The Bloomsbury Affair by Anita Davison

I have a very strange problem, I am trying to list out the data for my year-end graphs but there is one number that is off from what Goodreads shows vs reviews on my blog. This would not be that odd if I could find that one book that is missing on my Goodreads reading challenge list. I have tried keeping them parallelly open and highlighting twice already but I cannot identify the missing one!! Its bothering me to the point of distraction(although I am not hard to distract). All my lists are scheduled to be published starting the 26th, do keep an eye out for it and let me know what you think.

Moving on to the book review at hand.

I was granted access to this book thanks to the publishers and NetGalley and I must add it is a very thorough and well written book. I will sing its praises before giving the reason I gave it only three stars (I am sure most people will rate it higher than that)

This is the fifth book in a series (my first mistake: starting from a book so advanced in the series) . There is enough background information provided to the reader to ensure that we do not feel left out but there is something to be said for the loyalty that comes with knowing all the main characters over extended periods of time. Flora Harrington has been in many hair-raising situations already which makes her the perfect candidate for her cousin to run to when he is suspected of murder. Her husband is indulgent, giving in to her wishes while looking out for her welfare, at the same time he does not see her as anything other than the intelligent woman that she is in her own right. Their relationship was refreshing to read about as was the social commentary that accompanies all the observations of the behaviour of ‘Society’ in the time period. The mystery is not too difficult to unravel once we are given enough hints but it ends in a very fast paced finish leaving a little room for more sequels.

So in short, this is a highly informative and immersive story with a delightful cast of characters and equally interesting writing. The only reason I did not rate it higher was the that the entire experience would have been better if I was better invested (as mentioned earlier) and if I had not picked up on a clue or two and was more surprised by the ending. By reading just this book I can actually recommend the entire series to anyone who is looking for any historical mysteries/adventure to add to their TBR.