Friday, January 17, 2014

Passage of Crime by R. Michael Phillips (Ernie Bisquets Mysteries, #3) & Giveaway & Review




Passage of Crime by
R. Michael Phillips

Passage_Cover_R1
Passage Of Crime
(The Ernie Bisquets Mysteries) (Volume 3)
Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Locked Door (August 2, 2013)
Paperback: 284 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0615854922
E-Book File Size: 433 KB
ASIN: B00DZ81AEY
goodreads-badge-add-plus


PASSAGE OF CRIME is a traditional English mystery that brings together the unlikely combination of a dowdy old Scotland Yard Inspector and Ernie Bisquets, a reformed pickpocket, in this whodunit set in contemporary London.

Synopsis
London’s East End, once known for poor boroughs and a derelict rail yard, is enjoying an optimistic resurgence. It’s becoming an affordable option for middleclass residents looking to have their pounds go further. Despite this sweeping out of old rubbish, a cautious step is still advised when passing by a few remaining dark alleys. If only Mary Walsh had listened.

Prophet Brown, a disfigured, pathetic little man, called Detective Inspector Flannel after stumbling upon the body of a young woman in one such alley. Flannel quickly realizes she is not the random victim she appears. Add to that, the crime scene is hauntingly reminiscent of an old unsolved case; a case that almost ended an otherwise brilliant career eight years ago.

For the moment, Prophet Brown is the only solid link between the two cases. He has been in the employ of a charismatic and well-connected Member of Parliament for 17 years–the very man Flannel unsuccessfully accused of the murders in the previous case.

Flannel finds himself navigating a very treacherous course. His superiors have warned him for the last time to tread cautiously around the MP, and the rising tide of the past threatens to pull him under. Reluctantly, Inspector Flannel turns to a most unlikely ally, a reformed pickpocket named Ernie Bisquets. Together they disentangle a mesh of old lies and current clues attempting to bring a ruthless murderer to justice–ignoring the dangerous notion of murder being a carefully disguised trait passed from one generation to the next.

About The Author

Michael is a classically trained artist who has been painting for over 25 years. By combining his creative talents with a passion for London he conceived the fictional world of the East London Adventurers Club, home to The Ernie Bisquets Mystery Series. Three books in the series are complete and there are plans for at least five additional books following the adventurers of London’s most remarkable pickpocket. Michael is a proud member of the Crime Writer’s Association and Mystery Writers Of America.

web- www.eastlondonadventurersclub.com

blog- http://rmichael-fifer.blogspot.com

GoodReads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2995205.R_Michael_Phillips


My Review: Passage of Crime

4 stars

It started slow for me to get into the story and care about what was going on. Almost like just stating the facts about the murders. Once it got into todays events I started to connect and care about the crimes. It just might be to that I had not read any of the previous Ernie Bisquets Mysteries.

The plot was that 8 years ago there was some ladies killed a certain way and the Inspector Flannel had a suspect he was looking at. The newspapers got a hold of who he was looking at and he almost lost his job over it. Inspector Flannel was removed from the case.

Now it seems the killer is back killing again. Inspector Flannel is called by his snitch who found the victim. Inspector Flannel knows he can't be seen to investigate the case so he asks Ernie Bisquets to help look into it for him.

Ernie Bisquets is a pickpocket who is now going straight in fact he has been helping his mentor with some of his cases. He does not like keeping him in the dark. Ernie does not want anymore women murdered either. So he starts to look into who the latest victim was.
The characters I found out about slowly and took time for me to care about them. Once I got into the story more I liked the characters.

The pacing was slow to begin as it told about the past victims.

The setting is modern day London

I would like to go back and read the first two books of Ernie Bisquets and see what I missed and read more about the characters.
This is a clean read.

I was given this ebook to read for purpose of review and to be part of its book tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Tour Participants

January 14 – Christa Reads and Writes – Review, Guest Post
January 15 – Psychotic State Book Reviews – Review
January 16 – Kelly P’s Blog – Interview
January 17 – readalot blog – Review
January 18 – A Blue Million Books – Guest Post
January 20 – Thoughts in Progress – Review
January 22 – Books-n-Kisses – Review
January 23 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Guest Post
January 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Interview
January 25 – dru’s book musing – Guest Post

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'm so delighted you liked the book! Thanks very much for reviewing it and sharing your thoughts with your readers. Cheers, Mike