I received this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did receiving this book later my opinions. I love Casey Daniels, Pepper Martin series, so I was excited to give this new series a try. I absolutely loved it and can't wait for the next one. It wasn't like her other series, no supernatural, more mystery. It was a true who dunnit book, that left me guessing until the end. If you like mysteries, then you will love this book.

***Review for NetGalley***

This is the first book in a new series, Miss Barnum Mystery, from Casey Daniels who wrote the Pepper Martin paranormal mystery series.

It's September of 1842 and Miss Evis Barnum is the infamous P.T. Barnum's sister. She's come to live in New York City with her brother, his wife, and children after something happened to her back home in Bethel, Connecticut. She's working at her brother's museum, Barnum's American Museum. A friend from her home town comes to visit her at work and asks for her help but she refuses him, not wanting to have anything to do with anybody from her hometown. He winds up dead and this is where the mystery of who done it starts. There are freaks, good looking men, a charity helping immigrants, a mean sister in law, and P.T. Barnum himself all in this book.
I enjoyed the book somewhat. The idea was really good but I couldn't seem to get into the book like I usually do with cozy mysteries. I don't know if it was Evie or the other characters. I guess I wanted more of her brother in the book than he was. I also wanted to know more about the museum too. She did touch on some of the exhibits in there. So maybe in subsequent books, the author will tell us more about it. The mystery itself was good, though. By the way, the author did note at the beginning that while P.T. Barnum did have sisters that this particular sister didn't exist.

A few years ago, my daughter I were visiting relatives in Florida and we went to a museum of Oddities. Certain aspects of it held my fascination and some I found to be downright creepy. In Smoke and Mirrors, Evie’s brother Phin features human prodigies. This story-line captured my attention immediately and I knew I had to read this book! Of course, it did help that this story is a murder mystery in 19th Century New York. What’s not to love?

Evie and Phin are interesting characters and their intellect and intriguing fascination for what many consider “strange and unusual”-if you will, gives depth and meaning to the story. Not in a negative way, mind you- but in a positive light. I am hoping we will see more of this subject in future stories from the author.

The mystery surrounding Evie’s friend being murdered and how Daniels weaves the tale of Evie’s determination to uncover the horrendous crime is intriguing and had me reading long into the evening and kept me guessing who it was, though I had my suspicions’. Did I guess who? I’m not telling.

Time and place is important when writing a period piece and I did not feel pulled into the era quite so fully. Another thing that sort of bothered me was there are a few loose ends about a few of the character’s and that had me thinking there was a book before this one about their back stories and relationships. After I finished reading the book, I went on-line to check and was quite surprised I was wrong and that this book is the first in the Miss Evie Barnum Mysteries Series. Nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will be on the lookout for more of Evie’s mysteries and hope to see more back story revealed!

I obtained an ARC (Advance Readers Copy) from NetGalley and Severn House for my honest opinion.
I rated this book three and a half stars.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Smoke and mirrors by Casey Daniels is a mystery. Evie Barnum lives with her brother PT Barnum and his family. She works at her brothers museum and is very dedicated. When a old friend comes to see her he is upset and ask her help. She's is to be busy to help. Later that day the friend is dead! Evie feels she needs to find the killer before they kill her. Very enjoyable book mystery, romance, adventure. Loved this book and others by this great author!!! Highly recommend!!

Thoroughly enjoyable story. I hope we meet these characters again and continue their story.

1842, Broadway, New York City, and Phineas T Barnum has opened his American Museum. A museum showcasing the attractions, wonders and, well, freaks that Barnum was renowned for and his sister (admittedly a fictional one) Evangeline “Evie” Barnum takes care of it, and its inhabitants. She has secrets of her own to bury and this seems the ideal place to do exactly that. But some things can’t be buried forever.

An old friend showing up for help is the last thing that she wants, but when that friend is found brutally murdered inside the museum, and suspicion falls on the so-called “Lizard Man”, Evie is determined to seek the truth behind the death. But she has no idea where her search is going to lead – and how much trouble that she will end up in…


Casey Daniels is not an author I’ve come across before – there’s a series of ten books, the Pepper Martin mysteries, but they don’t quite seem my sort of thing – but this is the first of the Evie Barnum mysteries (I’m presuming it’s a series) and I’ve an interest in Barnum and his flim-flam, so I thought I’d give it a try – thanks to Severn House for the review copy, by the way.

