The streets of Victorian London are clothed in shadows and secrets in Tessa Harris’s gripping new mystery featuring flower seller Constance Piper … old Alice McKenzie is found dead, throat slashed from ear to ear, the whispers begin once more: Jack the Ripper is back.
Constance Piper, a flower seller with a psychic gift, was a friend to both women. With the supernatural help of her late mentor, Miss Emily Tindall, and her more grounded ally, police detective Thaddeus Hawkins, she uncovers links between the murders and a Fenian gang. The Fenians, committed to violence to further their goal of an independent Ireland, are also implicated in a vicious attack in which the Countess of Kildane’s uncle was killed. Could the Whitechapel murders be a ruse to make the British police look helpless?
Soon, Constance is called upon for help. But there are spies everywhere in the city, and a bomb plot intended to incur devastating carnage. And as Constance is fast discovering, the greatest evil may not lurk in the grimy alleys of the East End, but in a conspiracy that runs from Whitechapel to the highest office in the land …
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This is the third book in the Constance Piper Mysteries. First book I read by this Author and it left me wanting to know more about Constance I put the first two books on my wish list The story brings us back to Victorian England. It is a bit different from the typical historical novel because of the connection between Constance and her dead friend’s spirit who indirectly helps Constance solve the crime. Following items play a role. Corruption within the security services. Live in Victorian England riddled with crime but also lots of honest people trying to survive. The strong bond between a mother and her child. Lots of twist and turns in this story that keeps you on reading.
A Deadly Deception by Tessa Harris is the third in the Constance Piper Mysteries series. Although I normally love a good historical mystery I found myself unable to connect with this book. It takes place in London in 1889 around the time of the Jack the Ripper murders. Several women are dead and it may indeed be Jack. Constance is naturally curious and has been helpful to the constabulary in the past. Miss Emily Tindall is Constance’ mentor, even now that she has passed away. The problem is that she is not always available. Her friend, Inspector Thaddeus Hawkins, is with the Metropolitan Police, in fact, is temporarily in charge of the Commercial Street station. He seeks her counsel despite the fact his bosses don’t like it but she has been warned away from the station so they need to be careful. The Parnell Commission is in session investigating the Irish problem so there is plenty going on in London at the moment.
The mystery was a decent one but it was convoluted and there were a lot of characters to keep straight. There were also several subplots, which made it even more complicated. In short, I am not in love with this book.
I received a free ARC of A Deadly Deception. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #adeadlydeception
This is the first book I have read by Tessa Harris and it certainly will not be my last. The mystery, suspense, paranormal and amazing characters have drawn me in and have me only wanting to read more!
There was such a different twist with the Constance Piper, A flower seller being a psychic and getting help from Miss Emily Tindall, her old mentor and a ghost. Oh yes and that made the story even more fascinating! This time period with the horror of Jack the Ripper, which has fascinated almost everyone since that time, is talked about again as another victim is found dead with the same MO. But there is a lot of unrest with the Fenians, who are stirring up trouble violence in trying to gain the independence of Ireland.
Thaddeus Hawkins is a police detective who uses Constance’s help in trying to solve the murders. There seems to be a lot going on though with evil being found in some unlikely places.
Prepare to sit back and not be able to stop once you start this amazing tale written by an author who uses fiction and facts to hold you captive until the end!
First, I like historical mysteries but, in almost all cases, I have a hard time with multiple points of view. It’s a special mystery that makes it to my must read list and this series is one of those. I also tend towards the cozier genre but this series, though tied to Jack the Ripper, kept me up way past my bedtime. The sign of a well written book.
It’s July 1889 and Victorian London is feeling less stress, feeling free to leave their windows open and free to walk some streets at some times of the day without worrying that it will cost them their life. Constance Piper continues to sell flowers to help keep her mother and older sister off the streets. It’s a very hard life for all of them. She is one of the voices of this story. Miss Emily Tindall was not only Constance’s teacher, she was her mentor – ‘was’ being the key word here for Miss Emily Tindall was murdered and the killer is still at large. She can connect with Constance and help guide her in catching killers. And no, it’s not over the top spooky, trust me, it works. The third member of the ‘team’ is Acting Inspector Thaddeus Hawkins. I had no trouble keeping all three voices separate.
When, 8 months after the last Ripper killing, Miss Alice, aka Clay Pipe Alice (because she smoked a pipe) is found slaughtered in an alley, the fears return and Constance is drawn into the case partly because Alice was her mother’s friend. Added to the possible return of Jack the Ripper (or is it a new killer on the prowl?) Thaddeus has been tasked with an investigation that focuses on the Fenians and their violent acts of terrorism on London.
Each thread got my attention and carried me along. I can’t say if this needs to be read in order or as a stand alone because, while I had read the other series by Tessa Harris – the Thomas Silkstone mysteries (6 in the series) I was new to this one and missed reading the previous two books. I plan to catch up very soon and I will add the next in the series to my must read list.
This was a very interesting and different historical novel. It is not a short story but one that you won’t get bored with. It was different in that it was written in the common dialogue of lower class London. I had thought it was bad spelling to begin with until it was explained through the story. I also found the way the book was written in the first person for the main character and a ghost telling the remainder of the story a very interesting concept. The characters were all well written and related very well together. I enjoyed the relationship between Constance and Thaddeus and look forward to reading more of their adventures and seeing how their relationship continues to mature. I received this book as an ARC and freely give my review.
As soon as I finished reading “A Deadly Deception” by Tessa Harris I instantly wanted to read the next installment of the Constance Piper Mystery series. I have found a new historical fiction mystery series to love. The historical setting of this book is so authentically and smartly written that I found myself transported back to 1889 London and swept into mystery and intrigue right along with Constance and Thaddeus. It’s not often that a book evokes such strong sensory feelings in me, but this one did. “A Deadly Deception” is the perfect read for classic mystery fans who enjoy an exciting and fast-moving plot with plenty of surprising twists and turns to keep you guessing at what will happen next.
Constance Piper is an intelligent, determined, and compassionate protagonist that I liked immediately. It was refreshing and interesting to watch her acknowledge her limitations (often imposed by society) and work around them to achieve her goals. Constance has grit and doesn’t give up. As well, Thaddeus, a police detective who yet again seeks her help, is the perfect compliment to Constance and I can’t wait to see where their blossoming romantic relationship takes them, or how they’ll solve the next murder mystery together.
I especially appreciated that this story was told from Constance’s point of view and then alternatively from Emily Tidwell’s (Constance’s former mentor/best friend and now ghost). Not only could I sleuth right along with Constance, but I could gather clues and insights from Emily as the plot unfolded. The narrative made this historically influenced mystery addictive and thrilling.
****Thank you to the author, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC which was received in exchange for my honest review****