No Stone Unturned is a suspenseful historical mystery set against the gritty backdrop of Victorian London. The plot revolves around Lucy Lawrence, a young widow, who is thrust into a web of deceit and danger after the murder of her husband and the theft of a priceless family heirloom. As she teams up with the charming investigator Phineas Stone, the story takes readers through a labyrinth of secrets and conspiracies that challenge Lucy’s very survival.

While the novel has a strong premise and an intriguing cast of characters, the pacing can sometimes feel uneven, and the resolution of certain plot points may seem a bit too predictable. However, the chemistry between Lucy and Phineas adds an engaging dynamic to the story, and the atmospheric setting of 1880s London is wonderfully portrayed.

Overall, No Stone Unturned is an enjoyable mystery with plenty of twists and turns, but it might not fully satisfy readers looking for a deeper, more complex narrative. Still, it’s a solid choice for fans of historical thrillers with a dash of romance and intrigue.

This first book introduces the lead protagonist Lucy Lawrence. She is a woman who is in an unhappy marriage, and is generally bored in life in 1886, England. This state is not a permanent state due to her husband. What begins with information about him leads Lucy down a long winding path, one that drags her own family into the mix as well.

The investigation part of this story is quite natural, especially given the situations Lucy finds herself in. She has to figure things out for her own sanity. I found this to be a good starting point for a series. The romance is limited to a simple understanding which makes sense in the scenario as well. The reader does not have enough information to make an accurate guess as to how the situation will resolve itself.
I received the book as an arc thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

No Stone Unturned, the first book in The Lucy Lawrence Mysteries is a delightful tale of Lucy Lawrence. She is not happy in her marriage, but in 1886 London she feels trapped.

Following the suspicious death of her husband, Lucy’s life is no longer dull. She meets a man she isn’t sure she can trust, there is a notable theft, and a gang she desperately wants to stay away from.

No Stone Unturned is a fun, somewhat lighthearted Victorian crime caper. Four stars and on to the next one…

No Stone Unturned" by Pam Lecky is the first book in the Lucy Lawrence Mysteries series. The book has an intriguing plot and well-developed characters and is set in late Victorian England and follows Lucy Lawrence, whose life is turned upside down when her husband, Charlie, is murdered. As Lucy uncovers Charlie's double life as an investor with dubious connections, she finds herself entangled in a web of danger and deceit. Phineas Stone, an insurance investigator, becomes Lucy's ally as they navigate the mysteries surrounding Charlie's death and the theft of a valuable necklace. Lucy relies heavily on Phineas to uncover the truth and protect her from the threats she now faces as she tries to stay out of the murderous clutches of the notorious gang. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a historical mystery set on Victorian England. Lucy Lawrence has been recently widowed, and it seems that her husband's death wasn't the tragic accident she was led to believe.

When certain unsavory facts come to light about her husband, Lucy's reputation is tarnished. Then things only get worse for her when she goes to stay with her family. That's when she seeks the help of Phineas Stone to help her solve the case.

This was a very enjoyable murder mystery. The writing was fantastic, the characters were great, and the overall mystery was intriguing. Lucy is a smart and capable main character that I'm looking forward to reading more of.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In this Victorian Era mystery, Lucy's husband, whose personality had greatly changed since their marriage, has been murdered. Then her mother's priceless necklace disappears. It is up to Investigator Phineas Stone, with Lucy's help, to find the killer.

This is a solid historical mystery with twists, turns, and a bit of romance.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

No Stone Unturned by Pam Lecky

No Stone Unturned is a fictional historical mystery with a little bit of romance, or at least the start of one. After Lucy’s husband passes away, she goes to stay with her mother and brother when she finds herself embroiled in a mystery starting with a stolen necklace and quickly discovering herself in a much more dangerous situation. As she tries to get to the bottom of the mystery with insurance adjuster Phineas Stone, she discovers that her husband was involved in something that could get her killed.

I enjoyed the fast paced story, quickly finding myself drawn into the mystery and intrigue. I found myself liking the characters, although I found Lucy extremely gullible and naive. This book has lots of mystery and surprises that will keep you reading, trying to solve the mystery. This was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely check out more in this series, especially if Lucy and Stone continue to have chemistry.

I'm a sucker for a good historical mystery series, and am excited to see how this one progresses. I enjoyed this first book in the series immensely. Sleuthing couples bring me such joy!

