Written in Secret, a historical mystery/suspense/ romance novel by Crystal Caudill, is fun and thought-provoking. I loved the late 1800s setting — there’s some great detail about Chicago of the era and interesting info about book publishing of the time. It was just so much fun for this book nerd! The novel follows romance and mystery writer Lydia Pelton who is devoted to her craft and to justice as she sees it. Unfortunately a killer takes her books a little too seriously. She meets her match in police detective Abraham Hall who views her novels as inappropriate and dangerous. The two clash as the killer gets closer to Lydia. I found the views of both MCs to be insightful. There is a great deal of power in one’s words. Caudill does a great job of balancing the tension of the narrative with humor. I loved this book!
If you like historical mystery/suspense, then put Written in Secret on your TBR list. I look forward to more books in the series.
Highly recommended.
Great for book clubs.
Audience: adults.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
What happens when fiction becomes reality? In the corruption-infested Queen City, danger lurks in every shadow, but Lydia Pelton refuses to stay silent. She writes under a pseudonym, E. A. Dupin, crafting crime novels to exact justice and right the wrongs she sees in society. When a serial killer decides to be the sword to her pen, Lydia is confronted with the consequences of her words. Four men are dead, and the city blames her.
With murders on the rise, Officer Abraham Hall’s only lead is Lydia’s fiction, and he is thrust into an investigation with the “Killer Queen of Romance.” Despite his misgivings about the woman, he realizes that even with his reputation for catching elusive criminals, he needs her help. But his unexpected attraction to Lydia proves as difficult to manage as the woman herself.
As the mystery unfolds, Abraham and Lydia race to rewrite the ending, not only for Cincinnati’s citizens, but for their own hearts too.
Crystal Caudill is a tea-drinking, book-hoarding, history nerd. Her award-winning stories are ripe with history, danger, love, and hope. When not writing, Crystal can be found playing board games with her husband and boys, caregiving for loved ones, hiding in a book, drinking copious amounts of hot tea, or connecting with readers. You can connect with her at http://www.crystalcaudill.com or by joining her newsletter crew at bitly.com/CaudillNews.
Recent Comments