Limelight starts strong with a captivating setting and intriguing characters. The fast-paced beginning draws you in, making it hard to put down. However, the middle portion slows down, and the ending feels rushed and predictable. The romance subplot, though well-intentioned, detracts from Penny's strong character. While the historical setting and the mystery itself are intriguing, the uneven pacing and somewhat forced resolution leave something to be desired.

Overall, Limelight is a decent historical mystery, but it could have benefited from a more balanced plot and a stronger conclusion.

This is the first story I have read by this author, and I found it to be surprisingly enjoyable. From small details about its protagonist, Penny Green, to the complicated murder mystery and relationships amongst the characters, the author created a Victorian setting that felt a little more realistic than some others I've experienced in stories set in this time period.

Penny is a reporter, eager for more respect and responsibility. She's been let go from her paper and is deeply worried about money. She's pulled back in by the editor after a splashy murder occurs. Penny knows the dead woman, but is shocked, as this same woman was supposed to have drowned years earlier.

A Scotland Yard detective, Inspector James Blakely, sees value in Penny assisting him, as she knows people associated with the dead woman, and Penny is good at research. We find out lots of confusing and sometimes contradictory things about the dead woman; Penny also stumbles through interviews, proving that though she longs to be an investigative reporter, she still needs more experience, despite her instincts. While they investigate, there is the constant, underlying threat of bombings by Irish Republican Brotherhood.

The mystery had enough twists and turns to keep me entertained, and Penny is a likeable protagonist. I liked the slight romantic feelings that develop between her and James, though nothing progresses further in this book.

Will I read the next? Yes, despite some of the unevenness of this book. I like Penny and James and their burgeoning relationship to continue this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

A murder has been committed in Highgate cemetery but it turns out it’s an actress who was supposed to have drowned in a boating accident years ago. Penny Green, an up and coming reporter, was her friend and is stunned by the news. Why did she fake her death. Did any one know she was still alive. Can the handsome detective help Penny out and vice versa. And then Lizzies daughter also gets shot while performing on stage. Will Penny keep her job at the paper. It’s fantastic and I’m glad there are more to read in the series.

Set in the Victorian era, this murder mystery story brings Victorian London alive. Following Pennys journey to investigate her friend Lizzie’s death.

This was a very sad story of revenge and mistakes which become intertwined. Great characterisations and a believable storyline, Alls well that ends well.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I found it a slow burner. Set during the 19th century, Penny is an unusual news reporter who begins working alongside z young police inspector, James Blakely to investigate the murder of a woman who had supposedly drowned 5 years earlier! As the story progresses itt is clear that they are both keen to investigate properly and not cut corners as others wanted. The descriptions of London landmarks at the time are very well described, particularly the new Natural History Museum and the Midland Hotel, Euston. Highgate Cemetery features with its atmospheric setting. I enjoyed the book, once I got into it. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy historical crime fiction.

An entertaining and solid historical mystery that I enjoyed. Plenty of surprises, good characters and vivid historical background
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a fun read and I look forward to reading more of the series. I don't typically enjoy books that take place prior to the 20th century but I enjoyed the way that this book was written (specific to the time period but with a bit of a modern perspective). I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the way the mystery unfolded to keep me engaged until the end.

I liked this book. It gives you a taste of theatre, journalism and levels of lack of morality across the government. The main characters themselves seemed okay. James was tepid, Penny was strong in a man's world but did not quite resonate. The mystery was intriguing enough although the culprit seemed a little obvious after a certain point. I'll probably try a few more booksin the series, but it won't be at the top of my list

#netgalley #Limelight

Limelight offers an atmospheric Victorian mystery with a compelling premise, but the pacing didn’t fully hold my attention. While Penny Green is an interesting character, the plot felt overly drawn out in places, and some twists were predictable. The historical setting and descriptions were enjoyable, but the story lacked the urgency I hoped for in a murder mystery. Still, fans of Victorian-era mysteries might find it worth a read.