I do love a good historical mystery! This book was quite a treat. I’m happy to report, the mystery wasn’t at all predictable! The beginning was a little slow going, but once it picked up, I was hooked. I’ve already added the rest of the series to my iPad!

Historical drama set in the Victorian era,first in a series featuring Lucy Lawrence. She is a spirited character and this is a good read.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I have not read this author before, so wasn't sure what to expect. I enjoyed the book and quickly found the storyline easy to read and engaging. Lucy becomes widowed unexpectedly and finds herself almost destitute and turns to her estranged family. This unleashes very troubling consequences for which Phinas Stone, who has recently appeared in her life helps out. He is a Insurance Investigator who had been looking into her husbands business dealings.
An easy read for those who enjoy crime fiction. it is the first of 3 books about Lucy. I have already begun the second of these.

Books like this are why I enjoy reviewing. Much like the Wrexford & Sloane series that I find this similar to, this first book in Pam Lecky’s Lucy Lawrence series has grabbed me. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series that is currently at four books.

The tale begins with Lucy Lawrence, a young society wife of the late 1800s pondering her life. Her marriage has been less than satisfactory as of late. By marrying her beloved Charlie, her family turned its back on her. It seems to be no great loss, and yet she can’t help feeling that something is missing. Two pregnancies ended in miscarriage, and since then Charlie has been somewhat distant.

A police officer appears at her door and asks her to come to the mortuary to potentially identify her husband. Lucy doesn’t believe it’s him as he’s supposed to be away in Scotland, but there are several pieces of evidence that belong to him. The body is in rough shape, but Lucy identifies it as Charlie.

From there, she learns nothing in her life is as she thought it was. Her husband was involved in schemes related to a sapphire mine in India, which left her nearly destitute. Charlie also named Lucy’s estranged brother, Richard, as his executor. Although there is still some friction there, she decides to visit her family for Christmas and help heal the wounds. Her mother is surprisingly warm to Lucy, and she lets her guard down again with the family.

Lucy is quite the character for the late 1800s. It’s quite obvious she has been sheltered and a bit naive. However, she catches on quickly to what is going on. Befriended by Phineas Stone, an investigator for the insurance company, the two join forces to clear her name. With a marriage behind her that left her wanting, she finds it easy to start falling for Phineas, until it seems that he is betraying her as well, leading her to take matters into her own hands.

No Stone Unturned was a lot of fun. I couldn’t help but cheer Lucy on all the way through. Although I was pretty sure how things were going to turn out, I couldn’t wait to see how she got there. There were plenty of surprises along the way, along with numerous threats from the unsavory part of London. Lucy is written very well and is someone who is not afraid to stand on her own if she has to. Her maid, Mary, is supportive as well and becomes more of a friend than a servant. The two work well together. I loved how Lucy grew from the beginning of the book to the end as she rose above her circumstances and tried to do what was right.

Being in mourning, she is not supposed to have romantic intentions, but there is definitely something between her and Phineas. Phineas sees her as someone to protect, but Lucy is not happy being the wilting violet in society any longer. Their romance is set adrift, though, as circumstances force them not to really trust each other. Hopefully, that will pick up again in the future boos, which I will most assuredly be reading.

If you’re a reader of the Wrexford & Sloane series or enjoy Victorian-period mysteries, I think you’ll enjoy No Stone Unturned. The characters were well-written, and it felt authentic to a period when the upper-class society was about to be dealt a blow. Money problems abound for many of the old families and the times are about to change within the next few generations. Meanwhile, we have a woman who wants to go above and beyond the role society has set for her and does so with aplomb.

This was a solid 3 start read for me. I really wanted to love this story but I just couldn’t 100% connect with it. I liked it enough I would try the second in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is written in my favourite era, and combined with crime makes a perfect combination. A good read. Recommended.

While I’ve always enjoyed historical mysteries (my favourite series is the Matthew Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom, set in Tudor England) I don’t read them that often (too many books, too little time!). However having recently enjoyed K.J. Charles’s Death in the Spires, I took a chance on another author who is using the same publishing company, Pam Lecky. She’s got a series, The Lucy Lawrence Mysteries, set in the late 1880’s Victorian England and the first book No Stone Unturned caught my eye so I gave it a chance. It’s a solid start with an unlikely heroine, and while it didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, it intrigued me enough that I’ve gone and picked up the next two in the series, with the fourth book, A Pocketful of Diamonds, releasing in September 2024.

