Gina Parrish

I loved the sense of humor and voice in this one, like the first, but the ending fell apart. The mystery was too convoluted and ridiculous, even for me. Hildy the cow was a nice addition.

A fun mystery in the classic amateur detective style. The voice of the main character is strong and funny, but can be a tad annoying at times. The mystery was complicated and verged on the ridiculous but I was there for the ride. I got tired of some of the descriptions of dialogue delivery but have a feeling it may improve throughout the series. Overall I appreciated the humor most of all.

Another good one. For some reason it didn't stand out amongst the rest but it could be because I am moving so fast through them on my free trial of kindle... I liked the parts about archeology even though they weren't central to the plot.

A good, satisfying mystery, as usual. The villains were particularly awful in this one and Lennox was a particularly hungry curmudgeon. I would like to see more character development from the mains, and more women at the center of the plots. Also, maybe a spin on the format. I like some solid evidence every once in a while.

This was another entertaining read. It was cruising towards five stars for me but I actually thought the ending let it down a bit in its predictability, as well as Lennox's bad moods. But this series is great and consistently good. Each one is hard to put down.

This was an interesting one with a lot of different dynamics. I really enjoyed it. Lennox isn't the most likeable of characters and he rubbed me the wrong way a couple times in this one but the mystery kept me captivated. The methods and motives were unusual and I liked the London setting.

This one wasn't my favorite of the series but it still eked four stars from me because every time I put it down I wanted to keep reading. I feel like the description on Goodreads (and perhaps on the book flap?) is loaded with spoilers. Luckily I didn't read it until I came to write this review. My favorite parts of this one were the mystery elements and my least favorite parts were stereotypes that came through. Still waiting for some more fleshed out female characters! Maybe Persi will make more of an appearance in the next one.

Loved it. It was smart and funny and had great pacing. The characters had actual growth and I enjoyed their journey all the way to the end.

Just as good as, if not better, than the last. The mystery was expertly woven in this one and the history, setting, and characters were interesting. I do wish the female characters were more fleshed out and varied... they all feel the same to me.

This was my favorite in the series so far. The pacing, plotting, mystery elements, and character development, all hit just the right note for me. I also enjoyed the setting and the history. It felt better executed than the previous one.

I can see why this one felt weaker than the others for some readers but I love a good mystery-adventure set in the desert, as well as early film history, so... it came in at four stars for me.

The setting, characters, and archeological aspects of this one appealed to me and I enjoyed seeing Lennox as a fish out of water. There were lots of fast-paced scenes and confounding clues, and I had fun reading it.

As for what could've been better, I think the weakest element was the mystery... it felt like an afterthought and the denouement was a disappointment as there was no evidence. The romance also felt forced... Lennox and Persi don't seem to know each other very well and we aren't given any reasons to root for them to get together. There were also quite a few more typos in this one, so the editing needed work.

Overall, if you like Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody series or Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile or Murder in Mesopotamia, I think you'll like this one.

I liked the setting and plot of this one but thought it dragged in the middle. The archeologist characters were difficult to tell apart so the suspects were kind of all clumped together. The history was interesting but told at length across multiple chapters, which started to lose my attention. Overall I liked it, particularly once it picked up near the end, but it wasn't as good as the first two.

A Gentleman in Moscow is a long haul to get through, but very well written and engaging. It's far more character driven than plot driven, and it presents ideas more than happenings, but overall it is a good read. It makes you think and feel—about history, freedom, and time passing. It's a good read for those who don't want to read anything too heavy, but want to read something of substance.

This is an entertaining series and the mysteries are well-crafted. I don't love the main character but I don't think that is required. For once they really do remind me of the Golden Age of detective fiction, but modernized in a positive way. I wish the female characters were more substantial but there is hope for the future.

Short, sweet, and to the point. I read it in one sitting. It was succinct and well-written and I intend to read more from this author.

Edit: This book has stuck with me after reading it. I've found myself reflecting on it several times and if that doesn't mark a great story I don't know what does.

A whodunit in the classic style—just what I was hoping for. I particularly liked the quality of the writing and plotting—it was all very tight and engaging. I also liked the length—it's nice to keep things short and sweet every once in a while. The main character was a tad elitist, but I don't think it went over the edge. And while it took place at Christmas, it didn't distract from the story in any way. I look forward to the next one.

As a classic film lover, I was excited about the premise with this one but the execution fell flat. I will agree with other reviewers and say it read like fanfiction. I almost did not finish, which is rare for me, but instead I skimmed a good chunk of the book.

What I really wanted was a screwball comedy like IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) or, even better, HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940), or I would have even loved something like THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934), but instead I got a melodrama like TEDDY AT THE THROTTLE (1917) but way too long and without the awesome dog who saves the day in the end.

Unfortunately most of the problems were in the writing. The plot was lackluster and poorly paced. The writing had too much telling and not enough showing, and then everything that was told was repeated over and over again. (Dash believes he's unloveable! Dash believes he's unloveable!) The characters were melodramatic and unlikeable. And despite the author's note at the end, it still felt too modern, not because of content but because of the people within the story's perception of the content. Also, the research really didn't shine and I felt a tad insulted at the comparisons made in the end. (The character Joan Davis did not come off anything like Barbara Stanwyk!) Plus, (spoiler alert) everyone gets an Oscar in the end?

