A Tale of Two Murders by Heather Redmond

A Tale of Two Murders by Heather Redmond ISBN-13: 9781496717153 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Kensington Released: July 31, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In the winter of 1835, young Charles Dickens is a journalist on the rise at the Evening Chronicle. Invited to dinner at the estate of the newspaper's co-editor, Charles is smitten with his boss's daughter, vivacious nineteen-year-old Kate Hogarth. They are having the best of times when a scream shatters the pleasant evening. Charles, Kate, and her father rush to the neighbors' home, where Miss Christiana Lugoson lies unconscious on the floor. By morning, the poor young woman will be dead.

When Charles hears from a colleague of a very similar mysterious death a year ago to the date, also a young woman, he begins to suspect poisoning and feels compelled to investigate. The lovely Kate offers to help--using her social position to gain access to the members of the upper crust, now suspects in a murder. If Charles can find justice for the victims, it will be a far, far better thing than he has ever done. But with a twist or two in this most peculiar case, he and Kate may be in for the worst of times .


My Review:
A Tale of Two Murders is a mystery set in 1835 in England. Vivid historical and setting details were woven into the story, making it feel like these events could really have happened. The author tried to stay true to what is known about Charles Dickens' career and lifestyle in his early twenties, but the mystery is fictional. The mood of the story was somber.

The characters were interesting and acted realistically, and I cared about what happened to them. The author also used correct manners and attitudes for the time, so Kate and Charles had to be careful about their behavior together. Charles and his friends found some inventive ways to gain access to people to ask them questions. He wanted to uncover why two girls had died on the same night a year apart. I did not correctly guess whodunit until the final clues fell in place, and Charles had it figured out by then, too.

There were only a few uses of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting mystery.


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.