I enjoyed each individual story. I was really reading because I love C.S. Harris work. After reading Kearsley and Trent stories I had to know more about the characters, so I picked up the first books in the series.

This was an enjoyable anthology containing four novellas. Each story centers around a cursed pocket watch. The authors did a good job creating cohesive stories.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Unfortunately, I struggled to get into it and had trouble getting into the short stories.  Because of this, I was unable to finish this book.  I will not post my review on any retail sites as it is not a fair assessment since I did not finish it.

This collection of interrelated short stories was delightful. They are all centred around a cursed pocket watch and a great introduction to the four authors.

A beautiful watch with a bloody history is at the center of these four linked novellas. Four accomplished historical mystery authors each tell a tale, following the watch from 1730s Genoa to 1830s Edinburgh to 1870s London to an English coastal village in the 1940s. Each story contains its own mystery to be solved within the larger saga of the watch, and the first three feature characters from other books by each author.

It's a fun set-up, and well-executed by the authors. Small amounts of backstory are naturally provided for the characters brought in from other works, so readers unfamiliar with the Lady Darby series or the Lady of Ashes series can jump right in with these novellas. The mystery of the watch - is it really cursed? - passes smoothly from one author to another, with neat little call-backs here and there.

Compelling mystery, detailed historical settings, and touches of romance and adventure make this collaborative effort a real treat.

(Source note: I received a digital ARC of the book from NetGalley, but ended up reading a finished copy from my public library before writing this review.)

The Deadly Hours contains four novellas by well known historical authors with a story revolving around a cursed watch and its journey through history.  I am a big fan of Susanna Kearsley and was therefore eager to read her instalment. I had not read anything by the other authors so was happy to discover that all four of them nicely complimented each other as a whole. 

The history of how the watch came to be cursed is explained and what then ensues is its journey from the various owners over almost a two hundred year period. Each story relates the terrible impact of association with this watch and how it affects all who come into direct contact with it. From Italy in 1733 to England in 1944 the storylines are well presented with engaging characters and the flow between each was relatively smooth. I appreciated most the period appropriate plots yet found the first and last story to be the strongest.  It is difficult to review a collection of stories from different authors, but overall I found the whole concept intriguing. 

If you enjoy short stories but with the added benefit of a constant across them all, then I suggest you delve into the intrigue, mystery and danger that is, ‘The Deadly Hours’.

“He said that life will always be uncertain, and we cannot let the fear of what might happen stop us living as we choose.” She turned her face to his. “Is that not beautiful?”

This antology, written by Susanna Kearsley, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent and C. S. Harris is about a cursed gold watch.
Through the four stories we travel from 1733 to 1944, following the misfortune of those who have possessed the watch.

I'd like to highlight the fact that in all these four stories women are the most importat characters. They're inteligent, brave and good hearted. Thanks to them, the mysteries surrounding the watch are solved.

So why only 3⭐? Because I liked some stories more than others and I would have preferd just one story or 2 intertwined stories, like in the style of Susanna Kearsley's previous books. And she's the reason why I wanted to read this book.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Susannah Kearsley,Anna Lee Huber and C.S Harris are 3 of my favorite authors. 
I was super excited to see this line up and I was not disappointed!! 
England, Scotland,Italy, murders and mystery. This was a fantastic book!

It is all about the golden watch... Or is it.
Several novellas written by prominent historical novelists are tied together by watch chain and the watch itself. Mysterious artifact survives its owners, times and seasons only to... well to play a part in a caleidoscope of events: some more evil than others.
It was interesting to read works by different pens and voices united together under the covers of one book. 
I chose this book to sample writing of C.S.Harris and was not disappointed.
A very sound collaboration and a bunch of suspenseful tidbits to get reader to want more.

I enjoyed this set of 4 novellas, each by a different author, following the history of a cursed watch.  I'm already a fan of Anna Lee Huber and her Lady Darby series, so it was nice to get another story featuring Kiera and Gage.  I was not familiar with Susanna Kearsley prior to reading this collection, but immediately added her novel featuring the two characters in her story, which opens the set.  C.S. Harris's story seems to be a standalone, unrelated to any of her other works, and was very well done. The weakest link was Christine Trent's story, which had the most plot holes, and the least compelling heroine.  Altogether an enjoyable collaboration!

I enjoyed the concept of this book and how well all the stories tied together. To have 4 authors who were able to write an anthology that fit together so well was a reading treat. I enjoyed how they all had their commonalities, but also each story had a piece of that Authors style tied to it. 

The story itself was following the 'life' of a cursed pocket watch. In each event, the watch ruined lives until someone had found a way to rid themselves of it. Each time setting had a different approach and willingness to believe different aspects of this mysterious watch and how to handle it. 

I was engaged through most of the story, but I found myself not getting as int0 the book as I would have initially thought based on the description.

Thank you Netgally and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this book.

