Cover Image: Silence in the Library

Silence in the Library

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Member Reviews

Lily was never the son her father wanted, so he befriended Frank Wyatt and treated him like a son. Her father comes to stay with her while seeing to a few appointments in London right when Frank’s father is murdered. Was it a burglary as Frank said or was it family or staff.
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An excellent regency mystery that pits a young widow against a killer that takes no hostages. It's great to see a woman investigator in an era where women's jobs were most that of home maker and house keeper.

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.I really enjoyed this book. It was wonderful to see the further character development and I really enjoy Lily Adler as the protagonist. She really grew in the second book and I like the way that she sticks up to her father as that was definitely not the norm in that time period. The plot was interesting and the book moved along at an excellent pace; it was a very enjoyable read. I look forward to reading book three in the series.

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Silence In The Library by Katherine Schellman is an engaging historical romance. This is the second book in the series and I have truly enjoyed both books. The writing works for me and I like the characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

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A well-written historical mystery set in the regency period, with compelling characters and a satisfying conclusion.

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I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this book incredibly interesting the author really kept me hooked until the end. very well written I highly recommend.

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📖My Thoughts📖

So here’s the thing. I enjoy a good mystery. I also enjoy historical fiction. This book has the two combined to make a historical mystery. For me personally, I think I would rather keep the two separate. This book was well written and I know it had a lot of great reviews, but for me, I just couldn’t get into it as hard as I tried. That doesn’t mean that it’s not a great book. I just never felt connected to the story. This was the second book in the Lily Adler series and takes place in the 1800s. There’s murder, desperate accusations, even what seems to be a potential relationship on the horizon. I think the author rendered a very clear depiction of this time era. If you are into historical mysteries, take a stab at this one!
Thank you Netgalley, Katherine Schellman and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Silence in the Library is the second book in the Lily Adler historical mystery series. I love mysteries set in the Regency era! The husband of a new friend of Lily's is found dead and since Lily was on the scene, she becomes involved in the investigation.

I enjoyed learning more about Lily's relationship with her estranged father. The mystery was pretty good and I would definitely read more from this series.

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Schellman does a fantastic job with this second book, not that I was surprised. This book was a great follow up and I loved the mystery and the complex characters.

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This is the second novel in the Lily Adler series! I love how the murder takes place in a library! Lily is a really fun character! She is very observant, carefree, and kind! The mystery itself was very compelling! Thus, I recommend this for fans of historical mysteries!

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Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this delightful book. I always enjoy a good historical, period story filled with murder and mystery, especially when there are more books involved in the storyline. The Title is what caught me and dragged me.
I enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it.

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I picked this up and got a decent chunk of the way through, and I realized I was not in the mood to read this kinda story at all. No shade to the book, it is purely a me problem. I decided to put it down and i did not get back to it before the netgalley archive date was upon me. I might get back to this in the future, as the story still dows intrigue me. But not anytime soon.
I won't be reviewing this properly as I only read a small part of it.

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4.25 stars

Thank God, Lily Adler is back and sharper than ever!

The Body in the Garden, the predecessor of SITL, captured my heart and attention from the first page until the last one. So of course I was dying to read this one.

To recap, Mrs. Adler is a newly-widowed woman who came back to live in London society in order to cope with her grief and figure out what she wants to do with her life from now one. When she witness a murder, Lily starts to use her amazing mind to figure out the whole story behind this, and uncover the murderer, who is closer than she thinks.

--- possible spoilers below, proceed with caution ---

After what happened in the previous book, Lily decided to make something out of her talent to solve crimes and with the incentives of her friends she kind of starts an investigation business.

Kind of because I expected that in this book people would seek Lily out to help with the murders however she gets ostracized by her father, who appears in her doorstep without further notice.

When she is paying a visit to a family friend on the behalf of her father, she discovers that the man of the house died in the library hours earlier. But despite what may seem, Mr. Wyatt did not die by accident, actually Lily is quite sure that what happened was a murder. Divided between staying away and helping however she can, Lily finds herself once again with her hands full.

In a plot full of twists and secrets, we observe Mrs. Adler once again uncovering another murder, though, I must say, a little less brilliantly than in the first story. The narrative was predictable for me in the very beginning and while I wanted to see more of the marvellous mind of Lily working, in SITL she relied too much on the opinions of people around her.

Maybe it was because the case was involving people close to her or maybe because of the distress her father made her feel during the entire book. But nonetheless, I really liked this one.

One of my favourite aspects was the development of Lily and Jack's relationship (not that we had much until the very last page) and Lily leaving her grieving clothes behind with her grieving mindset. I think this book was a great opening for her (and Jack) to face more personal matters.

I have nothing to complain about Schellman's writing. It's captivating and delightful and I always finish the book wanting more and more.