Penny Green is a Victorian woman in the man’s world of journalism. Having thwarted her Mother’s desire to have Penny move home outside of London after her father is lost on an Amazonian expedition, Penny is barely scraping by. After proving the Scotland Yard’d Chief Inspector wrong on a recent murder case, Penny loses her job when the embarrassed policeman complains to her editor. A new murder now brings the Yard to Penny when her former friend, actress and courtesan Lizzie Dixie is found murdered. The death is quite mysterious because Lizzie was thought to have drowned 5 years earlier when a boat sank in the Thames. Her husband and daughter had a funeral for her and a mistakenly identified body was buried with Lizzie’s tombstone. Because of Penny’s previous relationship with Lizzie, the Chief Inspector gets Penny reinstated at her newspaper in return for her helping Inspector James Blakey solve the case, Who is the murderer, where was Lizzie for the past 5 years, who else is in peril and what will Penny and James’ relationship become??? The beginning of an intriguing series.

The book was a very interesting historical mystery. The characters were very well developed. The story kept my interest till the end. I would recommend this book to historical fiction fans.

Brilliant Victorian murder mystery read.
Not a great lover of this genre but this book really had me hooked and would recommend it .

Serial detective fiction, like any serial, trades on familiarity and continuity. Limelight happily tosses off references to past incidents in the life and career of its protagonist Penny Green, recently fired as a reporter from the Morning Express for being too forthright about a wrongfully convicted murderer - which I assumed was, along with much business with a missing father and exasperated landlady, the stuff of previous books in the series. Well, there are indeed twelve books in the Penny Green Victorian Murder Mystery series, but Limelight turns out to be the first. Interestingly, the world seems so lived in that future books may deal with that past, but I guess it is part of Emily Organ's solid world-building. Miss Green is already a capable journalist and sleuth and does not have to prove herself to the readership, even if she constantly has to for her male contemporaries. There is a forward-thinking Police Inspector who wants to work with her and I daresay may be a slow-burn love interest (very slow burn if this book is any indication), an exasperated editor and a prudish landlady who will be useful supporting characters, but these will probably be clean and accessibly continuity light mysteries.

This opener concerns the murder of a woman who had already been reported dead in a tragic accident five years before, so has a nicely ghoulish "how do you kill someone already dead" aspect to it. The suspect pool stays relatively small, and I had worked out the criminal relatively early on because they were the person who seemed to have the most motive and had been kept out of the narrative for the longest. But the book gains a touch of hefty from its setting, the crime takes place in Highgate Cemetary (a mile from my house), and despite the changes from Victorian London there is still a solid sightseer vibe (from the British Library Reading Room to the Teather Royal Drury Lane). But it all feels very natural, and satisfying, and I would certainly come back for more.

A very interesting historical book which was a great mystery. Kept me interested all the way through. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A Victorian mystery. A good story with interesting characters. Easy to follow along. The mystery was well written.

Six hundred people drowned when the SS Princess Alice sank in the Thames and Penny’s friend and actress Lizzie Dixie happened to be one of the victims who drowned on that ship. After several years, a body is found at the cemetery and Scotland Yard has identified the body as none other than Lizzie’s. The same body Penny saw being laid to rest at Kensal Green Cemetery. With the help of nice and kind Inspector James Blakey, Penny sets out to discover who is responsible for Lizzie’s death and why did she fake her drowning those years ago? Penny must put all the clues together and figure it out soon because it looks like the killer is coming for Lizzie’s innocent daughter. Great, fun, amazingly intriguing murder mystery!

STUNNING read. Emotive, wonderfully descriptive. A well thought out plot. What more can I add? More please Emily!

This is a Victorian murder / mystery. Our heroine is fighting her way through the male dominated world of a Fleet Street journalist. Because of her friendship with the victim in this case, she is attempting to help Scotland yard find the killer. Obstacles come from all sides and sorting the lies from the truth is almost impossible.
There are very interesting characters and plenty of suspects to choose from.
The story will keep you interested and I didn't guess who the killer was.
Very interesting.

The story takes place in London , 1883. Penny Green is a Fleet Street reporter. Her Friend, Lissie Dixie, drowned in the Thames River 5 years ago- but has just been discovered shot in the Highgate Cemetery! how is that possible? Scotland Yard comes to Penny asking for her help. She works with Detective James Blakely to investigate the deaths and try to find the truth.

So this sounded right up my alley- historic mystery with a strong female that take place in London.


There is a lot of historical information in the book that I found interesting (always love when I learn something new)! However, I was not drawn into the story. The characters had moments where they were fleshed out, but overall I felt that they were flat. The mystery unfolds in a way that did not engage me- I felt like it was a telling of a story, with no "subtle reveals", which is what draws me into a story.

Many others enjoyed this more than I did- so I encourage you to read their reviews.


Thank you to NetGalley and Storm
Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.