traumas give greater depth to the story. This was a very enjoyable read, and I am very much looking forward to reading Benjy and Hetty's next adventures in the sequel.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/03/03/the-conductors-by-nicole-glover/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

4.5 hearts

When I saw the blurb for <strong>The Conductors</strong>, I knew I wanted to read it.  I have always loved stories about the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.   The story being from the point of view of a conductor only made it better.  The story alternates chapters from the past 1858-1865, with the present (1871). We also get magic and a murder mystery in this diverse world.

The main character and point of view is Hetty (Henrietta).  She and her sister, Esther, escaped but got separated.  Hetty is a magic user and Esther is a healer.   She found Benjy who became her husband, and is also a magic user.  Benjy and Hetty were conductors with her primary purpose being to find Esther. The relationship between Hetty and Benjy is beautiful in its growth.

Now Hetty and Benjy are settled in Philadelphia, where she is a dressmaker and he is a blacksmith.  She is still hunting for Esther.  But now one of their friends, the first man they conducted to safety, is murdered.  They use both magical means and regular investigation tactics of interviews and collecting evidence to try to solve the murder.  However, the murders continue.

<strong>The Conductors</strong> has so much to offer!  I enjoyed the development of their circle of friends and learning about the magics.  There is also the issue of being in a group of people who won't go to the police for help.  I am thrilled it is the start of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/308870-murder-and-magic" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Murder and Magic</strong></em></a> series.  <strong>The Undertakers</strong> is scheduled for a November 2021 release.

The Conductors takes place in an alternate U.S. after the civil war in Philadelphia. Hetti and Benji are a magic using married couple who are former conductors on the underground railroad who now use their talents to help people and solve mysteries. I am only half way through right now but wanted to write a review as yesterday was the publication date. I am really enjoying this book. The mystery is compelling, the magic systems are interesting, and I am loving learning more about Hetti's backstory. I do believe this is a series i will be continuing on with.

Escaped slaves and former Conductors in the Underground Railroad, Hetty and Benjy Rhodes used their magic and wits to help slaves escape and evade pursuit by sorcery-wielding hunters. The Rhodes’ Celestial magic, and those of many other slaves) is spell-based and is invoked through sigils, and is forbidden and punished by slave owners, and sneered at by whites, who believe their sorcery is far superior.
Hetty and Benjy bear scars from their years of slavery and from wearing magic-inhibiting collars, which they shed once they escaped. They live together in Philadelphia, and are married for convenience. Hetty works as a seamstress and dress designer, and Benjy as a blacksmith.
Their friends, many of them former slaves, too, are amongst the different economic classes in Black society in Philadelphia. In addition to their jobs, Hetty and Benjy look into various matters for their friends, including mysteries.
This story has them investigating when one of their friends, Charlie, is found murdered, and the two begin using their connections and skills to search for answers. And like all investigations into the past actions of their dead friend, Hetty and Benjy unearth all sorts of resentments, secrets, and problems amongst people they thought they knew.

I was a little surprised to find as many editing errors as I did in this ARC, and these kept taking me out of the narrative, which was a pity, as this is an enjoyable story for its two main characters, and its historical details.
I liked Hetty with her prickliness, her self-confidence, her care for her friends, and her doggedness when protecting others or searching for answers. She’s not the easiest to get close to, and her tendency to dismiss or judge prevents her sometimes from seeing or understanding the actions of her friends, which does affect their investigation.
Benjy is sweet, really strong, perceptive and good humoured, and he loves to read (so of course I love him).
The two have a good working relationship, with their comfortable interactions showing a mutual respect(and maybe something more?) and their respective physical, mental and magical skills nicely complement the other’s. And that becomes critical as they’re faced with many lies and threats as they attempt to figure out who could be committing the murders.
I really liked how author Nicole Glover worked the mystery together with the magical, historical and economic details, with nothing overwhelming or detracting from the narrative.
I liked this story a lot, and would love to spend more time with Hetty and Benjy, and their community.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was initially drawn to this book with it being compared to both Octavia Butler and Victor LaValle; two authors that I have recently discovered and love.

