A Murder in Ashwood by Robert Brighton is a compelling mystery set in Buffalo, New York in 1902. It is as intriguing as it is authentic, opulent as it is gritty and all in all, had me captivated. I juped on this book when I saw it and in all honesty, jumped the queue of my TBR to get my teeth into it and I was certainly not disappointed

We learn about the "who" early on, but like any case, you cannot get a conviction unless you have the "how" and "why" and that is the primary focus of this book. It is a refreshing take on the mystery novel, not racing to a grand reveal, but instead dissecting the facts using the dialogue between characters and a succint narrative that illuminates the scenes. I was surprised to find that this was a sequel as I would have thought it was a standalone, it is so neatly constructed, but oh my oh my am I glad it is indeed part of a series!

Authenticity matters to me when I read any historical mystery, whether it serves as the foundation for speculation or whether a book devoutly portrays an era, it's an important factor and Brighton is a master at creating characters, scenes and dialogue that would be as much at home on the silver screen as within the pages of a novel.

An engaging and compelling read and I look forward ot reading more

Thank you to Netgalley, Ashwood Press and the phenomenal author Robert Brighton for this delicious ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own