The Endicott Evil by Gregory Harris

The Endicott Evil by Gregory Harris ISBN-13: 9781617738890 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Kensington Books Released: March 28, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
In Victorian London, there exists no greater investigative team than master sleuth Colin Pendragon and his loyal partner, Ethan Pruitt. But it will take all their powers of deduction to determine if a fatal fall was a result of misery or murder . . .

Adelaide Endicott—elderly sister of Lord Thomas Endicott, a senior member of Parliament—has plummeted to her death from the third-floor window of her bedroom at Layton Manor. Did she take her own life—or was she pushed? Although Scotland Yard believes it is a clear case of suicide, Adelaide’s sister Eugenia is convinced otherwise . . .

Pendragon and Pruitt look into the victim’s troubled mental state while simultaneously exploring who might have had a motive to push Adelaide to her death. As they search for the truth, they uncover a family history involving scandalous secrets, abuse, and trauma.


My Review:
The Endicott Evil is a mystery set in London around 1895. It's the fifth book in a series. They're trying to wrap up the loose ends on the Connicle case (from book 3), so that case was thoroughly discussed. I probably would have enjoyed that part of the story more if I'd read the beginnings of the case. They're also investigating the Endicott case, which worked as a stand-alone mystery.

Pendragon and Pruitt seem intended to be a Holmes and Watson duo, only they're gay (as indicated by a few comments and actions; it's not a major aspect of the story). Pendragon is a brilliant detective that sees clues that others completely miss and solves mysteries that seemed unsolvable. Pruitt managed to spot a few critical clues without realizing what they were until Pendragon explained their significance. However, Pruitt's main role seemed to be to manage Pendragon, usually by smoothing over his socially incorrect or rude behavior with others.

The Endicott case was clue-based. I could see where it was going, but the critical clues to whodunit were not revealed by Pendragon until the big reveal at the end. The Connicle case mainly involved tracking a woman down. I was a bit baffled why the duo didn't anticipate what happened at the end since they knew she was dangerous.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.