Ohhhhh, have I got a fun one for you today!! The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan is so….well, read my review!
Release date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Author’s Web Site: http://www.rkmcmillan.com/
Order it: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com
From the publisher:
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:
Jem, Merinda, Jasper, and Ray. Four characters who personify independence, joy, love, wit, and charisma.
This book, on the surface, is a rollicking good time. Lots of smirks, laughs, intelligence, and a bit of romance. What’s under the surface, however, is what makes this book so fascinating. You have two independent women who are “past an age” for proper society. These are women you’d love to know in real life and have on your side. They’re not trying to fit in with society—they’re trying to find out who they are, and in Jem’s case, come to terms with it.
Jasper and Ray are charmers. Ray was more the focus in this story, and may be a new crush. He is sweet, caring, loyal, compassionate, and has just enough flaws to make you love him that much more. Including his bad poetry. 😉
Rachel McMillan has done a phenomenal job giving us lovable characters in the tempestuous setting of 1910 Toronto. She’s crafted a fun murder mystery with wit and charm while not shying away from the plight of women and immigrants in Toronto during that time.
This is a book I highly recommend!
*I was given this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Mikal Dawn 