If at first I was a bit put off by the style that I initially found slightly overwritten, it then became less overbearing. But I still could not get into the story. I think I might have had a better appreciation if I had read the Dickens book it was inspired from.

A fun book to read, a reimagined tale, an easy to read historical mystery.

This is an entertaining book but not a full on mystery/thriller as such but one that keeps you reading for the most part although I did feel it was a bit slow in places. There did seem to be more than one story going on so became a little confusing and I did have to refer back over pages I had read so I could get my head around it all. I did love the historical aspect of it all and thought Kate was a pretty good character in the book.

All in all it was a good book to read.

This is the fourth book of the series, but the first I’ve read. It was interesting to dive into Dickens world in which he and his fiancée solve mysteries. And I was genuinely surprised when the murderer was revealed. But there was something about the Dickens character that rubbed me the wrong way. Was the real Dickens such an egotistical prick? Or was he just a haughty 23 year old man of some acclaim? Too much name dropping and “I know many important people” for me.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Okay, so this was a very boring read. There is not much of a plot or a story except Kate Hogarth having to go on a wild goose chase that bored me to sleep (multiple times). By the time I struggled through 70% of the book, I was so freaking dead on the inside. I didn't give a damn about the characters or the story, it just ceased to hold my interest. On top of that, some sentences sounded kinda homophobic to me.

Set in 1836 London, twenty-four-year-old Charles Dickens is on the brink of becoming a published author. His is one of the quickest minds in London and as such receives a prestigious invitation to join the elite Lightning Club. But obtaining membership is a wee bit trickier than that. He must first gain physical entry but encounters trouble. His devoted fiance, Kate, is on the case. I like that the story is from her point of view so we are privy to her thoughts (though not enough for my taste). In order to aid her fiance she is tasked with riddles and introduced to quite the character. The story follows these timed tasks and their outcomes.

My favourite aspects of this book, the fourth in the series, are the historical details, atmosphere and vernacular. The author mentions her favourite book by Dickens is The Pickwick Papers, as is mine. When reading fiction about favourite authors gives me reason to pause but is quite well done in this series. Sneaking in literary figures is fun. The story is somewhat predictable but a delightful read nonetheless, though the short stories interspersed feel like filler.

If you are seeking a light and fun historical fiction with a mysterious element, do try this series. You may even learn more about Dickens! I'm curious about subsequent storylines and plots.

My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this charmer.

"The Pickwick Murders" is a mystery set in 1836 in London. It's the fourth in a series. You don't need to read the previous book to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries. However, minor characters from the previous mysteries do show up in this one.

Vivid historical and setting details were woven into the story, creating a distinct sense of the time and place. The author tried to stay true to what is known about Charles Dickens' career and lifestyle in his early twenties (minus the being thrown in prison part, which didn't really happen). The main characters were interesting and acted realistically. I cared about what happened to them.

However, there were a couple of tales that were thrown in that had nothing to do with the main story. Kate also had to solve a series of riddles rather than work on solving the main whodunit mystery, which was frustrating for her and soon felt like filler to me. Once Charles friends got down to investigating, they solved the mystery pretty quickly. Though a realistic ending, it wasn't a very satisfying one. The people behind the evil weren't really punished.

There was one use of British bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'll probably keep on reading the series because of the wonderful, accurate historical detail, so I guess I'd recommend this book to fans of historicals.

This book was lacking the tension that I seek from mysteries/thrillers. It was an interesting premise for a story but it just didn't deliver.

I keep reading historical mysteries with Charles Dickens as the detective. Given Dickens' skill in plotting novels and his presence as both a writer and a public thinker, I'm convinced there's the potential for something really wonderful out there. But I continually find myself underwhelmed. I've read volumes from four different Dickens-as-detective series, and none of them are bad—they're just predictable. That's the case with The Pickwick Murders. Heather Redmond makes some nice moves here: one of the best is trapping Dickens in Newgate and leaving his fiancée Kate to do the detecting. But the mystery just isn't all that complex, and the characters aren't lively or interesting enough to compensate for that.

If you like historical mysteries, you'll find The Pickwick Murders acceptable, but not anything that stands out from the usual historical-mystery-with-not-enough-mystery fare. If you're a Dickens fan looking for new ways to encounter the writer, I'd say to skip the historical mystery genre and look elsewhere—unless you really, truly feel compelled to read everything connected to Dickens. (I get that was about Sherlock Holmes, so I understand.)

