A Lethal Lesson.

/ beckmank

A Lethal Lesson

By Iona Whishaw

Rating: 5/5 Stairs

Expected Publication: 27 April 2021

Which starts like this:

“Get out.” The driver’s voice was compacted with rage. The car was stopped in the middle of the road. Only the fan of light provided by the headlights made any inroads in the utter darkness. Any trace of that night’s half-moon was obliterated by the swirling snow. At near midnight, in those conditions, it was unlikely any traffic would be on the road.

A Lethal Lesson

Iona Whishaw is releasing a NEW Lane Winslow mystery this month and I couldn’t be happier! Lane Winslow is one of my favorite amateur sleuths. She’s smart, resourceful, and compassionate. This series is truly a favorite of mine and always a delight for me to return to the small town of King’s Cove and it’s latest mystery. A Lethal Lesson transported me to a winter wonderland, with King’s Cove facing winter storms and the anticipation of the holiday season.

In this particular outing, there is a lot going on. The local teacher has resigned, but right when she’s due to leave she’s found unconscious in her ransacked home, and it’s discovered that her replacement is missing. Soon after, a man is found dead on the side of the road, a hit-and-run. Are they connected, or just unfortunate timing? Inspector Darling and his team have their hands full looking into all three crimes.

Lane is doing her best to stay out of crime solving, but when she volunteers to fill in as a temporary teacher, she finds herself once again in the middle of a mystery.

As always, I love the characters and their continued development. If you’re new to the series, you can absolutely start with this mystery. While it is part of a series, the mystery itself is standalone. If you like the characters (like I do!), go back and start at the beginning to get their full story.

As for the narrative, Ms. Whishaw’s books are a little different than your traditional mystery read. Ms. Whishaw uses dual timelines to expertly weave the history of the victim with the current case. As the book unfolds, the reader gets greater understanding to the psychology and motivations of the crime as the clues are uncovered.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction/mystery, strong female leads (think Maisie Dobbs!), and mysteries that dive into not just the whodunit but the why? And really, anyone who just enjoys a good mystery. A Lethal Lesson is brimming with great characters and many questions as we try to solve not one mystery, but three!

A HUGE thank you to TouchWood Editions for sending me an Advance Reading Copy of A Lethal Lesson. As always, the cover is absolutely gorgeous and this book was pure joy for me to read.

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