I requested this arc because I was attracted by the stellar cast of authors and I think it's one of the best I read in a long time.
Even if there's a common thread, a cursed watch, all the novels features different characters, most of them from other works of these authors.
They are all gripping, well written and highly entertaining.
I'm happy I discovered new authors and learned something more about characters I love.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I have never read a book by multiple authors written as several novellas. I don't usually like novellas so I was curious to read this book. If no one told me it was separate authors, I would never know! The novellas flew together so seamlessly. I really liked this book, and the ending was SO satisfying! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I never made it through the first story in this dense book. I tried several times, but found my attention wandering off each time. Given the authors involved here, I’m chalking it up to “COVID brain” which has really affected my ability to concentrate.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was a wonderful anthology with four stories that when read form a unified storyline. I enjoyed this book, but my favourite was the first story by Susanna Kearsley.  I enjoyed how each author moved the story of the watch along and kept the flow going so well. Even though anthologies aren’t usually my type of book, this one was well worth reading.

The story of a cursed watch as it travels thru time written by four different authors. The story held true through all sections, but some were better than others. 
Goodreads

I'm not usually a great fan of anthologies, but I was sorely tempted by this one of historical fiction, particularly when I saw the calibre of the writers included in 'The Deadly Hours'.
Each story follows on chronologically, and is centred around a cursed watch—known as La Sirene—the deadly portent for evil. I was impressed by the idea of having a common historical thread that linked the stories together —it was a terrific narrative device. 
Susanna Kearsley’s 'Weapon of Choice' in 1733 begins the tale, followed by Anna Lee Huber’s 'In a Fevered Hour' (1831 Edinburgh) and, Christine Trent’s 'A Pocketful of Death' (London, 1870). The stories conclude with C.S. Harris’s 'The Siren' in 1944, during the Second World War, Reintroducing characters from previous novels was also a treat, but I do not believe it would take away from the enjoyment, for a reader who has not read the previous novels.
Each story is so strong and immersive that I was quite compelled to continue reading. In fact, I was disappointed each story was over, all too soon.

Executed To Perfection.....
Clever anthology weaving a story through time with a top class line up of authors. Tales are seamlessly woven, and exquisitely told. An ambitious premise which has been executed to perfection. First rate.

Four authors seemingly seamlessly collaborate in a series of novellas dove tailing one into the other about a golden watch cursed for some, good for some and the stories that entail all as a result of this looted watch.

It is unbelievable how four different authors could write these stories each one bewitching (for want of a better word). I am a fan of all these authors so it was of particular interest to me how they would combine to produce a single story and did they produce one which held my interest from the first page to the last. 

History, mystery, lives of survival and hope from 1733 Italy to 1831 Edinburgh the stories criss crossed Europe and so many lives. Each life detailed and engrossing and then going on to the next chapter. 

For those who like historical fiction, this is a must read.

What a powerhouse group of historical suspense and mystery authors!  I took one look at the author line up and it was a done deal, but then to see that a few of the novellas were for favorite series made it an even more exquisite anticipation.

The Deadly Hours is an anthology of four separate stories down through time that all focus on a legendary cursed watch, Le Sirene.  Each author wove a tale around the watch and even referenced the history told in the earlier stories to add to the watch’s lore.  Each had their own writing flavor and captivating tale-telling ways.  While I think I got more out of the stories because I’d already read a few of the previous books, I think these will work for newcomers just fine.

Susanna Kearsley opens the anthology with her suspenseful ‘Weapon of Choice’ that was set in the early seventeen hundreds and is a follow-up story to A Desperate Fortune’s historical couple who are on a mission to protect a Jacobite duke and war hero from an English assassin when they encounter a pirate and the strange timepiece he carries that was made from cursed pirate gold.

Next, Anna Lee Huber picks up the narrative reins in her Lady Darby series mystery set in the 1830’s that took place in the interlude between Gage and Keira’s wedding and their delayed departure for their honeymoon.  ‘In A Fevered Hour’ has the Edinburgh crime king, Bonnie Brock Kincaid, needing the detecting pair to find a cursed watch that has brought a plague to Old Town.

But, the watch isn’t done changing hands and arrives in Victorian London where author, Christina Trent, has it figure into an atmospheric Lady of Ashes story, ‘A Pocketful of Death’ when Violet Harper, funeral director, is fulfilling a commission for a newly minted lord who wants all his deceased relations moved into the freshly build family mausoleum and encounters a cursed watch that seems to be predicting murders on a prestigious London neighborhood street and a mad woman swears she is seeing ghosts.

In a WWII era Kentish village, CS Harris has a museum curator and an MI5 operative on the dark, bloody trail of a German spy and an uncanny golden watch that has a cursed reputation in ‘Siren’s Call’.

I loved how these stories were seamless in how that tied to one another and yet painted a rich tapestry of history in each time and place.  Christina Trent was the only new to me author, but I plan to add her works to all three of these other brilliant authors who I seek out each new release.  Historical mystery fans, series and author fans, and those who love a good atmospheric tale shouldn’t hesitate to get to this one as soon as you can