If anyone has better suggestions of novels that invoke Old Hollywood I would love them, because I really love that setting, but this one I would not recommend.

I keep reading these books because I like them... but I have to admit that I don't think they are that well written. I appreciate the research that goes into them but I think they can be lazy with regard to the words used and even the plot and character development. The romance has confusing and cringeworthy moments. Of any of them, the first one was the best. They feel a little like a “guilty pleasure” for me, which is fine for what it is, but I think they are a bit overrated here on Goodreads.

This novel followed almost the exact same formula as the first in the series. There were many similarities in the plot, which to me made it feel less interesting, though I still enjoyed it. The scientific elements and the historical research clearly took time and effort and I applaud the author for that, I only wish she would put as much effort into the writing itself. There are so many repeated words and phrases and truisms. It's as though the author and editor know but don't care. (Some examples: “pragmatic” in all its forms, “sardonic”, “the pot calling the kettle black”, etc.) She's also finicky about where she uses detail. She's not afraid to describe the way a steam engine works in detail, but won't describe the caricatures that are making such a stir. (Considering the author has an MFA in graphic design, I would expect her to have some caricature ideas.) Also, while I was rooting for the main two characters to get together romantically, I found the romantic scenes rushed and clumsy. The author didn't play out the more interesting angles like she could have. I will probably keep going just so I don't have to search for a different series, but I was a tad disappointed with this one.

This was an engrossing mystery novel that took place in Regency London. The historical fiction elements seemed well-researched, with the exception of some of the dialogue, which felt more modern. (I'm pretty sure “cut to the chase” is a term from the film industry.)

It was well-written and edited, though some of the words seemed redundant. (Charlotte is described as “pragmatic” too many times to count.) I also got tired of reading an interpretation of what was said between every line of dialogue, though the character development felt thorough because of it.

I enjoyed the mystery elements, though they weren't particularly hard to figure out, and I also enjoyed the action sequences.

The writing in the end verged on the romantic for me, and I felt the characters were unnecessarily stereotyped by their gender. (Charlotte was described as being ruled by her emotions and intuition, though that wasn't reflected in her words and actions. Likewise, Wrexford was described as cold and unfeeling, with a hot temper, which also wasn't reflected in his words and actions.) It would've been a more interesting writing choice to flip those stereotypes, maybe, but I liked the characters so it was fine.

Overall, I intend to keep going with the series and I look forward to more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel for its immersive setting in the early days of Hollywood, as well as for its mystery plot. I was engaged throughout and looked forward to picking the book up again after putting it down. That said, I have a degree in film and I am obsessed with murder mysteries so this novel centered around two of my biggest interests. I particularly liked the protagonist, Mary Rourke, and favored the chapters that followed her versus the Louisiana subplot.

I knocked it down a star because it had a few imperfections that bothered me: namely, the first chapter, the high body count, and the elongated ending that didn't leave me fully satisfied. I almost put the book down thinking I'd made a mistake after the first page. The author has a fondness for (take note) double-word adjectives that got more tolerable over time but the first couple paragraphs had excessive detail describing the desert. I'm glad I kept going with it.

My biggest gripe is that the author really played up the antagonist as evil incarnate and, I don't know about everyone else, but when we're dealing with a stark good versus evil binary, I want good to prevail with a magnificent flourish in the end. Otherwise, there needs to be more grey area. There were so many (I mean, so many) deaths that were the result of being brainwashed by pure evil that I was ready for the antagonist to finally meet their match in the end.

Besides that, I would recommend this one to fans of noir mystery and old Hollywood.

I enjoy this series but this one wasn't my favorite. It had a similar feel to the others but we didn't get to see the four main murder club characters interact as much. The subplots were fairly sad and the rest revolved around the drug world, which I think I'm getting a little tired of. I wish the author would have run with a plot about romance scams or other scams against the elderly, since often they are not individuals but large groups of people who operate them and it would've been appropriate for that group.

For some reason I didn't find this book as engaging as I had hoped, though I'm having trouble pinpointing why. Maybe I had trouble relating to the main character, whose most defining quality was being a teenage boy. And the peculiar children were really defined by their abilities more than anything. The plot picked up at the end and I enjoyed the ride... but not sure my heart is committed to the series. We'll see.

I'll admit I probably don't remember them all 100%, but I feel like this is the best of the series so far. I particularly liked the balance of the marriage bureau, the mystery, and the character development. None overshadowed the other, which I appreciated. I also appreciated less of the gangsters this time around, as they never were my favorite. The mystery itself was fun to follow, even when I had it figured out. Looking forward to the next one.

It's not a bad installment in the series... but there is so much explaining. Between every line of dialogue there is a sentence explaining the possible subtext. And there are so many paragraphs devoted to different characters in the political game, amongst three connecting investigations, that it is hard to keep track. I wish the actual mystery elements had been the focus, but I still enjoyed it. I am ready for Ardmore to be vanquished since it seems his storylines have dragged on.