The Infidel Stain
M.J. Carter
It's 1841, and three years after we left them at the close of The Strangler Vine, Blake and Avery are reunited in very different circumstances in London. There has been a series of dreadful murders in the slums of the printing district, which the police mysteriously refuse to investigate, and Blake and Avery must find the culprit before he kills again.My thoughts:
I loved THE STRANGLER VINE and was excited for the sequel, but I found the beginning of THE INFIDEL STAIN a little slow. The author, for me, relied too much on characterization built in the first book, which took away some of what made the relationship between Blake and Avery work so well. Blake isn't as much of an enigma now.
So the pace wasn't as quick as I'd have liked, and the setting, London, wasn't as evocative, but the mystery was front and center and I love how the author weaved everything together. Secondary characters are well-drawn and alive on the page and the city was a character in itself.
The action picked up around the 50% mark and all the things I loved about THE STRANGLER VINE were back on the page--the fast pace, Blake's quiet, mysterious charm, Avery's internal struggles, and the pieces of the mystery falling into place.
I'm hooked and will definitely read whatever M.J. Carter writes next.
Find it here: Goodreads
Happy Reading,
Chelly
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