Dead Drop is the fourth Julia McAllister period mystery by Marilyn Todd. Released 29th Dec 2021 by Sapere Books, it's 230 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free (along with the rest of the series).

This is a very well written period murder mystery with a strong, intelligent, and sympathetic female protagonist. This is the fourth book in the series, but the mystery is self contained and all background info is written into the story. The plotting is spare and tightly controlled. The technical aspects of the writing are well done (dialogue, characterization, etc) and unobtrusive. It's an engrossing read. It's not a cozy, it's serious and in some places gritty. The crime scene descriptions which Julia photographs were so well described they raised goosebumps.

It's always fun to find a new to me author and series to read. I would recommend this one to fans of period mysteries. I'm looking forward to more from this author. This is the fourth book, and the series would make a good candidate for a rainy weekend binge read.

Four and a half stars. I really enjoyed this book.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I have read every book in this series and this one is so good! Julia needs to pay off debts so she agrees to house three ladies from a travelling troupe in town for a show. When one of them is murdered, she goes undercover to help solve the mystery and help out the troupe. Unfortunately, while trying to help solve one crime, Julia herself becomes involved in a separate case that puts her life in danger but doesn't realize it until it is too late..

A gripping plot, I couldn't put it down. I look forward to the next book and thank #NetGalley for the opportunity to read #DeadDrop.

Another compelling and adrenaline-fueled fictional journey with Julia McAllistair, the talented photographer and her lover, John Collingwood, the winsome detective inspector as they try to painstakingly find the person or persons responsible for the murders of various members of a travelling show, while fighting their own inner demons

A captivating tapestry of late 19th century England, superbly plotted and blessed with a colourful cast of exquisitely drawn characters.

Highly recommended and to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for this terrific ARC

Never having read the previous books in this series, I had a few concerns about whether I’d be able to follow along. But author Marilyn Todd included enough details about main character Julia's difficult and violent past and why she’s so leery about forming relationships.
When a travelling Wild West show comes to London, the seriously cash-strapped Julia offers to billet the female performers in exchange for the impresario to impersonate Julia's late boss and mentor, so she can entice more people to her photography studio.
When one of Julia's guests is murdered, Julia investigates, all while running her business and trying to locate the missing son of a distraught older gentleman.

I had some trouble getting into this book at first because I found sections of the author’s writing required a few rereads to follow the action, and other times to get past some exposition. I found the mystery interesting, as well as the historical details, though I did think her characters seemed a little too aware of economic and class problems plaguing London: their comments, while possible, felt too much like a 21st century person's analysis.

Would I read another book in this series? Maybe, but I don’t feel really impelled to.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Sapere Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed the first three books in this series about a female photographer who has inherited the studio of her mentor, but who needs to pretend he still lives because her clientele remain leery of a woman as a photographer.

The first book (Snap Shot) introduces Julia McAllister, who takes normal photographs, including some of the recent dead, a Victorian custom, but is supplementing her income with risqué pictures. First one, then another of her models are murdered, and Julia comes under suspicion. Her knowledge of Alphonse Bertillion and his use of photography to solve crimes.

I liked this use of a female photographer and the inclusion of the first uses of crime scene photography and liked the first books.

Unfortunately for me, Dead Drop did not live up to what I was expecting. The book seemed to have lacked something with the traveling "wild west show." Disappointing, but hope the next book will be better.

None of the covers have much to do with the contents.

NetGalley/Sapere Books
Historical Mystery. Dec., 2021.

I've read one other book starring the bright Julia McAllister - a forensic photographer totally unheard of
occupation for 1896. Getting by a carefully cultivated veneer of lies - a dead husband, a dead partner to the
world not dead, because no one at the time will want to deal with a single woman running a business. Julia is
stressed financially and her last scheme - was disrupted to put it mildly. Pornographic pictures for the tittilation
of the gentlemen of the aristocracy had to be closed down. It was lucrative while it lasted.

Now Julia gets drawn into a murder once again. A circus is in town and she has offered three women accommodation
in her house (so that she can cover her bills) and repay her loans. When one of them is found dead, thought to be
initially suicide later ruled as murder, Julia takes it on herself to see that justice is done.

The story runs the gamut of detection, false clues and suspects but the background to the story is the thing that
adds so much color and interest. A circus in town, a lot of magic, a lot of characters all with plenty of secrets
that they have no wish to be known.

Very good reading. It cannot be just called a mystery murder. It was also very detailed and descriptive of the
times it was set in.

When I requested this book it was not clear that this was the 4th book of a series. Would have been nice to know as I don't read books out of order. With that being said I decided to still read this. It led to some confusion as there were references I didn't fully understand. I did enjoy the writing style and the characters.

When I first started reading this book, I didn't realise it was number 4 in a series. As a result, I was very confused for the first 10 chapters. There were references to events that I thought were part of the plot of this book, when they were actually vague references to events in previous books. For the start of the book, I kept thinking I was missing things and for this reason, it took me a long time to get into the story. The style of writing was also confusing at times, as other events and thoughts were only hinted at, rather than explained. However, after a very slow start, I began to understand who everyone was, and started to enjoy the story. I really liked all the descriptions of the show, and the last part of the book was very exciting. There were several things that I didn't see coming, and although the mysteries seemed to be solved very easily, there were some interesting solutions that emerged.

Dead Drop is the fourth book in the Julia McAllister series.‭ ‬Julia had run out of luck as well as money. She made the mistake of being in debt to a loan shark. Seeing an ad in the paper ‬Julie‭ McAllister arranges for three female travelling artists to board at her home so she can pay her debt. ‬Julia thinks this is a short arrangement but gets to know the women. One turns up dead but they believe it was suicide,‭ but in reality she was ‬murdered.‭ ‬Julia asks ‬Detective Inspector John‭ ‬Collingwood‭ to investigate with her help. Julia will get involved with the travelling show and begin to see there is more than meets the eye.

An entertaining story of con artists and travelling artists displaying their talents.

1896‭ ‬Oakbourne.‭ ‬Because she is in debt to a loan shark photographer‭ ‬Julie‭ McAllister arranges for three female travelling artistes to board at her home.‭ ‬But soon one is found dead,‭ ‬murdered.‭ ‬Why and who was she.‭ ‬Meanwhile Julie is approached‭ ‬by widower Titus Vance, as his thirty-three year old son is missing and he needs her help to find him.
Julie,‭ ‬Detective Inspector John‭ ‬Collingwood‭ ‬and Sergeant Charlie Kincaid investigate the murder.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast of likable and varied characters.‭ ‬Another good addition to the series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The comedy element in this book is pitch perfect. It had me chuckling once or twice. A rare thing with books.
The combination of Collingwood and McAllister was a fantastic paring,and throw in Kinkaid too and I was hugely happy with the characters.
This is book 4 though,and it felt it.
At the start of the book I floundered a bit as it read as if I was mid book. Not quite enough background to start with (this is such a tricky one,as too much background feels like a rehash of previous books)

Once I got past that problem,I found this immensely good fun.
I need to search out the first three now I suppose.