The Angel Court Affair by Anne Perry

The Angel Court Affair: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel by Anne Perry --- 273 pages

I am a fan of Anne Perry's Victorian mystery series, both the Pitts, and the William Monk books, so I am sad to say I was disappointed in The Angel Court Affair, the thirtieth book in this series of Victorian police thrillers.

The premise was intriguing: a charismatic and controversial evangelist comes home to England to preach her unsettling new doctrine. At a time when the world is already reeling from social, scientific, and political turmoil, some people are desperate for a new revelation to guide them, while others see established belief as the last bastion of defense against chaos.

Is Sofia Delacruz the saint her followers exalt, or a charlatan as her detractors --- including her estranged cousin --- claim?  Unfortunately, Sofia is kidnapped early in the proceedings, and becomes only a shadow character fleetingly glimpsed throughout the remainder of the novel. Thomas and Charlotte (who has unfortunately become pretty much a minor character in the series since Thomas took command of Special Branch) and their daughter Jemima spend interminable pages lamenting their disillusionment with conventional religion.

The story only regains its direction when Thomas turns to Lady Vespasia and her new husband, Victor Narroway (Thomas's former mentor), for assistance. With their help Thomas finally discovers the connection between Sofia and her abductor. Fraud is indeed at the root of the crime, but not religious fraud.  Thomas and Victor race against time to find the place where Sofia is being held prisoner before the abductor disposes of her.  

Click HERE to read a review from Publishers Weekly.

Click HERE to read a review from the LDS website Wheat and Tares which casts some light on the religious aspects of the plot.

Click HERE to read comments on GoodReads.

 

Apocalyptic Moon by Eva Gordon

Apocalyptic Moon by Eva Gordon, 362 pages

 Dr. Dora Adler is celebrating her 27th birthday in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Every female member of her family has died on their 27th birthday and she is worried the curse will make her its next victim. When she is bitten by a zombie, Dora fears the curse has succeeded in ending her life. Surprisingly, she doesn't succumb to the virus and instead becomes a guinea pig for a test facility. While there she meets a gorgeous alpha werewolf to whom she is immediately attracted. Together they attempt escape from the facility and try to find Dora's step-brother and niece. In the meantime, there is a huge war brewing between religious fanatics, human-hating werewolf packs and zombies.
The author seemed to have a lot of agendas in her writing -- Everything from gay marriage/parenting, to religion and politics are interwoven in the story. This might offend some readers. Still, it's an interesting mix of romance, zombies, werewolves, shape-shifters and witches. (Although I could have done without the graphic descriptions of zombies eating people.) I liked that the main female character was strong and intelligent. The storyline is a bit disjointed, but  enjoyable.

Miss Julia to the Rescue by Ann B. Ross

Miss Julia to the Rescue by Ann B. Ross --- 305 pages

In this thirteenth installment of the popular series, Miss Julia is coping with empty nest syndrome. Young Lloyd will be moving out at the end of the school year to join his mother, baby sisters, and Mr. Pickens in their new home. Miss Julia's husband Sam is leaving on a church-sponsored tour of the Holy Land. Miss Julia needs something to distract her mind, so she decides this is the perfect time to embark on a home remodeling project. Of course what starts out as a small project rapidly grows larger: a new Williamsburg style "library" downstairs complete with fireplace and chimney, a new master bedroom and bath for herself and Sam, and a new office workspace for Sam.

However the remodeling project must be hastily set aside when Mr. Pickens goes missing on his latest private investigation job. Then an injured "John Doe" turns up in the backwoods of West Virginia who matches Mr. Pickens' description. Miss Julia enlists the aid of Etta Mae to help her ID Hazel Marie's husband and bring him home. But when the sheriff in West Virginia proves uncooperative, Miss Julia must don a disguise to infiltrate the hospital and smuggle Mr. Pickens out.

Back home again with Mr. Pickens reunited with Hazel Marie, Miss Julia turns her attention back to her remodeling project. But once again she is diverted by the rumors buzzing around Abbottsville, about the strange doings of wealthy eccentric Agnes Whitman and her "spiritual followers." Good church-going woman that she is, Miss Julia is not about to see the young people of Abbottsville enticed into some weird cult. Then Agnes has the effrontery to try to lure away Adam, the young contractor working on Miss Julia's remodeling job!  When Miss Julia receives an incoherent call for help from Adam, she and Etta Mae once more ride to the rescue.