A Novel Disguise is the first book in a new historical cozy mystery series by Samantha Larsen. Released 16th May 2023 by Crooked Lane, it's 320 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
This is a charming historical cozy with an appealing protagonist who employs creative intelligent solutions to counteract some of the harsher realities of Regency history (women often lived lives of tenuous and terrifying insecurity). She's smart and honest (mostly) and clever as well, and generally appealing.
The book is well written and the author has a firm grasp on the nuts and bolts of plot, setting, and characterization. It's a light cozy with a strong romance subplot and a surprising amount of effective humor. It's a bookish book, and there are book titles and period book/library trivia and title-dropping throughout. Eagle eyed readers might spot an anachronism, but I found no glaring errors.
Four stars. The second book in the series, Once Upon A Murder, is due out first quarter 2024 from the same publisher.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment