This series is one of my favorites. In this, the 5th in the series finds Sarah finally marrying Thomas Barrett and that should be a very happy day. Not long after the 'I Do's" murder joins the festivities and Sarah starts her married life investigating the murder, Add to that, the victim turns out to be a photographer who helped Sarah get her start as a professional photographer. His name was Charles Firth and he was making his living as a spirit photographer. Some believe and some say it's a scam. I found that theme to be fascinating.
There is a lot going on besides tracking down the killer. Sarah is still dealing with the issue of her father and the murder he supposedly committed. It comes to the party, too. Aided by her husband, her half sister and others they keep up a fast pace as they follow the clues to the solution.
The Victorian setting of London in 1890 lends itself to a grittier historical mystery. It's well crafted with an excellent pace and a complex puzzle. I'm already reserving a spot on my TBR list for the next in the series.
My thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Bain, a crime photographer for the Daily World, has finally consented to marry Detective Sargent Thomas Barrett. The ceremony has barely concluded when a scream brings the celebration to a temporary halt. A body has been found stabbed in the crypt under the church. Sarah and Barrett send the attendees off to the wedding breakfast while they head to the murder scene. There Sarah recognizes the victim as Charles Finch, the photographer who sold her the camera equipment to open her business. He was in the crypt hoping to photograph a spirit, but this was definitely the act of a human.

Firth’s widow points suspicion toward Jean Ritchie and the Ladies Society for Rational Thought. Ritchie was determined to prove that Firth and his spirit photos of lost loved ones were a fraud that took the savings of the bereaved. Denying her involvement, she sends Sarah to Dr. Lodge and the Society for Psychical Studies. Firth was a member, but a number of his fellow members, including Dr. Lodge, wanted him thrown out. When Barrett, Sarah and her co-worker Mick O’Reilly attend an event held by the Society there is another murder. The method is similar to the first murder and all of the suspects were in attendance but the blame falls on Mick. In trying to help the victim, it was Mick who was found with blood on his hands by an inspector who resents Sarah and Barrett. If they are to save him from the gallows they have to solve these murders.

As Sarah works to free Mick, she is also working to save her father, who is wanted for murder. The body of a young girl that he had been photographing was found and he escaped from the country. She knows that he is innocent and that her mother and step-brother were responsible. They are now both dead and her father is back in England where he is in danger of arrest. With a new marriage, two investigations and the pressure to save two important men in her life, Sarah is under mounting pressure. Added to that is a mother-in-law who is not fond of her. She believes that Sarah should quit her job and wants the newlyweds to move in with her so that she can teach Sarah to be a proper wife.

Laura Joh Rowland has written a strong character in Sarah Bain. She has been forced to rely on herself as she grew up and finds it hard to rely on others. Without a family of her own, she has found a family in her friends Mick and Lord Hugh Staunton. When her relationship with these men is questioned she becomes their greatest supporter. Rowland’s book is an examination of the meaning of family and what one will do to protect the family as well as providing an excellent mystery. I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this book for my review.

Portrait Of Peril is the fifth book in the Victorian Mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland.

The wedding of Sarah Bain, newspaper photographer, and Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett is about to begin, and Sarah’s biggest fear is that when the question is there anyone who objects to the marriage, is that her mother-in-law to be will say yes. Sarah was relieved when there was no objection, but the relief is short-lived. Shortly after Sarah and Thomas’ wedding vows are exchanged, there is a scream, and the person yells that there is a dead body in the crypt. Sarah and Thomas immediately head for the crypt. When they arrive, Sarah is surprised to see the body of Charles Firth. Firth had sold Sarah her first camera when she decided to follow her father’s footsteps and be a photographer. Sarah is surprised to learn that Firth is now a spirit photographer. Thomas begins his investigation of the scene while Sarah photographs the scene. As the investigation into Firth’s death proceeds, Thomas and Sarah will soon be investigating a faction that believes that there is no such thing as ghosts, therefore impossible to photograph them. They are also looking into Firth’s widow and the publisher of the book of spirits that Firth had published. When at an area where ghosts reportedly have been seen, there is another body found. When the body is discovered, Mike, Sarah’s friend, is found holding the used knife. Sarah’s nemesis, Inspector Reed, immediately arrests young Mike.

Besides searching for Firth’s killer, Sarah is also dealing with trying information that clears her father from charges of murder when she was in her early teen years. In addition to Mike, she counts on Lord Hugh to help with her photographing and investigations, who has gone missing.

The story is well-written and plotted, and I feel that it is historically correct. The characters are well-developed and believable. I would like to call all of them a friend.

I will be watching for the next book in this exciting series.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Portrait of Peril, A Victorian Mystery Book No. 5 by Laura Joh Rowland from NetGalley & Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.

...an entertaining fun read I would highly recommend...

I love Rowland's Victorian Mystery series, each are fast-paced, suspenseful whodunits set in Victorian England, and I have been fortunate enough to read and review all of the books in this series. Although I found this book very entertaining, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the previous books in this series.  

In this story, we join Crime Scene Photographer Sarah Bain and her new husband Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett getting ready to start their lives together as a married couple. They face some expected challenges, Sarah and her new Mother in-law are at odds, they are trying to traverse living together for the first time but when Sarah's mentor is found dead at the church on the day it's hosting their wedding it might just end their marriage before it begins. The victim Charles Firth helped Sarah when she was just starting out. In the years since he's become a fairly well-known spirit photographer with a healthy book publishing contract but not without his critics. Firth is known for his portraits of ghosts and spirits of the dearly departed, often swindling the deceased's loved ones. When a second murder occurs and her dear friend and colleague Mick is arrested for the crime, Sarah, Barrett, and her half-sister Sally, are compelled to find how who the real murderer is and clear his name.  

The usual cast of characters are present.... for the most part. Hugh, Sarah and Mick's friend and colleague is taking his break-up from Tristan very poorly, becoming self-destructive with bouts of disappearing, leaving everyone to worry in an already challenging time. Sarah and Sally are also trying to clear their fugitive father's name but not without their nemesis Inspector Reid watching their every move and waiting to pounce.  

Although I found this one a bit slow to start and I really didn't find Hugh's story line appealing I really enjoyed the twists, turns which this series is well known for. The book is an entertaining fun read I would highly recommend. It would work as a stand-alone however I really recommend reading the books in order.

I usually love a good Victorian mystery but this was not up there with the best of the ones I have read. The background was all there, the dirty streets, the poverty, the crime, but it was all laid on with too heavy a hand.

I also love an action packed story but this one was relentless. The main character, Sarah, reeled from one violent situation to another. It begins with a murder at her wedding and after that she cannot even have a meal without some fight or other nastiness occurring. I must admit to not finding much to like about in Sarah's character either.

Oh dear, it sounds as if I really disliked the book. In truth it was an okay read, just not a good fit for me.

The story begins with the wedding of our protagonist Sarah Bain, a newspaper photographer, to Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett. It is interrupted by screams when a charwoman discovers a body in the crypt of the church. Thomas and the police attending the wedding rush off as well as the newspaper folks there. Sarah is among them and recognizes the victim, Charles Firth, as a photographer who had been helpful to her in her past.

Mr. Firth is a spirit photographer now and in investigating his death, they learn more about the field, those who believe in spirits and those who do not. There are many potential suspects and then another murder occurs.

I enjoyed the mystery and I thought the author did a great job of having us travel along with Sarah and Thomas as they attempt to solve the murders. And the ending was thrilling!

There is a subplot involving Sarah's father and her attempts to help exonerate her. Sarah is very conflicted, especially as she attempts to resolve her memories with what she learns and the impact her upbringing and family have on her present life.

I enjoyed this book but it is the fifth in the series and while I certainly didn't struggle with the mystery, it might have been helpful to read earlier books to understand the characters and their relationships better.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When everything is crumbling around her, which course will she follows ...

As it is my first read in this series, I feared to be a bit lost, but the author offers many insights to catch up with the heroine and her team of friends.
Yet while I believed the wedding of the main character was a good time to enter this series, it appears from early reviewers and my own feelings, it was not.
Sure the main plot stands alone, but the characters’ arc is not at is best, with the heroine’s team disbanding, her love relationship at stake. All their lives are spiraling down, so not the best moment to get to know them.
Sarah is running after more than two rabbits at once. Yet there is no confusion about the many threads linking everything together but it dilutes the main inquiry and put Sarah at-odds, looking after one murder then two, seeking answered about her father, worried for one friend then frightened for the other, doubting her own character and finally questioning her marriage.

Yet I liked the vivid and bleak world the author brought to me with the twirl of her pen, Sarah is far from perfect, she makes mistakes after mistakes but she is getting desperate as the claws of evil are closing on her. What I really did not like was Sarah always making a parallel with her mother’s character, a devious one she believes she is reproducing. Every new act she plans, she compares with her mother, always thinking the worst about her own deeds. Like she is haunted, instead of acting on her own free will.
Yet after seing the heroes at their lowest, I hope the next installment will bring them up and give them back their aura.

So while I would not recommend to begin with this book, the author demonstrates a great talent at knitting and unknitting her characters’ life. The world she describes is lively and full of colors even if they are rather bleak.
In all, it is a good read and the cliffhanger at the end leaves hope most everything will be righted in the next installment.
4 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 one detailed lovemaking scene.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Crooked Lane Books, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Portrait of Peril by Laura Jon Rowland is the fifth book in her Victorian Mystery series. I do think you should read the books in order. This was the first one I’d read and I did feel that I was missing information that would have helped me understand the relationships between the main characters better. This story opens with the wedding of crime scene photographer Sarah Bain and police Sergeant Thomas Barrett, which is unfortunately interrupted by the discovery of a murder in the crypt of the church. Trying to solve the murder of the man who sold Sarah her first camera, prove that her missing father is not a murderer while trying to be a good friend, and navigate the changes and expectations the marriage has brought to her relationship with Thomas puts a heavy burden on Sarah. I found the story intriguing and will definitely go back and read the first four. Steam Level: mostly closed-door Publishing Date January 12, 2021 #NetGalley #PortaitOfPeril #LauraJonRowland #VictorianMysterySeries #CrookedLaneBooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #HistoricalFiction #MysteryAndThriller

"Life's big and small events are connected by fragile threads of happenstance."


The Story: Set in London 1890, the body of a photographer is discovered in the crypt of a church where Sarah and Barrett are having their wedding. The victim, Charles Firth, was a photographer who was into "spiritual photography" and someone Sarah knew. When the photographs he took in the church were developed, Sarah discovers a blurred image who seems to be attacking Charles. It was said that the church is haunted and a ghost had attacked Charles. This does not sit well with Sarah, and soon Sarah and Barrett find themselves embroiled in one very puzzling case.


My thoughts: This fifth installment of Victorian Mystery series did not disappoint at all! I enjoyed it! The plot just gets better every time. I did find that the story here is more complex, more depth and since it is also about Sarah trying to find evidence to prove his father's innocence, there seems to be A LOT going on. But in the end, the author pulled off writing one suspense-filled multilayered mystery. It was fantastic!

Victorian London was plagued with spiritualism, occultism and mysticism during the 19th century and it was really interesting to learn how these shaped the people's thinking and beliefs back then.

I love it when characters have more depth as a series progresses. As always, I just love how well-developed these characters are. Sarah and Barrett is one endearing couple and I am excited for their new journey of marriagehood.

This book can be read as a standalone. The author did not leave readers in the dark but gives enough background stories from the previous books of this series. I really appreciate that!

In a nutshell, this was one terrific read and a wonderful addition to this series. If you are looking for a good, solid Victorian mystery, give this a read!

Pub. Date: Jan 12, 2021

***Thank you Crooked Lane Books, author Laura Joh Rowland and NetGalley for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.***

I’m a huge fan of all things mystery and historical fiction, so I quickly became a fan of Sarah Bain and her edgy and independent character in the fifth instalment of the Victorian Mystery series!

Thank you Sarah for not conforming to the bindings of a traditional Victorian lady! Sarah’s nonconformity and desire to act on instinct more times than not tend to lead her into the path of trouble, and the reader onto a path of intense intrigue that keeps you hooked and turning the pages.

The focus of spiritualism/occult in the late 1800 also kept me engaged. It helped keep me captivated and wondering where the twists and turns would take me as Sarah sought to find out if the two murders were connected in any way. There definitely were plenty of suspects to choose from as I read, and each one had me guessing as to if they were the guilty party right up till the end.

I also got to explore the new life Sarah has continued to build for herself and her new husband, Barrett, and I’m looking forward to where their marriage will go and any trials it may see in future instalments of this series, since Sarah seems to feel that she has lost some of her independence upon marriage.

What I really enjoyed the most was the reality of the characters, their connections and their lives in foggy London. For once I was not reading a story about the socially privileged and elite of London society. This definitely makes the story even more real and grounded as I followed the action, and there was a lot of action,

For those wondering if this can be a standalone book…The plot and storyline contain details of previous instalments which made this story work on its own. However, I do believe that many would prefer to read this series from the beginning, since I’m really a fan of getting to know each character and their emotional makeup along with their connections to each other.

Overall, anyone who enjoys historical fiction and crime will enjoy this book and series as it was quite the entertaining and intriguing story.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Continues to be an interesting series! I like the main protagonist, and her finding her way as a woman in this time period. Good mystery as well. I think her new husband showed himself well in this too.

This is another excellent installment of the Victorian Mystery series. Everything in Sarah Bain’s life seems to be good news/bad news. She can never catch a break. The book opens with her wedding to Barrett, but then a body is discovered in the church. And that perfectly sets up the tone of the rest of the book. It’s such a seesaw of emotions that it almost made me nauseous. And yet, I couldn’t get enough - read it in one day!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Portrait of Peril is a Victorian Mystery by Laura Joh Rowland is set in 1890‘s London. Sarah and Barrett are involved in crime cases, mysteries with a touch of the supernatural. The story begins with a wedding and a murder. The victim is a fellow photographer known to Sarah. The mystery deepens when they find he was a photographer of ghosts. Fraud or not they must find his killer. Plenty of danger and excitement for the newlyweds. Exciting and mysterious characters. Unexpected twists with a surprising ending.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars

Another good mystery form Ms. Rowland. I always wonder how they are going to get out of the fixes they are in, and is their enemy Detective going to win? A nice amount of tension in each book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is part of a series, and readers should read the previous books to understand the characters and reoccurring themes.

Sarah, Bennett, Hugh, and Mick are back in the latest issue of Rowland’s Victorian mystery series. In this book, Sarah and Bennett finally get married; however, things do not stay blissful for long as a body is discovered during the wedding celebration. This is all in the first chapter.

While adjusting to their newlywed status, mayhem ensues as Sarah deals with her disapproving mother-in-law and the jealousy after being informed of a past relationship of Barretts.

What appealed to me about this book is the strong relationship between the main characters. Though Sarah does snap at Hugh at one point, Sarah soon regrets her actions, and, of course, Hugh is there for Sarah when he is most needed.

Sarah also finds out additional information about her family and events that occurred years prior but still impact Sarah.

I hope that the relationship between Sarah and Bennett continues to grow ( I did worry about the status of their relationship at specific points) and that Sarah is able to set aside her fear of becoming like her mother.

This book is recommended for lovers of mysteries and historical fiction.

A novel set in the era of Victorian England with interesting descriptions of the cities, the transportation, the day to day lives of the people, which would be liked by the fans of this genre. The negative parts are the shallow characters, sudden introduction of an altogether different plot, meagre focus on the investigation and a race to conclude. A very interesting concept of spiritualism in medieval England dealt insufficiently.

When crime photographer and news reporter Sarah Bain gets married to
Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett, the ceremony gets interrupted by a murder. The victim is a photographer specializing in taking scam photos of ghosts. Sarah investigates the technology and tricks used to con grieving people.

A Portrait of Peril is book 5 in the Victorian Mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland, published by Crooked Lane Books. The setting is London 1890 and we follow newspaper photographer Sarah Bain, her police husband and her news photography/reporter team as they investigate how some members of the spiritualist community use a combination of new technology and tricks to con grieving people. Sarah and Thomas’ wedding ceremony is interrupted when
a scam photographer is found murdered in the church crypt. Later his publisher is found dead too. A member of Sarah’s team is standing over the body with blood on his hands and he ends up in jail charged with the murder. Besides investigating the two murders, Sarah secretly looks into the murder case relating to her own family.

Main character is crime photographer and reporter Sarah Bain. She is very self sufficient and has a hard time controlling her temper and struggles with the relationship with her late mother. She seems a complex and believable character who is my favorite of this story.

Supporting character is detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett. He seems a bit bland to me, and I struggle to connect with him. But I picked up on his deepest respect/fear for his mother. I wonder what that might mean for his relationship with fiercely independent Sarah.

I enjoyed how this story starts where similar reads have ended- with marriage. I found it strange and surprising that Sarah and Thomas didn’t find it terribly disturbing to have their wedding ceremony interrupted by a murder. They seemed to go on with things like on a normal day.

The plot contained details of previous stories which made it function as a standalone, but I would have preferred to read the series from the beginning to get to know the characters and follow their development through the series. As I jumped in at book 5, I felt I had missed out on this.
My favorite part of the story was descriptions of the living arrangements with Sarah’s group of unlikely friends and co-workers. The least favorite part was descriptions of an autopsy procedure.

Anyone who loves historical crime fiction will enjoy this. As will fans of Laura Joh Rowland. Similar authors to explore might be Anna Lee Huber or Erin Lindsey.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: A Portrait of Peril is the interesting and entertaining story about a wedding ceremony interrupted by the murder of a photographer specializing in ghost photos to con grieving relatives.

Thank you Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for an ARC!

Portrait of Peril is a fast and fun murder mystery (can a murder mystery be fun?) with an entertaining cast of characters. Photographer Sarah Bain and her new husband Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett find themselves in the middle of a murder case in the very church where they have just been married. The victim is a spirit photographer, who makes his living with fraudulent pictures of ghosts and spirits of the bereaved's loved one. But he also gave Sarah help as a novice photographer and she, along with Sergeant Barrett and her half sister Sally, is compelled to find how who killed him and why. The murder brings the spiritualist and the scientific communities nearly into an all out war...spirits are real and so are their portraits! No they aren't, you are all just frauds, say to warring sides. Was the victim a good guy, or a fraud preying on the vulnerable? Barrett and Bain, along with a gay lord, a streetwise youth, Sarah's half sister and more race against time to find the culprit. As more bodies show up, Sarah finds her own life might be in danger. Add to that the fact that her father is living underground after years abroad, since being accused of the murder of a young woman. Is he really guilty? What was her mother's role in the death?

The are lots of twists and turns in this book. It's a fun romp through Victorian London; not as elegantly written as some, but pure entertainment and a fast enjoyable read.

This story begins at Sarah Bain's wedding to Thomas Barrett where she's thinking her worst problem is fearing that her new mother-in-law will stand up with objections. She and Sarah have never gotten along since she thinks her son can do much better than Sarah.

But finding a dead body is the crypt under the church is a bigger problem and leads to Sarah and Barrett's next mystery. Sarah knows the photographer who is Charles Firth and who was the man who gave Sarah a discount on her first photographic equipment. She lost track of him and is now surprised that he is big in the field of spirit photography and who has made a good living taking photos of ghosts.

The spiritualist movement in big in London. There are scientists who are supposedly using devices to prove the existence of ghosts; their are photographers who are capturing images of the ghosts. And there are people who are campaigning to debunk spiritualism and prove the mediums and photographers are frauds.

This gives Sarah a number of suspects to investigate while trying to solve the murder of her old mentor. Of course, Sarah is also trying to prove that her father who is a fugitive from justice who has been accused of rape and murder was in fact innocent. Unfortunately, the actual murderer was her mother's illegitimate son with the assistance of her mother. She gets a number of leads to help her prove this but none of the witnesses want to come forward. Sometimes it's because the revelations will destroy new lives. Other times it's because it will ruin the witnesses' reputations.

Sarah is also concerned about her friend Hugh who is on a path to self-destruction after a homosexual relationship ends. Hugh has gone missing and no one can find him. Worry is taking time from her other investigations.

Even worse, when a second victim is found, her friend Mick is found standing over the body with bloody hands. Sarah's old enemy Inspector Reid is right on hand to arrest Mick and railroad him into a quick trial.

This was an excellent entry into this series. It was filled with great detail about the Victorian period. It also had a lot of action. I liked learning more about Sarah and seeing her battle her own demons.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. I was so happy when I was chosen as one of the reviewers for this book! I have read all of the books in this series, and Laura Joh Rowland is one of my favorite authors. This is a Victorian Mystery Series that takes place in Victorian London in the late 1800's. In this book, crime scene photographer Sarah Bain marries Detective Sergeant Barret. Things do not turn out all happy and gay though. After their wedding, a stabbing victim is discovered in the crypt of the church. Not being able to resist a crime scene, Sarah starts working on solving the mystery right away. This is the story of discovering why the victim was murdered and who did it-lots of twists and turn with a little supernatural adventure thrown in. It was a great book, and I hope the author continues to write more stories about Sarah and Detective Barret.