Genre: Steampunk, Mystery
Reviewer: Jay
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About The Book
A painting holiday in steampunk Venice. A villa on the canal. A body in the water?
Lady Georgia Brunel, widowed a year, has been looking forward to her holiday in the Duchy of Venice with her companion, Millicent Brunel. The clockwork city’s annual art exhibition is in full swing, and old friends and new acquaintances make for an exciting social whirl. The married Sir Francis Thorne would pursue her if he dared. Several members of the nobility, including those with connections to Lord and Lady Dunsmuir, make entertaining companions. And Georgia will never admit that Dustin Seacombe, the disheveled and irritating Texican Ranger who steps on one’s gown and will not confide his business in Venice, is the most interesting of all.
And then early one morning, the body of Sir Francis washes up on the water stairs at the Brunel villa. An empty gondola floats nearby. Many assume it is an accident. The Duchy police assume a lover’s quarrel, with Georgia as their suspect. For there are powerful factions in the city who want this case solved and submerged as soon as possible. Georgia and Millie must act quickly to clear her name and discover the real murderer, before Georgia finds herself dancing with death instead.
The Clockwork City is the first novel in the Lady Georgia Brunel Mysteries set in the Magnificent Devices steampunk world. Though the books can be read as standalones, there are threads of love and family running through them all. No strong language, just a very proper kiss or two and a satisfying solution. Enjoy!
The Review
This is a delightful addition to Shelley Adina’s steampunk universe. Set in Venice, the clockwork city of the title, it features a murder mystery, attempted kidnappings, political shenanigans and some thriller-style moments.
Georgia is a lovable heroine and her possible romance with one of her helpers will, I hope, come to fruition in future books in the planned series. The period is ostensibly mid-Victorian but has echoes of the Regency era whilst at the same time giving us glimpses of modernity in wheeled luggage and powered bicycles.
The characters are well developed, the children (Cora and Marcus) in particular, and even the hens found on an island. Minor characters such as the servants are also three dimensional and memorable.
The author creates a very real alternative world with enormous attention to detail and then uses it as the backdrop to a crime story that is a truly great introduction to The Lady Georgia Brunel Mysteries.
The Reviewer
I’ve been doing book reviews on my website, crossposted or linked to various social media, for a few years. I read a number of genres but I really enjoy all kinds of speculative fiction so thought I’d like to share my views with you. I love sci fi and other speculative fiction because of the way it can, at its best, make us see ourselves in a new light. Quite apart from the exciting stories, of course! I used to be an English teacher, and I’m a writer (fantasy) so I can be quite critical about style etc. but I hope I can also appreciate properly some books that don’t appeal to me personally but might be simply perfect for others. I have, obviously, read widely, and continue to do so.