That being said, I just felt like this story did not live up to my expectations, which is largely due to the fact that this is really a slow burn story with a magical system that really is not straightforward.

I think that Hetty was a fantastic character, and I definitely appreciated everything that she did in order to help enslaved Black folks as well as free Black folks trying to find answers when no one else cared. While there were times that some of the scenes were a bit difficult to read because of the pain and trauma, I definitely think that they really highlighted the necessity of Hetty’s work as well as her craft.

I was definitely intrigued by both the murder mystery plot that was taking place in Hetty’s current time line in Philadelphia as well as the flashbacks to Hetty’s time on the plantation with her sister Esther. It offered such a dichotomous setting while also showing the limitations that free Black folks still faced.

My biggest gripe with this book is the pacing. The first 30% of the book was fascinating as we learn Hetty’s history, the plantation life, and get glimpses of her magical abilities. The last 30% of the book was high octane as we finally get the answers that we’ve been desperately waiting for. The middle 40% of this book was just a slough for me. I found myself speeding up the audiobook just to get to the more exciting things.

I feel like if I had read a physical or digital copy of this book that it would’ve probably been a DNF for me merely due to pacing. However, I love Bahni Turpin as a narrator, and she was the main reason that I pushed through.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Librofm for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

The Conductors is the start of a new Historical Fantasy series by debut author Nicole Glover. It's a novel that I'd heard some other authors talking about a bunch of months back, and so I placed a request on NetGalley hoping to get early access. The book combines a noir-like murder mystery plot with a historical setting of post-Civil War Black Philadelphia and adds in magic as a very real and known part of this version of our world: magic of course, that is practiced differently by Blacks and Whites (with threats of imprisonment or death for Blacks to appropriate White magic, of course). The combination of subgenre I like (Noir) with fantasy and real world elements combined to really intrigue me.

And The Conductors very much delivers on that promise, consisting of a mostly excellent murder mystery plot, with a really strong protagonist to go along with some very solid side characters, all reflecting the real life situation facing freed Blacks in Reconstruction-Era America. It's a story that drew me in from the start, with the storytelling creating a world that feels utterly real and a plot that pretty much worked from beginning to end. And best of all, there's places for this story to go in the future, with a sequel apparently due to come in November, and I cannot wait.

------------------------------------------------------Plot Summary----------------------------------------------------
Hetty Rhodes escaped from slavery with her magic, but lost her sister Esther in the process. Afterwards, searching for Esther, Hetty, along with a fellow escaped slave Benjy, became a Conductor on the Underground Railroad, using her and Benjy's magic to help other slaves escape to freedom in Philadelphia. But Hetty never found Esther and the war ended with supposed freedom for all the slaves.

Not that Freedom has given Blacks in Philadelphia, or elsewhere in the US, lives anywhere close to perfect - Whites still bar them from their own parts of society, banning Blacks from practicing the wand magic of sorcery that Whites use full well, and are certainly willing to kidnap Blacks or worse for their own purposes. But still, the Blacks of the city have formed their own community and have established lives for themselves, through it all, and find happiness where they can.

In this city, Hetty, alongside her now-husband Benjy, uses her magic and skills to help her fellow Blacks with their problems, problems they all know the authorities have no interest in dealing with - crimes, kidnappings, and even murders. But when on of Hetty and Benjy's friends is murdered - and worse, marked with a cursed seal of magic from their plantation past - Hetty finds herself dealing with a mystery that makes her question everything and everyone she cares about...and the life she thinks she understands....
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The Conductors is told from the third person view of its protagonist, Hetty, as she investigates the murder mystery she comes across, one that makes her question everything she knows about her friends and what really goes on in Black Philadelphia, just like in a typical noir. It contains flashbacks to Hetty's past to show what made her who she is, with the flashback interludes placed in specific spots to tie into Hetty's present actions. And like many a fantasy noir, there are multiple magic systems involved, with our protagonist and her allies using their own magic in various ways to help each other, when the institutional law will not.

