I started this series last year, and while it was not my favorite, I did enjoy Veronica's lack of tact. Sometimes, I believe that people use too much tact when simply telling a person straight out to their face would be even more affective.
In this second story, Veronica is invited to the Curiosity Club held by women for women's sake (for lack of better words). There, Veronica is beholden to a murder mystery. Find out if Miles Ramsforth really killed his lover, the artist Artemisia and their baby, or let a possibly innocent man hang. Obviously, Stoker will not let Veronica take on this task alone, and so our duo must find the killer with no help from anyone, especially the local police. Which might turn out difficult as they too are now on a murderer's radar.
I find that Veronica can be somewhat nicer than me. If the lady in question had asked me in the manner she did to look into a murder, then I would have told her to shove off. I don't believe anyone should have their inner desires being hung over them like fish bait. I knew right off the bat, that Veronica's promise would come back to bite her, and I knew that exactly how the lady would react in the end. It drive me batty throughout the whole novel. However, I think in the end I would have agreed to the investigation because of the potential innocence of the doomed man, and nothing else.
As a former artist, it was invigorating to see a house full of artists was just like a modern day college. You have the gifted ones, the ones whom "Mommy" and "Daddy" insist are talented but really aren't, and the ones inbetween who get lost in the shuffle. The gifted ones are usually the ones who are snobbish and think highly of themselves, like Julian Gilchrist, but then you have the Emma Talbots, who are talented but lost. I think if Freddie had paid more attention than maybe the events in the novel would not have gotten as far as they did. The thing about artists is that we can see things that others cannot. Not like auras or such stuff, but a person's facial expressions because we practice with sketching the bones and muscles. If you create portraiture, whether in paint or sculpture, the faces are always the longest because of the different twitches and glances. It can be those that give a person away. Same as their hands, scarred or smooth.
The only part I can same that I am having trouble dealing with is the relationship between Veronica and Stoker. In this novel, we receive a bit more of Stoker's childhood and it becomes clear why he is difficult with those around him. We meet his brothers and we learn more about each of them, which in turn tells us more about the family. However, it is Stoker's reacton to Veronica meeting his family that baffles me. For two people who are so clearly straightforward, no holds bar truth, they certainly seem to enjoy lying to themselves. I understand Veronica's "rules" but at the same time, it closes her off. Ans Stoker must find a way to move past what his ex-wife did to him or it will eat him alive. I'm hoping as I continue the series that they realize how much better off together they will be than they are apart.
Overall 4 out of 5 stars, and the third book will be read next month. Kept in touch.
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