Books set in this time period just don;t go over well with our patrons. Personally I found it intriguing but it isn't a book that i would kep in my shelf. My main issue was with some of Poppy’s attitude I just didn't care for her.

The second and latest instalment in the Poppy Denby Investigates Series was a excellent historical mystery, with many complex interwoven threads. However, I must say, I did not enjoy it as much as the last book The Jazz Files. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was- perhaps it was the length of the novel, which could have been resolved sooner.
Some people have raised the issue about the lack of religious content in this story. This wasn’t a massive deal, although I do feel Poppy could have followed leads and taken certain actions earlier, and the depiction of certain characters and their behaviour did not seem consistent. I did have a few issues with some of Poppy’s attitudes though.
She came over in this story as one of those overbearingly militant Feminists one sees too often in fiction, who shoot their mouth off at men for simply wanting to protect her and keep them out of danger. Now, I believe in women’s rights and equality, but I don’t believe women should unnecessarily put themselves in peril. Her attitude to her parents also wasn’t good, and I did feel there was a slightly pro-communist slant. Yes, maybe Tsar Nicholas II was a despot- but the people who replaced him were far worse. Stalin is estimated to have killed as many as 50 million people.
That said, I did enjoy reading about Poppy and her colleagues at the newspaper again, editor Rollo, Ike and Ivan, as well as Daniel the photographer. The historical background surrounding exiles of the Romanov royal family, and lost treasure was fascinating and worked very well. Alongside this there was love, drama and intrigue- even a secret tunnel.
I would certainly be interested in the next instalment in this series (maybe Poppy well end up in Egypt after all), I just hope for a little more character development and a little less Political Correctness.
I requested a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.