Thanks Kensington Books and netgalley for this ARC.

Murder mystery at its finest with two detectives that are in sync

Will not be publishing a review on blog.

I received a free e-Arc from Netgalley.

The author has set himself something of an uphill struggle in populating Victorian London with another detective duo, and yet I think it works quite well.

The Endicott Evil is the first book in the Colin Pendragon Mysteries that I've read, but for all that there are references to a previous mystery, it's explained well enough that I didn't feel as though I was missing anything too important.

It is a very Victorian novel - right down to the over-wordy phrases and because of this the book can be a little bit slow and heavy in places. Yet it is also very enjoyable - populated with gentlemen who think a little too much of themselves, and ladies determined to thwart the investigation, and others who're a little too devious for comfort, and if the big reveal is painfully slow, it does keep your interest.

My only slight complaint is the author's insistence on using the word 'pants' instead of 'trousers' - it distracts from the very careful world building that he's undertaken and is not at all Victorian.

I plan on investigating the earlier novels in this series.

Did Adelaide jump or was she pushed? Scotland Yard thinks it's suicide. Her sister thinks it's murder. They're both right...

Kensington Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published March 28th.

This was a confusing mystery. The facts Pendragon and Pruitt come up with are mixed. The gossip is both true and false. Those questioned don't want to be involved. As you watch the main characters dance around and visit people from the past, it doesn't seem like they are making much progress. But, suddenly, Pendragon calls everyone together to talk about what he has found.

The surviving sister keeps trying to shut him up but the Lord wants to hear what he has to say. It's a surprising ending that leaves hearts shattered. Even worse, in another case, the lady that Pendragon wants to capture has taken in Pruitt and manages to skip town again. I expect we will see her again in the next book. He won't give up!

This is the first I've read in this series but I like the main characters and how they interact to solve cases, so it won't be the last.

The Colin Pendragon and Ethan Pruitt mysteries will immediately remind you of another more famous pair. There are quite a few characteristics shared by Holmes and Pendragon. The biggest difference lies in Pendragon’s many societal connections and his ability to play the dandy with aplomb. Pruitt like Watson is always a few steps behind, but always quick to lend a hand. Even his formidable housekeeper can be compared to Holmes's Mrs Hudson. Pendragon even has his own masterful female antagonist.

The plot is where The Endicott Evil shines. It is a mystery worthy of Holmes himself. An elderly woman is dead. The Yard believes her death a suicide, but her sister believes she was murdered by her aide. Colin Pendragon agrees the death is not suicide, but doesn't immediately fix upon a culprit. The case is complicated by Eugenia’s reluctance to speak openly of family issues. Pride, family secrets and a long held desire for revenge all play a part in Adelaide Endicott’s death.

Despite its clear connection to Holmesian fiction, The Endicott Evil deserves to be respected for itself. It is a well plotted novel that fans of the iconic detective pair will definitely enjoy.

4 / 5

I received a copy of The Endicott Evil from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

-- Crittermom

thanks Kensington Books and netgalley fro this ARC.

Gritty, real, and no hold bar mystery with all the pickings

The language reads like a Victorian novel. First paragraph gets you right away. Great, shocking hook. Writing’s slightly clunky. The opening narrative throws the reader in mid-scene, making it difficult to acclimatise to what’s going on. I don’t find the characters immediately engaging. Is it intended to have a humorous undertone? Because that’s what I’m getting from this older lady and her sister who jumped out the window. My immediate assumption upon viewing the cover and description was that this would be a horror/mystery, so if it’s got that comedic element, the marketing’s slightly misleading. Not that that’s particularly a bad thing… I, as a reader, was simply slightly misled.

83 year old Adelaide Endicott does not survive a fall from her bedroom window at Layton Manor. Her sister Adelaide believes it is not suicide as Scotland Yard persist in stating. So Pendragon and Pruitt are employed to determine what happened and why.
I enjoyed the story and the introduction to the characters, and I suspect I would like to read more of this series - this was the first of the series that I have read.

But I am not sure that I can recommend it as a stand-alone read as unfortunately there was a story line continued from Book Three which at times was an annoyance as I didn't know the background to the story and it has to some extent spoiled the reading of Book Three.
(N.B In Britain baseboards are called skirting boards).

