#Review The Cowardice of Crows by Sarah E Smith @Symington_Byrd @Kensington_Gore

Good evening bookworms!

Tonight I am over the moon to bring you my review of The Cowardice of Crows by Sarah E Smith.

This is one book I would be guilty of judging by it’s cover and title, which is obviously disgusting of me!

I personally wouldn’t pick this up as it doesn’t look like the kind of book I’d enjoy for some reason – and I have no idea why!!!

HOW WRONG WOULD I HAVE BEEN?!?!

I BLOODY LOVED IT!!!!!!

And lesson learned ~ I am hanging my head in complete and utter shame!!!!! Anyway, whilst I go and confess my sins . . .

Here’s the blurb . . .

It seemed Millicent Jones committed suicide… until a House of Commons cufflink is found wedged in her throat. Given that Queen Victoria is dying, the last thing anyone wants is scandal. So Symington, Earl Byrd, renowned playboy and gentleman detective is called in to investigate. But someone always seems one step ahead of Byrd, and has their own reasons for wanting Millie’s killer caught. With suspects galore, the Police baffled, Byrd and his cousin, Chief Inspector Sir Charles Carter, find themselves drawn into the criminal world of the Pawnbroker and his Apprentice: a world so scary and seductive that Symington Byrd is in danger of losing his very own soul.

My thoughts . . .

Well well well . . .

As regular followers of my blog will know I love history and I love crime, so mixing the two together in a brilliant book is just perfect for me and Sarah E Smith has done it perfectly with her first crime novel, A Cowardice of Crows.

The setting is Victorian England, the crime? Well it’s not a crime, it’s a suicide . . . Isn’t it?!?

 Sarah’s knowledge of this era is absolutely second to none, I utterly adored how she drew me into the time, I could quite easily have been sat on the periphery of the whole book, it was fantastic!

Her writing is great too, the plot is thick and fast, gory and detailed and utterly gruesome!

I loved Byrd, he reminded me a little of Sherlock Holmes, a real gentleman, a mystery, the one all the ladies want but none will get. A charmer and a sleuth and a fantastic one at that. He is very realistic and fits into the era perfectly, as does his cousin, Charles Carter. I also loved that some of the story is based on true life events, it made the rest of the story a lot more plausible.

With twists and turns and a criminal who is always one step ahead,, A Cowardice of Crows is a complete sleep stealer!

You really should treat to yourself to this one!!! So off you pop to Amazon UK  and get your copy now!!

Many thanks to Sarah and the team at Kensington Gore for my review copy.

About the author . . .

 Sarah Elizabeth Smith is not like any other writer, she is a unique talent. She refuses to be filed, stamped, indexed, debriefed, or numbered. Of course here at KGHH Publishing we will not allow her to resign either. Born in Plymouth in 1967 to a naval family, Sarah never wanted to go down to the sea in ships, she wanted to travel in time. For some people this would be a daunting challenge. For Sarah it was easy. There were three ways to do it: stow away in the TARDIS, study History and write a book. Trouble is, once she started writing she found she couldn’t stop; publishing three books in four years – no mean feat while holding down a full time job in the educational world. Yet, rather than taking a well-earned break after completing her YA time travel adventure – The Secret of Aldwych Strand – she turned her attention to crime. As those of you already aware of her work can attest, Sarah’s novels are steeped in blood. Cut her and her knowledge of the underbelly of the Victorian era, flows like a river through the pages of her books. Making you believe that she really did travel in that TARDIS, with Tom Baker. Making you believe her tales of Mini Metros and Jelly babies are just a ruse. For in her latest novel: A Cowardice of Crows – The Pawnbroker’s Apprentice, Sarah has excelled herself. Her murders are brutal, their execution fiendish, and her criminal’s motives diabolical. Fortunately for us, in Symington, Lord Byrd, Sarah’s created a detective more than capable of defeating such evil. Everything a gentleman detective should be, Byrd is handsome, debonair and intelligent. A true rival to Poirot, Lord Peter Wimsey and even old Sherlock Holmes himself. Welcome to the darkness, as KGHH Publishing and Sarah join forces to bring you everything a lover of crime could possibly want – and more.