I received an ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. This was a new author and characters to me, but I do like historical detective series with good characters - which happily, is what this proved to be. The only minor gripe was in Lily’s father being quite such a cliché of preferring a friend’s son to his own daughter, and being such a rude houseguest. Otherwise, this was a very good plot, well thought out and kept me pulled in enough to read through quite quickly after a delayed start (my fault, I was juggling multiple books, but I effectively read this one over 2-3 days). To grab a new reader in book two and have characters who come alive and soon feel familiar, isn’t always easy - but the author managed it here.

Second in a series, this Regency mystery featuring widow Lily Adler is a charming page-turner and such a fun read. No need to finish book one first although you’ll want to after following Lily in action as she works to unravel the murder of a family friend with the help of attractive Jack Hartley. Then another murder occurs, raising the stakes even higher. Will they succeed before someone else is knocked off? Will their friendship become something more along the way? A delight for fans of historical mysteries and slow-burn romances.

4 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 13 Jul 2021  
#SilenceintheLibrary #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. This review is entirely honest.

I haven't read the first book in the Lily Adler series, but I didn't feel that I needed to in order to understand this one. (Albeit, I already bought myself a copy of it since I enjoyed this one so thoroughly.)

This story is an incredibly fun mystery. I appreciated that in this story, the consulting detective and the police officer felt like they were on equal footing and genuinely working together. This is kind of nice in comparison to other tales where the police are bumblers and the detective is blindingly brilliant.

The characters were well-rounded and interesting, and I also liked that there was just a hint of romance. Sometimes, a slow-burn just feels all the more rewarding.

Definitely a solid, enjoyable read.

Plot: I really enjoyed this mystery! The plot was well done, and while I guessed part of who the culprit was, I did not guess the whole thing, which is always a pleasant surprise! I won't write anything else about the plot, for fear of spoiling people.

Characters: I love the characters in these books! Lily is a wonderful protagonist! Mr. Page and Jack are great, too! MINOR SPOILER: There is not much romance in these books, but I feel like the author is leading toward a Lily and Jack romance, which while I love Jack (And hope for a happy ending for him!), I just don't see it? I feel like they are more family than anything, but perhaps that's just me? Personally, I like her and Mr. Page, but I know that's very unlikely. I'm curious if you've read it, what your thoughts are? END SPOILER

The Cover: I like it! It's simple, but fits the book well.

Overall: I really enjoyed reading the first book in this series, but I loved this one! If you're looking for a good Historical Mystery, I highly recommend this series of books!

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.

Likeable main characters and a pleasantly twisty plot adorn this Regency mystery set in London. Regency era mysteries seem to be a thing these days and I'm totally here for the ride. Recommend this to people who like C. S. Harris or Deanna Raybourn.

(I have not read book 1 in this series, so prior knowledge is not a prerequisite of reading.)

This book was sent to me on Kindle by Netgalley for a review. It is a character driven story with the protagonist being a young woman who helps the police. The story moves somewhat slowly but is at times a fun read. Wondering what she will do next is the question the reader asks often. She works to solve the mystery of the killer. Try this one for an entertaining afternoon.

thanks to netgalley for the e-arc.

this was a quick fun read! i wish i had read the first installment in this series first, but i nonetheless enjoyed this story; it was well-written with a fun plot!

I loved this book. It was a quick read. This is the second installment in the Lily Adler series so I definitely wish I would have read the first one first.

I recommend this read, I do suggest reading the first one first. It's fun and is written well. The story line is great!

The second entry in the Lily Adler series is just as engaging, charming, and intriguing as the first! This mystery strikes close to home for Lily, allowing us to explore more of her family background and personal history. It also introduces neurodivergent characters, which is a welcome touch in a period piece. The twists and turns carry the story along at a clip pace, while still making time to give us wonderful character moments. (I'm particularly enjoying the ongoing slow burn romance building between Lily and Jack. It feels very real, not rushed, and it's nice to see the friendship and companionship growing across the course of each book.) I thoroughly recommend this Regency mystery!

Silence in the Library is the second book in Katharine Schellman's Lily Adler mystery series. The book opens with Lily returning to her London home to find her father paying an unexpected and unwelcome visit. Her overbearing father manipulates her into calling on his friend and country neighbor, Sir Charles Wyatt, to congratulate him on his recent remarriage.

Lily and her friend Jack Hartley call upon the Wyatts. Sir Charles' son, Frank, and his nephew, Percy, are also present, and there is some unpleasantness involving missing money that Lily quickly sorts out. Sir Charles' wife, Winifred, invites Jack and Lily to ride with her the next morning, but when they arrive at the house, they discover that Sir Charles has been murdered.

Readers may figure out the motive and "whodunnit" fairly early on, but the story is strong, and the relationships between the characters are interesting. I'm not entirely convinced of how sympathetically many of the book's inhabitants treated the neurodivergent characters, given that this was the Regency period, but did find it believable that Lily and her friends would not be prejudiced against someone who was different in some ways.

This was an enjoyable read and a great addition to the series. Recommended.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in return for my honest review.

I was happy to see another book to continue this smart, entertaining series. Lily Adler is a recent widow who is able to live independently, thanks to the generosity of her late husband's family. She finds herself in the position of having to solve a murder, and does so with the help of Bow Street "runner" Simon Page, and Jack, the dear friend of her late husband. While these books are not romances, I think they will appeal to readers who enjoy Regency romances. I am looking forward to the next book.

A fun light hearted cosy regency mystery with great characters and a touch of possible romance. I haven’t read book one but don’t feel I missed anything by that. While I picked ‘whodunnit’, the writing style is so easy to read with fun protagonists I didn’t feel cheated in any way. It was the perfect book to relax with after just finishing a literary tome! I look forward to more books in the series.

This is an extremely well written novel that will appeal to all mystery readers. Having not read the other books in the series, I had no problem catching on to the different characters and their backstories. Chapters flowed nicely making you want to read more to find out whodunit. Lots of suspense and twist and turns made this an enjoyable cozy winter read for me, highly recommend!

A well constructed story with fun characters, real to regency era. This is the second book in the Lily Adler's mystery series and even though I haven't read the first one, I really enjoyed this book. I'm pretty sure if you read the first book you will get a better understanding of the relationship among the three main characters Lily, Jack and Simon Page, and at some points that crossed my mind. However, that didn't hold me back from enjoying the story. Especially the relationship between Jack and Lily was a bit of an enigma to me, but I assume this is the point because this whole series is a slow burn romance. With that said, to my dismay, there is no romance whatsoever in this book. There is an underlying hint of romance though that I'm pretty sure we are gonna explore in the following books.
The mystery was really well written and even though, being a Hercule Poirot enthusiast myself, I had a vague idea of who might the culprit be, it was still a well made revelation.
I didn't give 5 stars because Lily annoyed me some times by fighting her urge not to be a proper lady and just follow her insticts. I'm pretty sure she is just growing as a character through this series.