The Deadly Grimoire by Rosemary Jones is a Cthulhu-inspired media tie-in that, ironically due to all the flying, takes forever to get off the ground.
In theory, I am the perfect audience for this book. I own and love Arkham Horror (the board game), and I’ve read a lot of H.P. Lovecraft and Cthulhu-inspired cosmic horror. I’m a sucker for the phrase ‘the flapper detective’ and the 1920s era.
Unfortunately, this book left me cold. Betsy is a stereotypical ‘modern girl’ written in a way that comes across (for me, anyway) as annoyingly abrasive and always trying too hard to be ‘smart.’ Wini was a little more interesting, but honestly, it might have only been that she wasn’t as annoying as Betsy. The way that they meet felt forced and manipulated. The pacing was agonizingly slow (my goodness, almost the first ten percent was about Betsy’s household staff and how good she is to them).
Recommended to readers who enjoy Cthulhu-inspired fiction but aren’t in any hurry to get anywhere.

This latest book in the Arkham Horror series is a pulp action story that plays out like a mix between a Call of Cthulhu RPG adventure and the serial films popular in the early days of Hollywood. Betsy Baxter is the owner of a movie studio and star of the most popular serial movies which follow the exploits of "The Flapper Detective." To this day she regrets the failed movie project that attempted to film in Arkham, MA, but ended catastrophically when the mansion in which they were filming burned down leaving one dead and two missing, presumed dead. When one of the missing men suddenly reappears and a professor friend of Baxter's is abducted then left by the side of the road after her recent purchase of a mysterious and cursed book known as The Deadly Grimoire, Betsy heads to Arkham to investigate, mostly in hopes of finding out what happened to her other missing friend, Max. Along her journey she connects with a female barnstorming pilot, the handsome owner of the book store that sold the Grimoire and a female rumrunner who runs the crime syndicate in the Arkahm-Innsmouth region, among others.
While the story began interestingly enough, and did often times feel like taking part in a Call of Cthulhu investigation, the story became bogged down too much. While I appreciate the author did her research into the 1920s, there were too many extraneous instances and details about the era, too often being ideas Baxter had for future movie plots, than were necessary for the story. And while in the 20s serials the hero/heroine would escape one peril only to shortly encounter another, there were too many instances of new situations, many of which weren't even exciting, that only dragged the plot on for more pages. Though generally entertaining, had this been trimmed down to under 300 pages it would have been a tighter, more enjoyable book. 3.5/5*

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher(s) for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The very first thing that grabbed me was the cover of this book. I have zero exposure to Arkham Horror or to any of the characters in this book. That said, if you've never, ever read anything related to this topic, I think you'll still enjoy it. There was enough back-tracking and re-explaining that I didn't feel like I had missed out on anything that may have happened elsewhere previously. This was a fun romp-when I saw the "horror" part of this, I read with one hand mentally over my eyes in case anything horrifying popped up. I was pleased at the "horror" that did pop up wasn't gory or gruesome or absolutely terrifying-just enough to keep me hooked and intrigued and now I'd like to go back and explore all of the stuff related to Arkham Horror. Betsy is a delightful character! The only thing about this book that bugged me was the weird usage of conjugations. A character would say something like "I did not see you there" where they'd just said something like "he must've left". The switch between the two styles was occasionally jarring to me, but that could just be a personal quirk of mine! Overall, very enjoyable and intriguing.

'The Deadly Grimoire’, a follow-up to ‘Mask of Silver’ (which I’ve previously enjoyed and reviewed). This stands alone if you’ve not read that, though, being its own tale as well as a continuation of those events.

Betsy Baxter is the Flapper Detective, daring stunt-performer and actress, who’s found great success after surviving the previous events in Arkham. However, there’s still loose ends to be tied – so with the help of a female pilot known as ‘The Woman without Fear’ and an antiquarian bookseller seeking the titular Grimoire, Betsy charges straight into an adventure that far surpasses any movie!