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

A very cerebral murder mystery, this newest entry to the series pits Kate Hogarth against the forces who have imprisoned her fiancé, Charles Dickens, on a false charge of murder. She is tasked with unwinding threatening literary riddles in an attempt to prove his innocence. Charles is not safe in Newgate and fends off attacks by paid assassins while he waits for trial. I was bothered throughout by Kate’s seeming lack of urgency despite the possibility of her fiancé being hung for a murderer yet she manages to come through in the end with the assistance of friends and family. And surely there must have been a better nickname for the deliverer of evil riddle clues than ‘dirty man’. Beware of red herrings.

I'm delighted to see a fourth entry in Redmond's lively Dickens-centered series appear! Redmond's interweaving of Dickens life as a young man with the themes and characters of his novels is always clever and this installment in the series doesn't disappoint. The glimpses of the infamous Newgate Prison and the active role taken by Kate Hogarth, Dickens fiancée, in solving the mysteries at the heart of THE PICKWICK MURDERS are particularly fun. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Since this was the 4th book in a series, may have missed a lot. Dickens is a reporter set up for a murder. His fiance is determined to prove his innocence. It's a bit slow, but kept my attention.

interesting premise but fell short and ultimately left me very uninterested.
charles dickens is currently in prison and his fiancée, katie, is trying to solve the murder that he is currently being accused for.
for a murder mystery there was hardly any action and it dragged

Kate is trying to help her fiancee, Charles Dickens, from prison by solving the murder he is accused of. To much talk, slow action. I enjoyed Kate, a determined young girl, well-mannered.
This review is not intended to change your mind if you want to read the book, it wasn't for me, that's all.
Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the book.

I've never read anything by this author, but I thought the summary sounded interesting. However, it didn't live up to my expectations. The mystery itself was okay, but the pace seemed quite slow, and I had a hard time staying engaged with the plot overall.

I thought the book sounded really interesting. It is the fourth book in the series and the first one I have read. I had a little trouble staying with this book. The characters seemed to be running in circles through the story. A particularly evil man receives a seat in parliament, during the election the man is accused of kidnapping a woman. Dickens writes an article in the paper about the incident that sets the story and the series of unfortunate events into motion. There were interesting parts of the story, some a little far fetched than others. It did have a good plot and intriguing mystery. A man is murdered and a woman tortured. I just feel that some of the running in circles could have been left out. Maybe it would have helped if I had read the other books in the series.

Young Charles Dickens is thrilled to learn he is up for membership in an exclusive club. But, in the process of gaining membership he’ll become the prime suspect in a murder! Dun dun dun!

I really enjoyed this book. I’m not a huge Charles Dickens stan, and I could definitely still get into this series. After reading this book I’m more curious about Charles Dickens! This book had a fast pace and likeable characters, as well as a nice juicy mystery. The author’s idea of basing a mystery series on a historical figure is clever and she executes it very well!

I love this creative spin on a Dickens tale! By chapter three, I could not put it down and pressed on, holding my breath, until the final page. I knew this was part of a series and thought the continued character development was well done. I have really enjoyed the first three books in the series. I was drawn to the cover and the premise and would have been perfectly satisfied picking up the series in book four. I love how the story is set up and enjoyed the pace of how it all comes unraveled and clear to the reader. I will excitedly anticipate any future installments. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Very fresh and fun addition to this series. I have been reading all of Charles Dickens this year and so this book felt very timely to me. I love how these books bring Dickens to the awareness of contemporary readers. Although the story has little in common with the actual Pickwick Papers I still loved this. Look forward to the next one.

I thought this book sounded really interesting. It’s book four in the series which I haven’t read any previous ones. I’m not sure if that has any bearing on this book.
I found the start of the book a bit confusing. After several chapters it gets better but then it just drags. The characters seem to be running in circles at times and I found myself loosing interest.
I do think it was a good depiction of the time period.
Historical fiction fans especially with Dickens in the story will enjoy this book
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I found this book has some entertainment to it. I liked where the story was taking me. However, the setup confused me. There was a number of repeated storylines and storylines that were written prior to the actual real-time of the story. It was just confusing for me. As I said the story plot is good. The intensity to Charles being confronted by the constables was good. The anticipation during this time was great.