It’s an interesting tale, with snapshots of parts of New York life in the nineteenth century helping to bring the narrative to life. Evie is an interesting enough lead, although I was hoping for more time to be spent in the confines of the Museum itself. The story quickly moves away from that location, and from Barnum himself, which was a little disappointing, and it does seems that Evie stumbles by chance into the one location that is going to help her solve the case, but, while not the museum itself, the parts of New York life are intriguing.

Yes, one character couldn’t be more obviously a villain unless he had a monocle and a moustache to twirl, but Daniels does have a trick up her sleeve there, and one aspect of the ending is… odd, dramatically speaking, but this runs along nicely enough. It’s not a classically clued mystery – or if it is, I missed a whole bunch of clues – but it’s Well Worth A Look for fans of historical US crime.

Smoke and Mirrors is out in the UK on 10th July 2017.

Evangeline Barnum, Evie to her friends and family, runs her brother’s museum in New York City. This is as odd to polite society as all of the displays in her brother’s museum. She enjoys the work there and has become friends with many of the people considered oddities by polite society. When a friend from her home town shows up at the museum asking for her help, she refuses to him. Believing she is being attacked, Jeffery Hollister, the Lizard Man, intervenes on Evie’s behalf. Later, her friend is found dead in front of the Feejee Mermaid and Jeffery is no longer in residence. Believing he is innocent, Evie sets out to discover who the real murderer. Little does she know she is about to uncover an evil that will impact her loved ones.

In the character of Evie Barnum, Daniels has created a strong willed, independent young woman we all can embrace. Though she moves through her day to day ritual following the boundaries and etiquette of high society, she is still driven to discover the reason a wrong has been committed against someone who is close to her. She is happy to have more to give by working in the museum and many admire her for it. The personality Daniels brings to light through Phineas Barnum is delightful. Other characters are realistic and norms of the day come through clearly. I enjoyed the way side characters interact with Evie. I believe no one will be surprised at the conclusion of this adventure but they will be wholly satisfied. I enjoyed reading this and I hope we can have more delightful adventures with Miss Barnum.

Smoke and Mirrors (A Miss Barnum Mystery) is filled with adventure in New York City 1842. Evie Barnum is the sister to Phineas T. Barnum and helps run his museum of exhibits unusual in nature. Through the entire story a close bond is evident between Evie and Phin. When an old friend appears to elicit aid from Evie; she shuns him only to feel guilt later when he is murdered! Events unfold as Miss Barnum uses her intellect to track down his murderer only to find herself in mortal danger. Her trail leads her into the seedier side of the city and the encounter of numerous colorful characters. Will not say that this ends with a cliffhanger but enough loose ends are left to crave another installment for a tidy conclusion. Loved the title of Smoke covering the present while mirrors reflecting the past. "A copy of this book was provided to me by Severn House Publishers and author via NetGalley with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read and my comments here are my honest opinion."

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House for a review copy of Smoke and Mirrors, the first novel in a projected series to feature the fictional sister, Evangeline, of the great P. T. Barnum.

New York 1842 and Evangeline Barnum is working at her brother's American Museum when she bumps into an old friend, Andrew Emerson, from her home town of Bethel, Connecticut. He is looking for help but Evie has secrets she wants to keep hidden and won't entertain him. Later that day she finds his dead body and feeling guilty about not helping him she vows to investigate and in doing so discovers much more than a murderer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Smoke and Mirrors whose melodramatic plot is very much in keeping with the setting and offers many twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages. Apart from the murder it is a bit slow to get going but it soon picks up speed and fairly rattles along to a satisfying conclusion.

Evie is a great character if a little modern for her times. She works, has a scandal in her past and is extremely egalitarian in her approach to people - not at all the done thing in the circles she moves in. She is also smart, fearless, tenacious and extremely likeable. Her adventures are great fun with her running from one danger to another.

I don't know enough about the era to make a strong judgement but while Ms Daniels give plenty of geographical and historical information I have the feeling that she hasn't pulled off the censorious nature of society at that time although she makes a valiant effort in Evie's sister in law Charity (surely a joke as she is anything but).

Smoke and Mirrors has a well plotted storyline which will hold your attention so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

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