The difference between this and typical fantasy noir of course is that the setting is Reconstruction-Era Philadelphia (specifically, Black Philadelphia), and while this world features magic and our world does not, all the existing prejudices and discrimination and worse of our world make a major impact. So of course, the Whites have their own magic system that they ban Blacks from learning or using. Of course, Whites turn a blind eye to harms done to the Black community - when they're not the one committing them, like trying to kidnap Blacks for the purposes of slavery in name only.

And then there are the less obvious implications for many people. So you have Blacks with lighter skin who will attempt to pass to try and avoid all of the above, even if it prevents them from associating with their own friends and family. You have freed former slaves who may have had families in the past who were long lost and are then forced to choose between starting a new family or trying to find the old....and hoping that their old family hasn't started a new family in their stead. And you have freed Blacks who take advantage of "freedom" to try and jump as many levels in society as they can quickly vs others who don't quite trust the possibility and are more cautious. It's a tremendously real setting and Glover makes the realities of it to the reader very clear.

That setting would be wasted if this book didn't have great characters, particularly its protagonist (again, this is a Noir) and it absolutely does. Hetty is a really fun protagonist - a woman who cares for people but still pines for the person she's lost in her escape - her sister - and who insists that her relationship with Benjy is entirely for appearances only. She's self-assured enough to quit her stitching job with the confidence that she can make money stitching on her own, so when she faces a new request for help, be that tracking down a missing girl or solving a murder, she leaps right in - little questions asked (no matter the danger). Her husband Benjy follows her lead, using his strength to aid her while remaining kind, while Hetty's group of friends - who of course become suspects in the main plot - are all really well done, especially as more and more about them is revealed. It's a great cast of characters and I really loved Hetty, Benjy, and their friends and I look forward to seeing more of most of them as the series continues.

Really the only negative I can say about this one is that the motive behind the revealed antagonist is kind of underwhelming, and some of the red herrings brought up by the plot don't quite make sense in light of it. But everything else is done so well, with this world being so fresh and yet real in its rooting in history, and a marriage of genre to history in a way that I haven't seen often done before. Highly recommended.

This book is so intriguing and heart wrenching and all-around fabulous. Nicole Glover takes us along on a fantastic mystery as Hetty Rhodes and her husband Benjy work to solve the mystery of their friend's murder.

Hetty's days of using her magic on the underground railroad are past, but the past, as always, still shapes her present.

I loved this book and will definitely be adding Nicole Glover to my must-buy list.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly March New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

It's important to note I listened to the audiobook which I received via Libro FM for this while reading alongside an advance copy that I was sent by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Nothing really changes between them outside of some grammar and sentence structures. While I usually don't like Bahni Turpin's narration I thought it flowed steadily here.

As the first book in the series we are introduced to a lot of characters. And like many fantasy stories you're thrown into the world rather than eased in. And there's so many different moving pieces to set up the series.

This story follows Henriette "Hetty" Rhodes who alongside her husband Benjamin "Benjy" have worked to help Black people escape slavery through the Underground Railroad. And even though the 13th Amendment has been passed and ratified by Congress for some that freedom exists solely on paper. The story opens with wanted ads for Negro runaways. As well as an ad for Hetty and Benjy who are wanted dead or alive for stealing slaves.

In this world some Black people do practice magic and previously were forced to wear collars to identify and restrain them. They are now permitted to use magic do so but with restrictions defined by the local authorities. But they can only use one type of magic and are not permitted to use the sorcery that white people use which includes magic wands and is considered a more powerful form of magic.