Can't wait to read "Death at the Manor"

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy. I read and review this book voluntarily, all thoughts and opinions are mine, and mine only.

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I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't want to review a book that I didn't finish.

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The perfect treat for those that enjoy historical mysteries, Katharine Schellman perfectly encompasses the era and takes you directly into the year 1815. The mystery comes to life through the norms of the time period with Lily Adler breaking every rule of society through her independence and spirit. She breaks the stereotypes of women in the century by being a single (widowed) woman that lives on her own and investigates murders. A voice like hers brings the genre of historical fiction to life and adds a brazen quality to the lighthearted tone of a cozy. Schellman captures the essence of both historical mysteries and cozies with such ease that it makes for a compelling and addicting read.

Lily encounters various characters throughout the story that have different impacts on her character. Several threads of the plot focus on the relationships in Lily's life such as the respect she receives from Constable Page, the partnership she has with Captain Jack Hartley, and the strained dynamic with her father. Set against the backdrop of the time period, Lily lives among a society of principles and expectations that are expected of her with everyone (especially her father) dictating how she (as a woman) should behave. Her father represents the typical attitude (and man) of the time and is often criticizing her or disapproving of her behavior (even her green riding outfit). Despite the time and the pressure from her father and society, Lily is a brazen character whose strong qualities are encouraged by various characters in her life such as Constable Page and Captain Jack. They each encourage her to investigate the murder and help her step outside of the "appropriate" attitude. Schellman strikes the ideal balance of cozy mystery, historical fiction, and strong female lead with Silence in the Library.

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This was a really fun little cozy mystery, I will be looking up the first installment of this series immediately. The characters are great, the mystery was fun, and I will definitely recommend this.

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Silence in the Library is a well written historical British cozy and the second book in the Lily Adler series by Katharine Schellman. Released 13th July 2021 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

I've enjoyed both of the books in this nascent series mostly because they hearken back to my nostalgic fondness for actual period Regency era British mystery without the unfortunate period racism, sexism, and colonialist sensibilities which were unquestioned and prevalent in the actual contemporary literature. The main protagonist is a young widow who is intelligent and (mostly) well regarded and who has, despite her family and upbringing, a strong will and the means and wherewithal to exercise her self-determination and intelligence without (much) reprisal. Her friend and sometimes sidekick is a British Indian naval officer and a product of the Raj period of the colonization of India. He's supportive without being cloying or appallingly sexist and the author does a decent job of mentioning his upbringing and cultural background without being graphic -or- sweeping it under an expensively tasteful rug.

The mystery is twisty and well written and the disparate plot threads culminate in a satisfying resolution and denouement. The language is clean and the dialogue is well written and civilized. The characterizations are competently rendered and three dimensional. I found the almost total lack of romance between Lily and Jack refreshing, although there are hints of a future slow-burn romantic angle between the two.

I'm looking forward to finding out what comes next.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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Oh my, I can't wait for the next installment of Lily Adler Mysteries, seriously.

Lady Adler does not disappoint. She actually swirls and twirls into a character that has so many layers, but she reveals them one at a time. What am I talking about? Well, Lady Adler is one of a kind society widow, daughter, friend and sleuth.

Silence in the Library gets you to follow investigation into nefarous goings on in the London society. Lady Adler gets involved into untangling of tightly woen ball of jealousy, betrayal and false allegiances. There will be murders. But moreover, there will be hard revelations and unpleasant truths and disappointments.

Plus, Lady Adler gets to meet a mysterious stanger who will put her allegiances to the test... Well, didn't I tell you I can't wait for the next installment?

Enjoy,

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Katharine Schellman’s sharp, enjoyable historical mysteries series continues with Silence in the Library.

Regency widow and Amateur sleuth Lily Adler is back (unofficially, of course) on the case, determined to assist Bow Street with solving the murder of an old family friend, whether they want her help or not.

There are loads of cozy historical mysteries that use a similar formula to this one, but this is a far more successful offering than most in the genre.

Schellman has written an excellent main character in Lily, who is smart, tough, and capable. Some of the secondary characters also resonate well, and though it’s a bit easy to guess whodunit, the mystery is well-constructed and the story flows well.

I always enjoy all the societal rules and how they come into play in books like this (the scene where Lily and her maid visit Percy’s lodgings comes to mind first), and Schellman has done well in capturing both the absurdity and the oppressiveness of such conventions.

There’s nothing truly unique about this series, but I’m not sure I require that out of this genre. The story is well written, well paced, and populated by likable, interesting characters. I look forward to reading about more of Lily’s exploits.

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A charming and interesting regency mystery. Lily is a very strong character and I adore her. This was a great escape novel.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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