London 1884. Electricity pioneer Simon Borthwick lights up Victorian London with a stunning illuminations display – then shoots himself in a hansom cab.Plucky Fleet Street reporter Penny Green witnesses the inventor’s death and suspects the clue to his suicide lies in a mysterious letter he left behind. But can she persuade Inspector James Blakely of Scotland Yard that a crime has been committed?… committed?
Borthwick isn’t the only person who died that day and Penny soon encounters a shadowy world which the police can’t get close to. When the intimidation begins, Penny starts to fear for her own safety. James does what he can to protect her, but is it enough?
What readers say about Penny Green:
★★★★★ “A Victorian Delight!”
★★★★★ “Good clean mystery in an enjoyable historical setting”
★★★★★ “If you are unfamiliar with the Penny Green Series, acquaint yourselves immediately!”
★★★★★ “Interesting, complex, believable characters”
★★★★★ “I found myself enthralled by Penny Green”
★★★★★ “An outstanding female lead character”
★★★★★ “I was engrossed from beginning to end”
★★★★★ “If you like Agatha Christie books you are going to like this one”
★★★★★ “I have found Ms. Organ’s story telling to be flawlessly entertaining!”
★★★★★ “Very strong mystery set in a very interesting time and place”
★★★★★ “Ms. Organ draws you into Penny’s world with her delicious descriptions and masterful story telling”
★★★★★ “I am very pleased with how this series is becoming one of my favorites!”
★★★★★ “Read the books in this series…. guarantee you won’t be disappointed!”
★★★★★ “A great read with a real twist at the end. Emily just gets better and better with this series.”
The Inventor is Book 4 in the Penny Green Mystery Series set in 1880s London. The books can be read in any order:
Book 1 – Limelight
Book 2 – The Rookery
Book 3 – The Maid’s Secret
Book 4 – The Inventor
Book 5 – Curse of the Poppy
Book 6 – The Bermondsey Poisoner
more
Good read thought provoking
I have enjoyed all the books in this series! Anxious for the next one.
As one in a series it is interesting to see characters develop and the romantic relationships. It does tend to make the reader want to see what happens next.
Enjoyable and decent plot but not a page turner.
I love the Penny Green books. Not only do they keep you guessing but she lives in such an exciting time; women in the workforce (including her), the invention of electric light bulbs, typewriters and more. These are also clean books. I really appreciate that.
I like this setting for mysteries. Maybe I was born too late. This had me guessing for a bit. And the romance was wonderful.
Like previous Penny Green books, The Inventor has a complex plot based on a specific historical event that the author has meticulously researched: the race for dominance in the development of artificial lighting. The plot has numerous twists and includes how people during Penny’s era (late 1800s) dealt with human behaviors outside the norms.
One aspect of the latter–how Penny deals with her desire for Inspector James Blakely who is engaged to another–is a norm that cost this book a star. The earlier books in the series accustomed me to a Penny Green who was determined and resilient. She had the kind of personality you’d expect from an adult woman trying to make a name for herself as a reporter in a competitive world full of men. That’s not to say that she didn’t have feelings. She did. But she was mature and knew how to control them.
Consequently, I found her falling apart and acting like a 13-year-old when James resists the idea of going back on his promise of matrimony to another–which was a very big no-no in that era–surprised me. When this seemed to cause a trickle down effect that caused Penny to over-react to other events and lose her perspective, I felt more annoyance than sympathy. Sometimes her responses to James were so bitchy, I couldn’t help wondering why James would even bother with her. If the author thought that doing so would make Penny appear tougher, it didn’t work on me.
However, the quality of rest of the books I’ve read in this series and main plot of the this one was such that I will read another Penny Green book.
Very entertaining….I love historical thrillers and this one was fun to read. Liked all the characters. Would like to read more from this author.
I loved this book!!! Emily Organ is good at what she does!!!
Fun stories to read with a bit of mystery to figure out.
This was an intriguing book to read. It was a surprise ending as I had no idea who was guilty until I was told. Thank you for great enterainment with wonderful characters.
Have loved all of the books by this author. I love mysteries, especially those set in London in an earlier time.
Love Emily Organ books! I found this as a free book as well as the book preceding it. Loved them both so much I bought the rest of the series. Witty, intriguing, wonderful characters. Love that they are clean reading too! I also love the added notes at the end of the books. Emily Organ researches before writing and it adds to the story. I love having era accurate plot lines.
I like period books that show a strong female character in spite of the male dominated world
Great read! Lovedthe writing and the story which has lingered with me.
Penny Green is a woman ahead of her time. A very good historical novel series. I want to read more!
Terrific picture of turn of the century career woman. All the elements of a good story. Hope to read more of this heroine.
This is a fantastic book on so many levels. I’ve read some of the others in this series and they were good also but this is the absolute best, I think. A touch of love lost, a touch of tragedy, and a huge helping of history.
A little too cozy and too many words.
Very interesting, informative..loved the characters. I love to read books in this time era – Turn of the century. Very good writer, interesting, kept me guessing.