Again, this has the vibe of a matinee movie, but also a strong detective story. Where (and what) is the mysterious Grimoire? What do bootleggers and a local crime syndicate have to do with anything, and what are the innovative seaweed-based treatments at the local sanatorium?

Every aspect of Lovecraft is here, bound up with a fun heroine whose thinking is definitely ahead of her time.

I’m glad to say that every single one of the books in this series branches further into the Real World than Lovecraft would ever have been comfortable with – in terms of strong women, native Americans and Inuit, homosexuality and much more. The Ancient Old Ones don’t care about such things, and their tentacles affect everyone, so there’s (happily) no discrimination to be found in any of these pages.

As always, at the end of these books those who survive are forever changed by their encounters with the Great Unknown – as are we, the reader. Part of me wonders what happens next for them, but I know it won’t be necessarily good. It’s just that feeling of wanting to see more of a traditional adventure serial, feeling the jumps and gasps as skilled hands lead us further into the dark.

Hugely enjoyable and absolutely recommended.

ARC Copy...that was good tie-in media. I only had a rough idea what Arkham Horror but fully aware of the world's Lovecraft elements and mythos which this tie-in very much does have and thought the roaring 20's world of daring hijinks and detective intrigue was portrayed well too.

My thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for an advanced copy of this horror game tie-in novel.

Eldritch creatures and dark gods from beyond usually don't mix with speakeasies and flappers, barnstorming lady aviators, but in The Deadly Grimoire: An Arkham Horror Novel, Rosemary Jones has been able to mix all this and more in something that I would like to call Charleston Cthulu. Spills, chills, seaweed, handsome booksellers, and strange New England towns, with gin, dancing and rum runners all around.

Betsy Baxter is a silent movie actress/ studio head/ and professional thrill jockey whose serial adventure The Flapper Detective gives her both fame and money to live life as she wants it. Risking her neck doing daredevil stunts, and looking for friends who disappeared under mysterious circustances. Winifred Habbamock is female pilot with a dream of flying, and winning a cross country race for only women aviatrixes, who childhood in New England has taught her much about the spooky countryside of Arkham. And Tom, a handsome bookseller whose family is cursed with a spell book that always returns to the family, usually after causing some chaos. These three come together to fight bootleggers, find missing friends, and find out the secret of the mysterious grimoire.

This book is more fun than it should be. Silent film references, history of aviation, gangsters, dark creatures from beyond, and a real sense of inclusion. Sure a woman could do this, all types would be welcome at their air shows, no matter color, race or sexuality. Certainly not true of the twenties in which this book takes place, but not in out current twenties in this century. This is a small book with so much, characters who seem real, and comfortable with what and who they are. A big story with scares, but a story that cares about about what happens, to the good guys, the bad guys, even just small characters who might not have a big role. Not just a lot of research went into this book, but a lot of heart too.

The plot moves well, the story is interesting, and the characters are all characters I want to read more about. Even like I said the smaller characters, like the ex-sailor bookstore owner who appears for just a chapter. There is a novel in him. I hope there is. This is the first book I have read by Rosemary Jones, but not the last, and I can't wait to read more. Not just a great tie-in story, but a great story period.

Usually when someone attempts to recreate a IP using another form of media, such as video games, books, or movies, they end terribly. They will either create something too similar to the source material and alienate new fans, or stray too far, creating something totally different and angering loyal fans.

The Arkham Horror books are the rare exceptions that perfectly balance the line of creating new and interesting stories, while still honoring the characters, world, and mythos of their source material. This can only be done by talented writers who understand, and love the Arkham Horror games.

Rosemary Jones uses some characters from her previous book The Mask of Silver in The Deadly Grimoire, but it is not necessary to read that to enjoy this book.

Betsy, a daring actress, Winnie, the woman without fear, and Tom, a bookworm who I felt a personal connection to, join together to find an old friend, recover a lost book, and also raise money for a flying competition. This book is sure to keep you on your toes and turning the pages as you discover why Arkham is a town best left alone.

Interesting characters and a plot that wont let up makes this read well worth your time.