deadly scandal by kate parker: a review

Full disclosure: the author is my mother. 

Further full disclosure: I don't care --I'll be honest with this review. That's the way we roll in our family.

DESCRIPTION:

"A carefree young Londoner in the 1930s has her life turned upside down when her husband is killed. She takes a job at a large daily newspaper and finds herself not only investigating her husband's murder, but also getting embroiled in perilous European politics."

REVIEW:

Deadly Scandal is the first in a series. Mrs. Olivia Denis, aged 25, is recently widowed. Her husband, Reggie, has committed suicide --or has he? By the first chapter, two features that make this book an excellent read have been established: 1) plot --there are masterful twists & turns and I was tempted to classify Deadly Scandal as a thriller, even though technically, I think it's a romantic mystery; and 2) character --Olivia Denis is a terrifically smart main character, and the other characters are well-rounded.

The time period and political situation (pre-World War II London) described are full of intrigue and uncertainty, which provide for page-turning drama. The Nazis are on the rise in Germany but have yet to invade other countries. We (as readers) know how it turns out, but the characters in the book have no idea. A story of espionage and questionable loyalties unfolds with surprises around every turn --I wouldn't have seen Chapter 6 coming, for example, if my Dad hadn't spoiled it for me (thanks, Dad ...). Olivia Denis is uncertain about everything and everyone, except for her one certainty: her husband did not kill himself. The book follows her on her search for the truth about her husband's death. She's good company in a complicated world.

There's a dry wit to the book as well. It's not all drama and romance and intrigue. Thank goodness. I'll be honest: I prefer my books with humor, and this has it, although it's not laugh out loud funny. A lot of the wit comes through Olivia's take on the happenings and people she meets along the way. She's a very practical heroine and good fun.

I would recommend Deadly Scandal, even if my mother hadn't written it. I might not have read it in the first place because it's not typically a genre I choose, to be honest, but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed it thoroughly. If you like political intrigue and history with a touch of glamour and romance, then this is the book for you. 



AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:

Uh, my mother.  

Besides that, "Growing up in a family of mystery readers, Kate Parker read Agatha Christie while her classmates read Dick and Jane. To this day, she can't see a routine place or event without cloaking it in mystery, complete with a dead body. Kate is fascinated with brooding historic buildings in Great Britain and Europe and the people who once inhabited them. This led her to create characters from other times to live, commit crimes, and seek justice in these beautiful old towns. She began writing to allow the cozy thrillers lurking in her brain to have their own existence. The Victorian Bookshop Mysteries are her first published novels, now being joined by the Deadly series of pre-WW II mysteries."

Deadly Scandal and its sequel, the newly-released Deadly Wedding (which I haven't read yet, but I will) are available online in both paperback and ebook.