*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Spontaneous human combustion is so rare it’s not even considered as an option even when a person has obviously burned to death. Until Inspector Fraser is called in on one that fits the profile where the body has burned to ash and yet the surroundings have not. However, one death, two deaths, three deaths, oh, boy…this is stretching the bounds of believability by quite a bit.

Cara and Nate are settling into married life and the Queen’s new position for them as Artifact Hunters quite nicely. And then Inspector Fraser comes along asking for Cara’s help in solving these strange deaths, deaths he believes are murders. Fraser and Nate’s hatred for each other will not stop Cara from finding Nero’s Fiddle which she believes is the instrument of the deaths. Follow the fiddle, find the killer, hopefully before there’s a victim #4.

Oh, sweet, sweet steampunk! I love this series! Murder, mystery, intrigue, humor, romance, steaminess (without being graphic), mythology, fantasy and spine tingling creepiness, I love it all. This story picks up not long after Hatshepsut’s Collar and the layers keep on building. Told from several POVs, I learned more about Fraser and his reason for hating Nate and when Cara visits with Nan I learned more about her mom & dad. Then Nan gets her own POV and I learned a lot about her and Nessy’s younger life and got to meet Cara’s grandfather, Gideon. The mystery surrounding the murders is sufficiently twisty to have kept me guessing and that ending? Wowzers. Secrets are tricksy things. Oh, must not forget the Curator. Holy shit! That guy is totally creeptastic, so, of course, I can’t wait to see more of him in the next book. And Cara gets a new bodyguard, Brick, who is quite the character and a new friend, Skittles, the famous courtesan. Jackson, Amy and Loki don’t get a lot of page time, but what they get is memorable and there are appearances by Helene and Malachi, the bookseller.

I am totally looking forward to Moseh’s Staff though the blurb fills me with dread. *shudders*

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Recently retired detective Al Quinn gets a call from the Sheriff letting him know that the brother he hasn’t talked to in twenty years is in the hospital under suspicious circumstances. After debating with himself he decides to go see what’s going on with Maury. Al has no idea that his estranged brother has so much more on his plate than even he could believe and now he’s caught right smack in the middle of a shitstorm of Maury’s making. Should the two of them survive, will they bury the hatchet or go their separate ways again?

Hooking me from the beginning, Russ Hall’s writing picked me up by the scruff, stuffed me into a 4x4 truck complete with gun rack, locked the doors, tore off down the road at high speed and didn’t let me go until the ride was over.  I read this in one sitting and while my ass didn’t appreciate it, my brain loved it. The writing is smooth and the characters are interesting. The plot wasn’t beyond the realm of imagination, the mystery was just right and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I have to say I love Al. I would love to see more books involving him though I’m not sure how since he’s retired. He’d make an excellent PI and he could take only the jobs he wanted since he’s technically retired.

Anyway, Russ Hall is new-to-me and I am now compelled to see what else he has out there. Overall, a great mystery with plenty of suspense as well as some humor, excellent characters and wonderful writing. I highly recommend this one.