The particular brand of magic that Hetty and Benjy use is a celestial magic brought over from Africa and passed down through generations. It incorporates brew magic with herbs, songs, and sigils from constellations. Magic users often draw these sigils into the air, dirt, or other objects. Hetty sews them into her clothes as well as Benji's so they always have a reserve of magic ready.

This magic aided slaves on the plantation to aid in tasks such of picking crops or to making healing balms for wounds. You are reminded throughout that these people are not far removed from slavery with flashbacks to life on the plantation and how Hetty had to use her talent in sewing to survive. The transition to free life and how different people in the community fit in. We meet a character who is passing as white which meant cutting family ties and living in fear of being discovered. And some people did it to aid others in their communities while some did it to advance themselves only.

There's a killer on the loose and unfortunately one of their close friends falls victim and because white folks don't care about Black lives they must take the investigation into their own hands. It's not talked about enough especially since our history books like to paint them as saints but white people in the Union also saw Black people as inferior.

Hetty and Benji as a couple have a very interesting dynamic because their marriage started off as a way to be easily partnered together without drawing suspicion and question of honor. And even though they've been together for a few years they're finally addressing their feelings towards each other.

At times the mysteries got lost in the other plots but I enjoyed this story and it kept me enthralled and I couldn't always keep up with the cast of characters. Hetty and Benjy had an easy chemistry and work well as a unit. And I think as this series progresses there will be a more seamless blend of the magical, mystery, and community aspects. And the ending left for some interesting new opportunities to arise for the duo. I look forward to reading The Undertakers later this year.

https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-conductors-by-nicole-glover.html

When I first saw this one I was all for it! It has such a great premise and who doesn't love a good historical fiction with mystery and fantasy thrown in?? However, it was a tad slow and took a while for me to get into the flow. The magical aspects are a tad confusing as well since there isn't much explanation on how the characters came into their powers or how their powers work.

Overall I really enjoyed this one and look forward to more from this author. I did take into consideration that this is a debut so it can only get better from here. I appreciate NetGalley providing me an ARC to read and enjoy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

This is a pretty solid debut. In fact, I think it would work well as a tv show. Why couldn't this be up there with Coppper, Ripper Street and the like?

If it was a tv show, the pacing would be better, which is my biggest complaint. It starts off slow and continues similarly until about a third in where it picks up only to drop back down again, and up again, down again. The last 25% are action packed and all the clues we've picked up along the way are finally making sense.

A smaller issue is that the descriptions were bordering on overwhelming. I can live with that easier than with the pacing.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about what I loved.

The premise. (Post) Civil War setting? Yes. Former slaves who have magic in their veins and a knack for solving murder mysteries? Also yes.

The characters. Hetty and Benjy were amazing. Their romance was so sweet. When they were first referred to as husband and wife it took me a second to register because they didn't act like it at all. Then we got the explanation and it suddenly made sense. It was nice to see their feelings developing bit by bit.

The other characters were great too. I was fond of Charlie...yeah. I won't say anything else about that lest I spoil it.

The magic system. THIS WAS SO COOL. Cool enough that I don't care how it came to be like that, it just *is* and that's enough for me. It's definitely a unique spin. I can't wait to learn more about it.

The flashbacks. These were done cleverly to introduce us to other characters that will be relevant later and also to give us an insight on our main two heroes.

The murder mystery that kept me guessing till the very last moment. There was one big (well, I consider it big) plot twist near the end of the second third of the book that had me sitting there muttering "no way" over and over again, not believing what I was reading. Luckily that got resolved after a chapter or two, but it got me good. And I truly couldn't see who the real killer was either.

Killer reveal aside, I liked the other little wrap ups as well. I was starting to worry that Hetty had given up on the main thing that was driving her before and was about to cry, when that thing that happened, happened. It's still sad. But, you know, closure.

This book is worth the read if you have the patience to get through the slower parts. Which you should, because I said so.

The only thing I can tell you is that it's not all murder mystery all the time, there's other subplots and many of them. I think they fit with the story. So be ready for that.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*