'In 1910 Toronto, while other bachelor girls perfect their domestic skills and find husbands, two friends perfect their sleuthing skills and find a murderer.
Inspired by their fascination with all things Sherlock Holmes, best friends and flatmates Merinda and Jem launch a consulting detective business. The deaths of young Irish women lead Merinda and Jem deeper into the mire of the city's underbelly, where the high hopes of those dreaming to make a new life in Canada are met with prejudice and squalor.
While searching for answers, donning disguises, and sneaking around where no proper ladies would ever go, they pair with Jasper Forth, a police constable, and Ray DeLuca, a reporter in whom Jem takes a more than professional interest. Merinda could well be Toronto's premiere consulting detective, and Jem may just find a way to put her bachelor girlhood behind her forever--if they can stay alive long enough to do so.'
My thoughts:
This book initially piqued my interest because it is a genre that I love and well it was in a different city that what I normally read. It looked like something that I would enjoy, so I was thrilled when I was offered a chance to read this one. This one started off a little slow, but by the ending it had me intrigued. I think that this book was a good debut to a promising series and cannot wait to see how Jem and Merinda move forward in the series.
Merinda and Jem are bachelor ladies living in 1910 Toronto. Society requires them to act a certain way, and well that is something that neither of them is really good at. The girls are good friend and even live together and share a deep love for all things Sherlock Holmes. Both girls are very smart and attentive to detail and they begin a detective consulting business. When a case comes their way where Irish girls are turning up dead, they set out on the trail of a murderer. They become involved in high society and the back streets of Toronto to fish out their murderer. They use some help along the way, but they have to be careful because someone is after them that wants to keep everything quiet.
I enjoyed reading about Merinda and Jem and enjoyed their friendship and their differences. Both of the main characters bring something different to the duo and that is what makes their relationship work. I felt that the story was good, even if it was a little slowing going at first, and that there is a good chance for this series. I do think that the author needs to bring it a little more however. There are a lot of similar books out there and this series will really need something different to set it apart from the rest. Nevertheless, a good start to a promising new historical mystery series.
Overall Rating: 3.5
Title: The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder
Author: Rachel McMillan
Series: Herringford and Watts Mystery #1
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Publication Date: April 1, 2016
Pages: 224
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.