Reviewed by annieb123 on
England Expects is the third Mirabelle Bevan mystery by Sara Sheridan. Published 27th March 2018 (originally pub. 2014) by Kensington, it's 256 pages and available in ebook format (earlier editions are available in hardcover and paperback formats).
This is a nice period mystery set in 1950s Brighton. The plot is fairly straightforward with a satisfying pace and a number of twisty surprises. The ensemble cast is varied and deftly written. Even though the female lead (Mirabelle) outshines everyone around her, I really like that her associates have and follow their own motivations and the end result is a team effort. There were a few over-the-top scenes, but it's a 1950s mystery/thriller.
It's a clean book, there's no explicit language or sexual content. There is scattered (contextual) racism and several murders (including one throat slashing which was pretty brutal, but not graphic). The book has a sort of noir-light feel in my opinion. It's traditional, but definitely not a cozy.
I did get the sense that the author is very invested in Mirabelle and yes, at times she's a stylish ninja supergirl model secret agent. And yes, the evil illuminati masons conspiracy is a trifle overused, but honestly the plotting and characterization are so perfect and so spot on that I really didn't mind. This is an eminently readable and enjoyable book. The characters (even Ms. Superwoman Mirabelle herself) are well written and (mostly) believable and in character throughout.
I wouldn't recommend this as a standalone, there's a lot of past history which would be lost with a solo read.
All around enjoyable series and this installment lives up to the quality of the previous books. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series (there are 6 books and a handful of shorter works at this point).
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 3 January, 2019: Finished reading
- 3 January, 2019: Reviewed