I really enjoy the Heloise Chancey series, they always have a great mystery and the characters are extremely well done. This book keeps the charm of the series and continues to keep my interest from beginning to end.

Another Irene Adler mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. I highly recommend the whole series for Victorian mystery lovers

Third in a series excellent historical fiction.Very well written very engaging highly recommend this series,#netgalley#legendpress

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
The third in a series, I'll probably go back and read the others. Very interesting read.

M.J. Tjia in The Death of Me immerses the reader in the murderous politics of 1860's Europe. Our heroine courtesan and part time detective is caught up in intrigue and murder in Paris which follows her back to England. Her servant Amah is kidnapped by a nefarious pair and held to blackmail money from her. No one is who they seem. Very complicated plot and intrepid heroines.

The Death of Me is the third in this series and it is well written. I love the characters and the historical fiction mystery.

The work is part of series which I have not previously read, which may explain why I felt so immediately at sea. I cannot recommend this book to those unfamiliar with previous books in the series and refer readers seeking reviews to the reviews of individuals who did not come late to the series.

Initially I wasn't a huge fan of the way this book goes from 1st person to 3rd person, but as I read on and got more and more engrossed in the storylines I found I got with it just fine. I really enjoyed it; almost 2 stories side by side - the main characters exciting espionage alongside the mothers separate tale, both wrapped up nicely at the end.

This is the third installment in the series featuring Heloise Chancey, a Victorian courtesan who has a penchant for solving mysteries. This book starts with her in Paris and being asked to stand in on a mysterious assignation. She soon gets embroiled in trying to uncover a bombing plot and goes undercover in a cheap boarding house, far away from her usual luxurious lifestyle. Meanwhile, her mother, Amah, has her own adventures in Liverpool and the action switches between the two women.

I've read the whole series and don't think this is the best. It's readable and the heroine, Heloise, is lively and engaging, but the action is a bit slow and convoluted. It does pick up at the end, but I did feel that the plot meandered in the middle and Heloise didn't really seem to know what she was looking for. The plot with Amah relates to previous books and did not seem particularly important to the main narrative so was a little frustrating. I think, because the bombing plot was so vague, I never really felt any real danger and so the stakes just weren't there.

I did like the characterisation and the setting. Both are very well presented and the descriptions of Victorian Liverpool were particularly vivid. I wasn't clear whether any of it was based in fact as there seemed to be a place/people named in the Amah storyline that did exist (Crewe Hall and its owners).

Overall, I would say to read this if you have read the others in the series. It is a light read, but I hope that the next installment will be a bit more gripping. If you haven't yet discovered Heloise Chancey, I'd suggest you start with the first book as there is much more there to enjoy.

Lady Heloise Chancey is in Paris to help her friend Somerscale who she finds in Debtors Prison. She takes his place meeting a contact in a sordid district of Paris. This simple task leads to murder and a shaken Heloise returns to London. Heloise finds that plots and murder have followed her and goes undercover to spy for the War Office. Interspersed is her mother Amah reliving her past which nearly costs her her life. Moving between these two stories slows the pace a bit but you still wish to follow Heloise as she gets closer to the truth. This is the 3rd book in the series and l felt you would benefit from reading the previous stories.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series but this one was a little slow for me. Heloise is a courtesan who does some investigating on the side. She is a bit shallow and selfish but still likable. In this book she gets drawn into an investigation by the home office while vacationing in Paris with her lover. While there she meets a brash American who keeps turning up throughout the story. Also Amah is being blackmailed and goes back to Liverpool where we learn more about her past.
I feel the way the chapters alternated between Heloise and Amah really slowed things down. I also wish Heloise had a real love interest, not just her married lover Hatterleigh.
It was still a good book, just not as good as the first two. I look forward to the next one.

It's an entertaining and engrossing historical mystery with a fleshed and interesting cast of characters.
I loved the plot, the characters and the setting.
Even if it's part of a series it can be read as a standalone.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Death of Me by M. J. Tjia is a quick read. It is the third book of a series but it is not necessary to read the previous two books in order to enjoy this one.

I don't know what the title, The Death of Me, is referencing. Perhaps it has something to do with the past struggles of one of more of the characters.

The chapters alternate between two characters, Heloise a courtesan and her lady's maid, Amah. I found myself a little more interested in what Amah was doing. I think Heloise missed important clues that were just right there in her face and it could be a little frustrating.

1860s, France and England, detective work, a little bit of cross-dressing, political plots, and no-nonsense ladies. What is there not to like? The Death of Me was a quick read and it wasn't too heavy (which is my big gripe with many detective-type novels!). I quickly fell in love with Heloise and her mother, the curiosity and energy they exude is contagious.

The Death of Me is the 3rd book in a series but this book read perfectly as a stand alone, but I think I will be adding the first two in the series to my list to read as well because I enjoyed this one and I would love to know more of the back story.