Adelaide Endicott has committed suicide by throwing herself from her bedroom window to rid herself of the ghostly hauntings of a small child she hears crying woefully in the night. The problem is, Adelaide is extremely frail and can barely stand. So how did she get to the window, much less throw herself over the ledge. Did she have help? Her overbearing sister demands for the arrest of young Mr. Nettle who was her constant caregiver and the one responsible for her mobility. Colin Pendragon is called in to decide the truth of what transpired, all the while he continues his pursuit of the felonious Mrs. Hutton.

The fifth installment of the exploits of Colin Pendragon and his partner, in life and deductions, Ethan Pruitt is a whirlwind of deduction from the first page to the very end. Harris blends two investigations within the covers that keep your attention lest you miss a detail. Though it seems poor Pruitt is doing most of the legwork, Harris gives the full deductive force to Pendragon and between them the truth percolates to the top. An exciting read.

"The Endicott Evil" is a mystery set in London around 1895. It's the fifth book in a series. They're trying to wrap up the loose ends on the Connicle case (from book 3), so that case was thoroughly discussed. I probably would have enjoyed that part of the story more if I'd read the beginnings of the case. They're also investigating the Endicott case, which worked as a stand-alone mystery.

Pendragon and Pruitt seem intended to be a Holmes and Watson duo, only they're gay (as indicated by a few comments and actions; it's not a major aspect of the story). Pendragon is a brilliant detective that sees clues that others completely miss and solves mysteries that seemed unsolvable. Pruitt managed to spot a few critical clues without realizing what they were until Pendragon explained their significance. However, Pruitt's main role seemed to be to manage Pendragon, usually by smoothing over his socially incorrect or rude behavior with others.

The Endicott case was clue-based. I could see where it was going, but the critical clues to whodunit were not revealed by Pendragon until the big reveal at the end. The Connicle case mainly involved tracking a woman down. I was a bit baffled why the duo didn't anticipate what happened at the end since they knew she was dangerous.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language.

Easy to read with two ongoing plots. Not many twists and turns to story An usual Victorian ghost story and Victorian murderesses.

I only got 20% through and I have had to abandom sadly.

Really well written and great character development HOWEVER this is the 4/5th in the series nad sadly I hadn't got a blooming clue what was going on!

There was not enough background information given to a 'virgin' reader to the series and it was just too confusing to keep on going.

Real shame!

I will put the series on my to be read list though as I am convinced I would enjoy them!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advance copy of The Endicott, the fifth Victorian cozy to feature private detectives Colin Pendragon and Ethan Pruitt.

Adelaide Endicott has fallen to her death from her bedroom window. As she is known to be hysterical and believe she is haunted by the ghost of a young girl Scotland Yard have labelled her death suicide. Her sister Eugenia is convinced it is murder and that the perpetrator is Freddie Nettles, the manservant watching over Adelaide that night so she hires Colin Pendragon to prove it. He isn't so sure but his mind isn't totally on the job as the highly manipulative Mrs Hutton, whom he failed to put away on an earlier case, is back on the scene.

I have not read this series before so it was interesting to join it mid-stream. The Endicott plotline works well as a standalone and the Hutton one to a certain extent although I think I would have got more from it if I had already read the previous novels. The same goes for the narrator Ethan Pruitt who made certain mysterious references to his past but never expanded on them.

The Endicott Evil is a solid, well planned novel. There is nothing particularly new or amazing in it but it follows the standard construction well - brilliant detective follows the clues and puts together the solution which nobody else can see. I like that it references spiritualism, a very Victorian preoccupation, and it makes the novel relevant to its setting.

I'm unsure if the novel is meant to be a pastiche of Holmes and Watson with the twist of gay protagonists or if it is simply a construct that suits the setting with Pendragon as the moody smart one and Pruitt as the thicker one, there to provide a foil to Pendragon's brilliance. I tend towards the former but I don't know Holmes and Watson well enough to be definitive.

The novel is an easy way to pass a few hours.

Master detective Colin Pendragon and his able assistant Ethan Pruitt take on the case of Adelaide Endicott, a woman who died in a fall from her third story bedroom window. Scotland Yard has deemed the case a suicide, but Pendragon isn’t so sure. The sister of a prominent Parliament member, Adelaide did have mental health issues, but as Pruitt and Pendragon investigate they uncover nasty family secrets and scandals that someone might very well kill to conceal. This is a pleasant, intelligent historical mystery