Review: An Ominous Explosion

Title: An Ominous Explosion: A Regency Cozy (Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries Book 10)

Author: Lynn Messina

Publisher: 13th May 2022 by Potatoworks Press

Pages: 278 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, mystery, romance

My Rating:  3 cups

Synopsis:

To be clear: Beatrice, Duchess of Kesgrave, does not think every dead person in London is the victim of a sinister plot. The city is large, after all, and some of its inhabitants had to have died from innocent causes. Like Peter Huzza, who was killed in a horrifying steam engine accident. It is shocking, yes, the way his body was torn apart by the explosion of his very own machine, but not entirely surprising. High-pressure steam is notoriously dangerous to harness.

There is no reason to suspect foul play.

Nope, none at all.

And yet there is that disquiet Bea feels when she pictures the decimation caused by the blast. It just doesn't seem quite decimated enough. But the alternative makes even less sense, for how could she have noticed something that one hundred other spectators missed? Believing the inventor was murdered right before their eyes—it is a wildly implausible theory.

No doubt it is. But when has Beatrice Hyde-Clare ever let the impossibility of a theory stop her?

My Thoughts

I have enjoyed Lynn’s previous novels, having partaken in her Regency Cozy Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries I was eager to return to the story of Beatrice and Damien once more. An Ominous Explosion is the 10th book in this series and these are fun, light and entertaining reads - a little romance, a little mystery and loads of banter to bring a smile to your dial.

“From almost the very beginning, I have been troubled by your recklessness, the way you bound heedlessly into danger, determined to investigate murders that have nothing to do with you,”

Quick to read and not necessary to have read others in the series (though obviously, it will enhance your experience) I highly recommend you sample some of Lynn’s writing. The characters are great with the banter between Bea and Damien an absolute highlight. I have loved this series but feel some of the shine has worn off and I struggled somewhat with this instalment. I still find the writing style unusual -  dialogue that tells rather than one-to-one engagement definitely takes something away from the storytelling. You will also learn more than you ever thought possible on the development of steam engines and Bea is almost overconfident - I miss the old dynamics.

‘Only months ago she was a reticent spinster, barely capable of offering a benign reply to a remark about the weather, and now she was a confident investigator sifting through a horrifying tragedy to find a murder plot.’

With murders to solve and chaos to reign in, these light and fun regency romps (solely in the sleuth solving department) are sure to please. It is the perfect book to make that cup of tea with and while away the hour with the quick witted Beatrice and Damien Kesgrave.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.