Katharine Schellman’s sharp, enjoyable historical mysteries series continues with Silence in the Library.

Regency widow and Amateur sleuth Lily Adler is back (unofficially, of course) on the case, determined to assist Bow Street with solving the murder of an old family friend, whether they want her help or not.

There are loads of cozy historical mysteries that use a similar formula to this one, but this is a far more successful offering than most in the genre.

Schellman has written an excellent main character in Lily, who is smart, tough, and capable. Some of the secondary characters also resonate well, and though it’s a bit easy to guess whodunit, the mystery is well-constructed and the story flows well.

I always enjoy all the societal rules and how they come into play in books like this (the scene where Lily and her maid visit Percy’s lodgings comes to mind first), and Schellman has done well in capturing both the absurdity and the oppressiveness of such conventions.

There’s nothing truly unique about this series, but I’m not sure I require that out of this genre. The story is well written, well paced, and populated by likable, interesting characters. I look forward to reading about more of Lily’s exploits.

A charming and interesting regency mystery. Lily is a very strong character and I adore her. This was a great escape novel.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed Katharine Schellman's first Lily Adler mystery, and Silence in the Library was just as enjoyable a read. Well-paced and carefully constructed, with a solid mystery, reliably accurate historical details, and engaging characters. With a burgeoning love triangle just starting to emerge between the newly out of mourning Lily and her two associates, one a Bow Street Runner and the other a charming naval captain, and the promise of more fun, twisty-turny mysteries, I'm definitely looking forward to more books in the series to come!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance review copy!

This is not my usual genre, but it was a lot of fun! I honestly couldn't put it down because I had to see what would happen next!

A well written mystery that takes place in Regency England, Lily finds herself immersed in another murder. A widow who is more outspoken and unorthodox in her approach to what women should be doing, Lily is not content to stay at home and follow the social norms of her contemporaries. When asked to visit the newly married couple, the Wyatts, there are secrets that will unfold as Lily investigates the murder of Sir Charles, assisted by Jack, her deceased husband’s friend. Add in some unique characters, like Ofelia, Lily’s close friend, Simon Page, the investigator, and others, and you will find yourself absorbed in this book. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The second installment of the Lily Adler mystery series does not disappoint with a twisty turny plot, very likeable leads (who might be running into a bit of a love triangle), and excellent Regency details. This very readable book has all the feel of a cozy murder mystery with all the detail of a historical. Can't wait to read more from Katherine Schellman.

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me access.

If you enjoy the Veronica Speedwell mysteries, then you will LOVE the Lily Adler mysteries. While being very similar, Lily Adler is unique. Just like A Body in the Garden, I binged this one as well.. I love that Lily is a very independent woman that is surviving a male dominated world after the loss oh her husband. She doesn't shy away from a mystery, she dives head on into one. Silence in the Library was wonderfully written and I cannot wait for more in this series!

⭐⭐⭐.5

I can't really decide between 3 or 4 stars for this one. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I enjoyed it. The mystery was well plotted. The characters were likable and interesting. I really loved that there were mixed characters and one with autism? It had a wonderful setting and held up perfectly as a standalone. All that said, I found it a bit too long. I just prefer my cozy type mysteries to on the shorter time, and I felt like this one dragged on at times. That is just a personal preference though, so don't hold it against the book! 😉

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Lily is a tenacious sleuth and with Captain Hartley by her side, she is invincible. Even when it comes to her father. When Sir Charles is murdered, Lady Wyatt is the obvious suspect and the son and his cousin have no doubts she's guilty. Lily isn't as sure and pursues clues and connections.

This is a well-written, historical cosy with deference to males on matters of the world. Only Mr. Page has no problem listening to Lily and that encourages her to help Lady Wyatt even when her doubts grow. Aside from the murders and attitudes of Sir Charles' son and his cousin, there's the tension between Lily and her father, his disapproval of her behavior and of Captain Hartley evident. The pace is steady and kept me engaged to the very end. If you like historical fiction that captures the plight of women, you'l enjoy this story. It is the second in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

I loved the first book in this series and Schellman has managed to deliver to us yet another amazing mystery story in this sequel! This book gives off cozy mystery vibes that remind me of my childhood days reading Nancy Drew. With a feminist protagonist in the Regency era, the only thing that could make this book better was the absolute swoon-worthy Captain Jack Hartley. I have now found a new mystery series to love in the same way I loved Nancy Drew while growing up and I am ecstatic to see what Katherine Schellman writes next.

