An Untimely Frost by Penny Richards was cute and a fun little romp, yet there were some historical inaccuracies that pulled me from the story. However, the mystery was intriguing and I'm interested to continue the series. I didn't see that ending coming at all!

DNF. I really wanted to love this. Technically, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just a little too tame for me, it moves very slowly, and I felt like I wasn't fully getting inside Lilly's head at times. When a book is just not grabbing me, I have to move on.

A decent read, though slightly disappointing, Start to a new mystery series with definite potential.

This book was hilariously adorable! Although Lilly Long was clearly naive and unprepared to be a female detective, it was a cute, fun and easy to read story that had me laughing and cheering Lilly along as she got into and tried to get out of scrape after scrape.

A pretty decent historical mystery with this 1st book in the Lily Long Mystery Series. Lots of twists and turns. I had some guesses to the ending but all in all very intriguing. Interesting facts about the Pinkerton agency! I would definitely read the next book in the series if possible.

First in the a New Series.

In 1881 Chicago, the idea of a female detective is virtually unheard of. But when famed crime buster Allan Pinkerton opens his agency's doors to a handful of women, one intrepid actress with her own troubled past is driven to defy convention and take on a new and dangerous role. . .

Since the age of eleven, when her mother was murdered, the life of the theater is all Lilly Long has known. Now twenty-two, she has blossomed into an accomplished Shakespearean actress. But after her innocence--and her savings--are taken from her by a seductive scoundrel, Lilly vows to leave the stage, enter the real world, and save others from a similar fate. Following in the footsteps of the country's first female detective, Lilly persuades Allan Pinkerton to take her on.

Lilly's acting skills are a perfect fit for her real-life role as a Pinkerton operative. But her first case is a baptism by fire as she is sent to the small town of Vandalia to solve the mystery of a pastor who disappeared with his family--and the church's funds. When Lilly arrives, she finds the mere mention of the reverend's name provokes enmity or suspicious silence. Shadowed by a second Pinkerton agent with an agenda of his own, Lilly begins to uncover Vandalia's sordid secrets. But she'll have to deliver the performance of a lifetime to survive the final act of this drama.

Oh I so loved Lily Long in this New Historical mystery. A woman battling her own torments and fears, while making a new start in her life as a Pinkerton Agent.

A good set of characters, in a well plotted and written mystery.

I await eagerly for the next instalment.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Published by Kensington Books and downloaded via NetGalley.