I started the week by reading Garden of Sins by Laura Joh Rowland. I have been a fan since she wrote the Chamberlain Sano series which takes place in seventeenth century Japan.

Garden of Sins is the newest in her Sarah Bain series and takes place in the Victorian era. In this mystery, Sarah and her new husband investigate the death of a female Pinkerton detective. It all has something to do with actors/circus performers who have re-activated a shabby theater.

Besides the central mystery, which involves the talents of Mick and his girlfriend, Sarah is dealing with the trial of her father, a media storm of its own, and problems in her new marriage.

As always, the plotting and the characters are first rate.

The second book I read was Jane Cleland’s Jane Austen’s Lost Letters, part of the Josie Prescott (antique dealer) series.

I had real problems with this mystery. The central mystery, the murder of another dealer who had discovered a method for identifying a forger was fascinating. In fact, all of the antique related information was riveting.

But . . . A woman named Veronica Sutton gives Josie a case that includes the letters. This woman has some connection to Josie’s father (who died twenty years previously.) Although Sutton makes it clear she does not want to engage with Josie, she will not let it go to the point where it felt uncomfortably like stalking.

The mystery about Veronica Sutton is resolved, with a shattering revelation for Josie. I found the backstory a tad unbelievable – would a father really keep such a secret from the daughter he claimed to love so much?

Finally, I read Double Whammy by Gretchen Archer. This is the first in a series recommended by a good friend.

Davis Way (yes, that is really her name), is at a very low ebb. Penniless, she has lost her job and is desperate to find another. A dream job in Biloxi, Miss at a casino presents itself. She is astonishingly well paid and is offered a closet full of designer clothing. But what is the job? She is told it is security work but there are very few specifics. At base, she is supposed to discover how various people are stealing from the casino. Ah, but it is not that simple, is it?

Her ex-husband, ‘Eddie the Ass’, is involved somehow and Davis really wants revenge on him.

Fun and frothy. I will definitely read more, although I do hope Davis grows up a little.garden of sin