Are you tired of mysteries where the detective figures the case using evidence you have not seen? Do you dislike when they reveal the culprit you had no hope of properly proving? Are you interested in the investigation itself rather than a sudden twist? Then this is a book for you. The fact that it's clean is also a great feature.
Personally, I would call this a Lady Alkmene Investigation rather than mystery, but that's not to dismiss the mystery, just emphasize the strength of the investigation. It also is good to know that you don't need to worry when they examine details of things like a map.
The story is told through the eyes of Lady Alkmene on her first case. It's a very observant book as she notes everything she sees and thinks in a realistic manner. Not only does she see things, but she thinks and feels and then acts based off them. This authenticity carries through most of the book and is expanded upon with the introduction of the foil, Jake.
Jake is almost the opposite of Lady Alkmene. He is more experienced in investigations and lower class. These provide tension between the two as they share their respective biased views. This is used to good effect as we get to see different opinions on the same thing and cases where neither of them have the perfect answer.
The book is also clean in content. While there is some class politics discussed, neither side makes a strong enough case and it was more to provide context for the characters’ bias while sitting the world is more complicated than expected. The only moral injection I had was Lady Alkmene lying in one case.
The weakest part of the book is the ending. It wraps things up, but it's one that gives the impression it was writing what the plot demanded rather than what the story needed. The characters rightfully acknowledge it should be hard to catch the criminal they suspect, but then it's easy and the criminal admitted to everything on incomplete and circumstantial evidence. And don't get me started on the use of circumstantial evidence.
That being said, the book held my attention throughout and only dropped in the end. There were a few sections where I had to re-read, but it was not a serious issue. I liked the book and reading how the investigation played out. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters and reading their thoughts. There is no sudden and great twist, and there is nothing for the reader to solve, but this book is proof those are not necessary in a mystery after all.
(By the way, the sequel addresses some of the issues and is indeed an improvement. You can also get a 4 mystery bundle)
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