A couple with everything. A strange late night accident. A family intent on appearances. These are elements in the regency who dunnit. Lily having won the esteem of Inspector Simon helps in negotiating the foil led of the upper classes to get to the bottom of the mysterious death of Sir Charles Wyatt. True to form the real reason for his death will wait till all the pieces fit. Happy reading

"People are just people, the ugly and the good and the cruel and the kind all mixed up together, no matter where or how or to whom they were born."
--------------------
A female amateur sleuth in Regency era England.
A puzzling murder mystery full of scandal.
Charming side characters. Fashion. Cozy vibes.

"Silence in the Library" is a murder mystery that balances intrigue, humor, and emotion with a unique touch. Although I solved the crime pretty early on (through no fault of the plot, I am just RELENTLESS with throwing out theories until something sticks), it was a pleasure to follow the twists and turns throughout the story with its many cute characters.

Also, as a side note, I went into this book not knowing that it was the second on the series, but to be honest, it did not take anything away from the story. The author does a good job inserting background snippets about each character and past events, that I had no trouble at all following the plot.

Overall, a cozy, entertaining read.

3.5/5

Quick, fun read for an afternoon.
Regency widow Lily Adler didn't expect to find a corpse when visiting a family friend. Now it's up to her to discover the killer in the charming second installment in the Lily Adler mysteries.

I adored the first book in this series and I was really excited to be able to read and review the 2nd book as well. This book takes place in the Regency Era in London. The characters, particularly Lily and Jack are developing nicely. In this book we get to meet Lily's father and he seems to be very gruff. I'm a big fan of historical mysteries and this book is a winner.

This book wasn't what I expected. It's set in 19th Century London and I never read historical fiction.

I started the book anyway and found likeable characters and the beginning of a good murder mystery.

Unfortunately I found myself rereading the same paragraph, or even the same page, because I wasn't understanding on the first try.

I'm sorry to say that I finally gave up and started a present day book.

The first book in this series, The Body in the Garden, was one that I absolutely adored so I had been excitedly waiting for the sequel. As with most sophomore books, it can either be just as good as the first book, or fall completely short of the high expectations. I’m happy to report that this one is definitely the former. The sequel is just as interesting and charming as the first book and this series is shaping up to be one that will be on my “can’t miss” list.

The main character, Lily, is delightful. She is charming, self-confident, kind and is trying to navigate her way in society as a single woman after losing the love of her life. While she has been widowed for awhile now, she still feels some pangs of guilt whenever she considers “moving on”. She also isn’t pushy or overly assertive when trying to help solve the mystery. She strikes a nice balance between knowing when to insert herself into an investigation and when to step back and this makes her get along nicely with the Page, who otherwise has a healthy wariness of the upper class.

Page is written as a competent law enforcement officer. He has some misgivings about dealing with the upper classes, but he is finding his way and I think his confidence and manner in dealing with them has improved since the first book. He’s obviously very bright and knows that sometimes he has to play up to the snobs in order to get them to answer his questions.

Hartley provides a lot of the brevity and humour in the books and he’s a bit of a charming rogue. He keeps a strictly friends-only attitude with Lily, which is understandable given that he was her deceased husband’s best friend, but I hope (fingers crossed!) that there’s a bit of romance in the future for him and Lily. They make a great couple and complement each other very well. Their banter is natural and honestly very sweet and together they are one of my favourite cozy mystery couples (although they are technically not a couple yet!)

