This is my first tête-bêche book and I enjoyed some parts it offers. For mystery readers, however, I think they will find the story safe and not groundbreaking like the format.

Technically, reading this book is like reading two separate books. One is the actual story and one is the spin-off. The length of the book is pretty much the same. I recommend to read 1880s London before following 1930s LA, but if you prefer to start with more fast-paced story, you can read LA bit first or a little bit of both at the same time.

I was struggling with unfamiliar British terms and Victorian-vibe writing style in 1880s London, especially the dialogue. The mystery is not directly affecting the main character either. However, I really like how immersive and eerily beautiful the description is, as if I was really there in Turnglass House and the island. The plot twist could be detected miles away but I didn't expect the how and the why. It was clever and satisfying.

1930s LA is more engaging, direct, easy to read and the mystery is linked to the main character. We also got a hint of romantic storyline. The difference with London bit makes sense after I learned the connection between the two. LA hundreds years ago is not much different with LA now, and the modernity helps me turn the page. Like in London bit, there is little character development, but Ken is more developed especially after the stakes get higher than Simeon.

Both stories have one similarity: it doesn't have a closure ending. We never know what happens after it reveals. It doesn't mean it ends with cliffhanger, it ends when we know who did it and that's it. I would like to find out how main character's life changes after being impacted by the incident. Also, the texts are haphazardly formatted, so I hope they'll fix this in printed version.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for eARC of this book.

Fun different historical mystery read! Just wish I enjoyed both sides of the story equally, the different settings in 1930s and the 1880s was thrilling and made the book enjoyable

A novel and engrossing mystery reminiscent of Shadow of the Wind. The dual nature of the book intrigued me in the start, but ultimately was not beneficial to the narrative.

The first half, whilst a solid enough concept, structure wise, left me faintly unsatisfied. It lacked tension and felt mostly like two characters discussing the events that led them together.

The second half, thankfully, ramped up the tension, and threw a considerable amount of the first half into doubt, revealing it as largely fiction.

The writing style was where the book shone, with visceral descriptions that did well to evoke the various locations.

The plot however, felt a bit rushed, like the author was favoring the cleverness of the format over character and plot development. Of all the characters, Oliver was the most developed: the others felt a bit flat, and Ken's involvement did not feel particularly solid. Ultimately, things would've been much easier for him had he just walked away - and his motivation for staying felt weak.

Whilst you supposedly could start the book with either side, i would strongly recommend starting with the Victorian half.

I DNFed this book about halfway in. LOVE the concept but couldn't get into the writing and characters. Thank you for letting me read this book.