The Man in the Shadows

This was such a good read. The writing was really well done with a storyline that was compelling and characters that were really well developed. The pacing and the tone of the book were perfectly done and the twists and unpredictabilty of this book meant I couldn't put it down.

I like this series. The MC and her employee are interesting and work two different cases in this book. I like the historical setting

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for me eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fresh take on the serial killer thriller genre. The main character is a Cuban American crime reporter. In addition to being a gripping mystery, the main character is a fully fleshed out character with interesting relationships. Top notch.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of The Man in the Shadows, the third novel to feature Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham of the World’s End Enquiry Bureau, set in London in 1881.

The Bureau is starting to have some success, but Lily and Felix are getting fed up with infidelity cases. That changes one day when they get two cases unrelated to the upper classes and their love lives. The Reverend James Jellicoe asks them to find Yakov, an 11 year old Russian refugee who disappeared when his grandmother and only relative was taken to hospital. Then Jared Spokewright asks them to clear his brother’s name. Abel Spokewright was hanged for the murder of Effie Quittenden in the Kent village of Crooked Green.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Man in the Shadows which follows Lily and Felix through two entirely different investigations. Felix is in Kent trying to sort through various motives and suspects while Lily is in London’s East End looking for a needle in a haystack or more prosaically a poor, homeless child among the many.

The narrative alternates between these two different stories, one set in a deprived urban area, the other set in a rural village. This contrast is marked but human nature is indifferent to setting so danger still lurks for both Lily and Felix. Lily’s investigation is more overtly dangerous as she is not the only one looking for Yakov and the why of that is one of the mysteries in the novel. The explanation is certainly interesting, even if I’m not sure about its plausibility. Felix’s investigation is more traditional in that it is a straightforward hunt for a murderer who escaped justice, so he spends him time interviewing potential suspects and trying to find a motive. Both investigations are interesting, absorbing and compulsive in their own ways.

I like the author’s style of writing. The prose is clear and there is no muddle in the plot so its objectives are never in doubt and she builds inexorably to a conclusion. The locations are easy to visualise and the period detail seems well researched. At the same time there is a sense of tension in Lily’s case and more of a mystery in Felix’s case so all bases are covered.

The Man in the Shadows is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Alys Clare follows the Man in the Shadows in this Victorian mystery involving a man wrongfully hanged for a murder he did not commit and a missing young man who carries something wanted by the Russian secret police.
Very grubby dealings in London and the countryside. All solved to the satisfaction of the detective agency and their clients. Interesting historical mystery.

Good read. I’ve never read a book by this author but it kept me engaged. It had some dark gothic like parts but humor at other times. Would recommend.

Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham of the Worlds End Bureau are back with the third episode in this Victorian private investigation series. The agency is on firmer footing now but they are both bemoaning the fact of having a constant flow of cheating spouses to track instead of cases that would be more challenging to their skills. Then, in one day, two such cases enter their offices.

In the first, the Reverend Jellicote, who runs a mission involved with immigrants to London brings her the case of an elderly Russian woman who fled the pogroms in that country with her family but landed in England with only her young grandson still alive. Now that boy is missing as she is recovering in hospital. As Lily and Felix begin to consider this, there is another knock on the door. One Jared Spokewright, a dock worker, has a difficult story and task. His brother Abel was in Kent a year ago hop picking, had met a girl, fallen in love. They planned to marry. But she was murdered and , with a fairly quick procedure, Abel was tried, convicted and hung. The family cannot even visit his grave as it’s in the prison. Jared wants the firm to establish his brother’s innocence.

Two meaty cases that will tax both Felix and Lily and require that they work more separately, with less consultation than previously. But they work to their strengths. I enjoyed finding insights into both, especially learning more about Felix. Occasionally I disliked moving from the thread of one story to another, but only because I was so wrapped up in the current one. I quickly became wrapped up in the other.

A copy of this book was provided by Severn House through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Alys Clare's historical mysteries are always fascinating and this one is the best in this series. I liked the plot, the vivid historical background, wes glad to catch up with the characters.
The solid mystery kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

August 1881. After a series of divorce cases the World's End Bureau get two new cases. Firstly they are approached by the Reverend James Jellicote to find a missing Russian Jewish refugee fleeing with his family from the pogroms, who had recently arrived in London. A job for Lily Raynor. And that of a possible miscarriage of justice. Jared Spokewright believes his brother Abel, was wrongly hanged for the murder of Effie Quittenden in Kent during the last hop-picking season. With connections in the area Felix Wilbraham journeys to Crooked Green.
Another entertaining, well-plotted and well-written historical mystery. With its array of varied and likeable characters, especially the two main charcters, it is another good addition to this Victorian series
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so pleased to receive an advanced copy of this book, our third foray into the world of Lily Raynor owner of the World's End Agency and her erstwhile employee Felix. I loved the first two in this series and was intrigued as to what the next adventure would be.
In The Man in the Shadows, Lily and Felix set out on separate investigations- one searching for a lost refugee in the seamy streets of London while Felix goes to the country to investigate indigent workers on a hop picking farm. Both of these stories are well told, the main characters do not disappoint and the extras are drawn so well we can readily identify each character and their purpose in driving the narrative. Alys Clare is so talented in her descriptions of location and reactions of the players. I adore Lily and Felix, especially Felix. My thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the Author for an ARC. Cannot wait for book four!

Another sound entry in this series. This is my favourite series by Alys Clare. This story involves a miscarriage of justice and in a different case, Russian immigres escaping the pogroms for a safer life. Lily and Felix split up to solve these cases and both come to a successful conclusion. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.