Death descends on Saturn Villa

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Title:

Death descends on Saturn Villa

Author:

Kasasian, M. R. C. (Martin R. C.), author.

Series:

Gower St. detective ;

Series Number:

Summary:

"Gower Street, London: 1883. March Middleton is the niece of London's greatest (and most curmudgeonly) private detective, Sidney Grice. March has just discovered a wealthy long-lost relative she never knew she had. When this newest family member meets with a horrible death, March is in the frame for murder--and only Sidney Grice can prove her innocence"--Dust jacket flap.

Edition:

First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.

Physical Description:

486 pages ; 24 cm.

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Historical fiction.

Subject Term:

Private investigators -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

London (England) -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Pegasus Crime,

Publication Date:

2016

ISBN:

9781605989716

Publication Information:

New York : Pegasus Crime, 2016.

Call Number:

KASASIA

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003114033	Adult Fiction	KASASIA	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

The new mystery novel in the evocative Victorian crime series starring the charming March Middleton and the most curmudgeonly private detective in London, Sidney Grice.

Gower Street, London: 1883.

March Middleton is the niece of London's greatest (and most curmudgeonly) private detective, Sidney Grice. March has just discovered a wealthy long-lost relative she never knew she had. When this newest family member meets with a horrible death, March is in the frame for murder--and only Sidney Grice can prove her innocence.

Grice agrees to investigate (for his usual fee) but warns that he is not entirely convinced of her innocence. If he were in her position, he might have been tempted. But the more he uncovers, the more all the clues point to Grice himself . . .

Author Notes

M. R. C. Kasasian is a British author. Before his career as a writer, he worked as a factory hand, wine waiter, veterinary assistant, fairground worker, and dentist. He is the author of the historical mystery and crime series, The Gower Street Detective. The series includes, The Mangle Street Murders, The Curse of the House of Foskett, Death Descends on Saturn Villa, The Secrets of Gaslight Lane, and Dark Dawn Over Steep House.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Set in London in 1883, Kasasian's exceptional third outing for personal (i.e., private) detective Sidney Grice (after 2015's The Curse of the House of Foskett) opens on a somber note, with a preface by Grice explaining that he had to finish the account of their current case written by his ward, March Middleton, because she has been "lost to this world." Then, in a flashback, March reads a letter dated 1882 from a woman warning her to leave Grice's home and suggesting he murdered her mother. While the reader is reeling from the implications of that reveal, a flashback to 1876 recounts the horrific fate of Marjory Gregory, who inexplicably slashed herself to death, but whose husband, who witnessed her end, insisted that she was murdered more than four years earlier. These teasers are but a prelude to a series of bizarre events that result in March apparently hacking to death a newly found relative. The Grand Guignol plot line is leavened with laugh-out-loud passages showcasing both Grice's literalness and disregard for social niceties. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

After her godfather, Sidney Grice, London's greatest detective, travels to Yorkshire for a case (even though he rarely leaves the city), a bored March Middleton is lured to Saturn Villa in Highgate to reunite with a long-lost relative. March is unfamiliar with her family's history and is convinced Ptolemy Hercules Arbuthnot Travers Symth is her great-uncle. When "Uncle Tolly" is murdered, March needs Sidney to uncover the truth and save her from the gallows. VERDICT The third outing in this Victorian series (after The Curse of the House of Foskett) stars a clever, twisty plot and entertaining characters. Not just another Sherlock Holmes pastiche, this series has its own allure that will attract fans of Will Thomas, Alex Grecian, and David Morrell. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.