Lucy Lawrence’s life is in a shambles. Her troubled marriage has ended abruptly with the discovery that her husband has been murdered, and leading a double life as an investor with dubious connections. He owes money to some nefarious characters who have decided she’s going to have to pay up. On top of that, on a recent visit to her brother’s estate to try to recover from her loss and figure out what to do next, her mother’s expensive necklace went missing, and her brother and mother are accusing her of having stolen it. While these two events seemingly have nothing in common, they both lead Lucy to an intriguing character, Phineas Stone. He’s an insurance investigator whom she met first in the morgue over her dead husband’s body and then again when she was being questioned over the theft of the necklace.

Back in London, it’s clear that Lucy is still in trouble. Her home has been broken into, she’s being followed, and only the presence of Phineas has given her some modicum of safety. When it’s discovered that Lucy’s brother was also an investor with Lucy’s late husband, someone he’d always claimed to have hated, the ties to the two cases become ever tighter. Only with Phineas’s help will the mysteries be solved, and for Lucy, a chance to move on with perhaps a new beau at her side.

So what’s interesting about this story is that Lucy is not an adventurous type. She’s in fact quite staid and not particularly adventurous. She’s of course horrified at her husband Charlie’s murder (which she has a hard time believing is real) even though she has admitted to herself that Charlie had been increasingly distant and remote. And discovering more of what he’d been up to in his ‘trips’ away just makes her realize how much of a fool she’d been.

Then with her brother and mother accusing her of theft, and being followed and frankly terrorized (her cat is murdered in her ransacked home) by whomever Charlie was in trouble with, she still doesn’t really step up to the plate. She relies on Phineas a lot to do the investigating and participates where necessary but doesn’t jump in wholeheartedly the way say, an Amanda Quick heroine would. Still she did grow on me. She’s pretty much what I would expect of a Victorian woman of the time and doesn’t stray outside of those character boundaries. She has an appropriate employer/employee relationship with her housemaid Mary (at one point she has to let her go for financial reasons, but does end up rehiring her). Her growing romantic relationship with Phineas is very controlled and circumspect. It’s the mystery, and how it unfolds that really kept me reading, and I am quite satisfied with how the story ended. And I’m intrigued to see how Lucy’s character will develop in subsequent stories, which is why I plan on continuing the series. If you’re hoping for a Miss Scarlet and the Duke situation, you’ll be disappointed. But it does feels like it’s quite authentic in character and setting and that’s enough to give it a qualified recommendation.

This review will be posted at All About Romance and feedback updated with the link.

This book starts with a bang and keeps you quickly turning the pages. Lucy Lawrence becomes embroiled in the case of her murdered husband. An investment scheme gone wrong and missing jewels. Lucy becomes a suspect until the appearance of the insurance investigator, Phineas Stone. It's a madding trail looking for clues and avoiding criminals connected with her late husband. The one man she could trust, may not be that trustworthy. An exciting new series by an author I've just discovered.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

No stone unturned is the first book in the Lucy Lawrence Mysteries series. I really enjoyed this book. I think the author did a fantastic job writing the story, and with the characters. I was hooked from page one, and the author didn't waist any time sucking you into the drama. This book had me guessing and the rethinking as I continued reading. This is the first book I've read from this author and I'm excited to read book 2! I would recommend adding this book to your TBR.

False understandings!

A dead husband, shocking revelations of fraud and deception, Lucy Lawrence fled back to her family who she’d been cut off from, only to be accused of theft.
Lucy is no shrinking violet and is determined to clear her name with the help of insurance investigator Phineas Stone
When things turn ugly who will Lucy turn to, or can she pull herself out of this mess?
This first in the series sets up our sympathies for Lucy, and outrage at her family. I loved her fiercely loyal Irish maid and companion in arms, Mary.

A Storm ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Interesting premise but it all falls apart because it dragged on so long and was pretty dull. The main character was clueless and not likeable. I enjoyed the dynamics with her family but it was buried in verbose prose that really went nowhere; even the action scenes were a little slow. This just wasn’t for me. I doubt I’ll continue with the series.

Pam Lecky weaves an interesting mystery with a tinge of romance, making for an engaging read. Now there are moments where the reader can get frustrated with the female main character (fmc), as she seems to be a bit too naive. However, given what one finds about her situation - particularly regarding her family - maybe that naivety was subconscious protection. Ultimately, she learns to take charge of her life....and that may be the hidden jewel of the book: female strength & courage.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for access to this arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.