Of course, not everyone is sunshine and rainbows. In this book, we’re introduced to Lily’s previously-estranged father (who was only hinted at in the previous book). He doesn’t think much of his daughter and seems to hold very strict etiquette rules (which Lily obviously doesn’t obey). He doesn’t approve of Lily’s friendship with Hartley or her becoming involved in a murder investigation. I found him an all-round unlikable character and hope that he doesn’t take up too much ink in future stories.

There’s not much sympathy for the victim. We mainly “meet” Sir Charles via descriptions by those who know him, including Lily’s father, Charles new wife, and both Charles’ son and nephew. But we only know Sir Charles ourselves for a few pages before he’s killed. So there wasn’t much time to build up any sense of loss for the character, but we do see how his death affects those around him. And from those reactions, we get a better picture of the victim than if we had spent pages reading about him.

In a first for me, I had the murderer pegged almost from the get-go. As characters were still being introduced I knew instinctively who the murderer would be (before the victim was even discovered) and not only that, I had the motive guessed as well. It was hilariously like one of those lightbulb moments where I latched onto the idea (victim and motive) in a flash. Of course, I kept reading the book until the end but my original guess on both the murderer and the motive were right on target. It wasn’t that the author gave anything away in the writing, but I had just finished binge-watching a bunch of old Agatha Christie Poirot TV shows and there were similarities between some of the characters that put me on the right path.

That being said, I still found the unravelling of the mystery and the interaction of the characters incredibly enjoyable. The dialogue is well written and the story hums along at a nice pace. The story doesn’t really lag at any point and the information and clues are spread out evenly. It was still very satisfying to see the murderer get caught and to read the explanation of their motive. I think that’s the mark of a great story – even though I had already guessed the ending, I still needed to see it play out and to see how the characters reacted to it.

The ending of the book wrapped up a lot of the story but still left a few tantalising hints at things to come in the next instalment. I can’t wait to see what fun Lily Adler (and Jack Hartley) get up to next!

*** Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The setting is perfect for this mystery, featuring a woman out of her time. Fans of London will love the setting and the sense of what the city must have been like in the Regency era. Fans of feisty female sleuths will adore the main character and her approach to solving the mystery which lands in her lap. And fans of great character building and dialogue will enjoy the writing style, the author’s ability to paint a picture with words and the focus on developing relationships which are believable and engaging. .

In this second book in the series, Lily Adler again gets involved in helping to solve a murder. As a Regency era widow in London, this behavior is certainly frowned upon. Lily’s estranged father shows up at her house with way too many interfering opinions, but Lily asserts her independence and cleverness again.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read The Body in the Garden and absolutely loved it so I was really excited to read the second book in the series and find out what Lily Adler gets up to next. I am so glad I did.

The mystery in this one was just as compelling as in the last book, but the thing that I love most about this series is that the characters are so human. Lily is a bit of a fish out of water with her conservative upbringing but her independent views on aristocratic society. Her willingness to assess people on merit, combined with her keen powers of observation make her a very likeable sleuth.

I also really enjoyed learning more about Bow Street Runner Simon Page and seeing things from his perspective. And of course, the wonderful Captain Hartley makes a reappearance, as do a few other characters from the previous book, enabling Lily to recruit them in her investigation.

The interesting addition of Lily's father gives us some insights into her character - but I have to say I hope that's the last we see of him.

Can't wait for the next book.

LILY ADLER IS MY FAVOURITE REGENCY DETECTIVE

There's just something magical about this series. I just lifts my spirit and makes me escape the world for a while. I've been in a bit of a rut lately, but this book pulled me out of it. A definite recommendation!

👍 What I Liked 👍

Mystery: I was left kept guessing up until the very last moment! I had absolutely no clue who the culprit was and I loved it! Usually I shy away from mysteries, because they're hardly ever all that mysterious. That was not the case with this book.

Lily: Lily is just amazing. I love her spirit, her tenacity and her spunk. She doesn't accept a no if there's something she really wants. She knows her own worth and demands others recognize it as well. She makes me smile a lot.

Jack: Jack is a total gentleman with a mischievous side. I love the way he jokes with Lily and how protective he is of her without crowding her or taking her choices away from her. He supports her and I love that about him. I just wish this book had even more Jack!