3.5 stars for another entertaining read in the Dr Julia Lewis series. I’m wholly invested in where this series is going, and can’t wait for the next. The middle of the book sagged somewhat, and at one point I struggled with all the names and how they were all connected, but it came together nicely in the end. (Must brag that I did guess the murderer much before the reveal.)

(Review copy from NetGalley)

4.25/5⭐️

Second in the Dr. Julia Lewis mystery series set in the Victorian era, and I’m still enjoying Dr. Julia’s strength and determination in forging inroads as Scotland Yard’s first female medical examiner. She is supported by the intelligent and upstanding Detective Inspector Richard Tennant. Love them both and how they complement each other in their jobs.

This mystery involves the art world, specifically a group of female artists and artist models who are being targeted and threatened. A well thought out plot that kept me guessing on the villain.

I hope that this series continues as it’s smart, interesting and entertaining.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing the free early arc of A Slash of Emerald for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

The second book in this very promising series set in Victorian London is a well-plotted and enjoyable read. Dr, Julia Lewis is back and again working with the very open-minded Inspector we met in the first book in the series. This can be read as a standalone, although I’d recommend reading the first just because it’s also a good read. This time the mystery centers on murders and other crimes in the art world and specifically among artists’ models. As with the first book, this one gives good historical detail and context without becoming merely descriptive. We learn more about some of the characters’ pasts, and the mystery itself is well done. My only real quibble is one of personal preference, which is that I really dislike cliffhanger endings. That said, I’m looking forward to seeing how this one resolves. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All views are entirely my own and offered voluntarily.

A well thought out Victorian mystery with the main character being a female MD. I didn't see the ending coming! A bit sad concerning how women were treated but a good story.

A gripping and compassionate mystery, set in Victorian London.
Disappearances of sitting models, murders, and suicide(s)—it all seems somehow linked and then again not. The knots are convincingly untangled at the end.
The story involves a true partnership between the detective inspector and a woman doctor. While both are more privileged than many in their position, they strive to do their best in the course of serving justice and those less privileged. The secondary characters are written out, compassionate and provide depth to the context.
The romance is very subtle and a slow burn. It also exists mainly in the comments of others. Nevertheless, it provides a welcome respite during the main story.

Can't wait for the third book (probably another year! :( ) and am curious how the author will resolve the final cliffhanger (that seems a bit out of character, but the final judgment is withheld until the resolution).

Can be read as a stand-alone, but is better as a continuation of the first part.
For the fans of historical mysteries by Andrea Penrose, Pam Lecky, Irina Shapiro, Isabella Duke and Emily L. Finch.

I was provided a free advanced reading copy by NetGalley. This is my honest - and voluntary- review.

This was delightful second installment following Dr. Julia Lewis, a female doctor practicing in London due to a loophole in British law. In the first installment, she joined forces with inspector Tenant in her role as police coroner and she continues to aid the police in this new investigation.

The plot follows Lewis and Tenant as they track down a kidnapping and prostitution ring at the highest levels of society. Running underneath this are the murders of several people connected with the prostitution ring and the art exhibit featuring female artists amid the suffrage movement.

I thought the plot blended and connected the story lines well and I definitely wasn’t expecting the big reveal until the very end. I liked that the plot moved quickly and didn’t waste time on unnecessary conversations but it also left me feeling uninvested at times. I also would have loved to see more of a connection between the main characters, but I’m guessing that will be saved for the next book.

All in all, a well written historical mystery that I really enjoyed! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this early arc!

'A Slash of Emerald' is a historical mystery that has enough suspense and thrills. It also lays bare a period when the gender and class of people made them more vulnerable to heinous exploitation, thereby making the readers compelled to draw parallels with the present time and evaluate how far or how little we have progressed from then.

This was such a great sequel in the Dr. Julia Lewis Mystery series, I thought the mystery element was so well done and was enjoying the historical element. I enjoyed that the main character was a medical examiner and that it was used in the plot of the book. Patrice Mcdonough was able to write a great historical mystery book and left me wanting to read the next part in this series as soon as possible.

Dr. Julia Lewis and DI Richard Tennant become involved in another murder case involving the art world and the trafficking of women in Victorian London.
As always an interesting mystery to solve, with the addition of some interesting characters.
I like to
see how the relationship between Julia and Richard is slowly moving forward giving each other time.
A good, relaxing read. The ending certainly left me waiting for the next book in the series.

London, 1867, class-consciousness, PTSD, entitled-attitude, family, medical-doctor, medical-examiner, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, greed, suspense, law-enforcement, artist, serial-murder, misogynistic-era, misogyny, art-critic, art-exhibition, Scotland Yard, dyes, suicide, investigations, murders*****

Paris Green is deadly.
Dr. Julia Lewis is an MD schooled in America who has a clinic and is a Medical Examiner in London. DI Richard Tennant has proved to be an ally as they are both Crimean War veterans and have a strong need for justice. The murders and social problems that underlaid them were the abuses of single women who were lured from posing clothed for artists to the consumption of laudanum that put them at risk for other non-consensual activities which led to their deaths. While digging into these particular women's deaths they found too many things that "nice people" just don't want to talk about. Good lessons in social history in Victorian times as well as solid investigations.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Kensington Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you! Avail Feb 25, 2025
#ASlashofEmerald #NetGalley #DrJuliaLewisMysteriesBk2

Another excellent book in the Dr. Julia Lewis series. A dark look at the Victorian era’s organized sex slavery and treatment of women. This was classic murder mystery, with less guts and gore than Murder By Lamplight, the first in the series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC.

Dr. Julia Lewis and Inspector Richard Tennant are back with a new case, only a few weeks after their first. This time, the investigation involves murdered artists’ sitters, with plenty of twists and turns that make for a great read. The case takes interesting directions, and the subtle inclusion of historical details added a layer of authenticity to the story. I especially appreciated how the case concluded.
However, my main issue was that, despite the series being called the “Dr. Julia Lewis series,” Julia’s presence in this book felt rather limited. Inspector Tennant takes the lead throughout most of the plot, with only occasional insights from Julia. While the story itself was engaging, I had expected more chapters from Julia’s perspective and found myself constantly waiting for her parts. I love her character and just wish she had been more prominent in this book.
The cliffhanger ending also left me a bit confused, but I’m still curious to see where the series will take Julia and Richard next. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next book!
I would like to thank NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and the author Patrice Mcdonough for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This thrilling series started with A Murder by Lamplight and continues with this episode A Slash of Emerald. Both books are well researched and immersive, you can almost see the fog and smell the coal fires. The story continues to follow Doctor Lewis and Inspector Tennant in another case. Excellent entertaining book, looking forward to more.

A Victorian mystery which touches on some of the contentious issues of the day.
A Slash of Emerald in book two in a series of Victorian mysteries, centred around Dr Julia Lewis. Julia is unusual in that she was a female doctor (trained in America) practising in England via a loophole in UK law (women were not permitted to train as doctors at the time).
The enlightened Inspector Richard Tennant calls upon Julia to perform the physical examination of women detained under the Contagious Diseases Act. The worlds of medicine, art, and detection become entangled after a near fatal accident involving a doyen of the art world and his sister, an artist.
The emerald referred to in the title is the green paint used by artists, which contains a high arsenic content. Needless to say there is a mysterious death by poisoning with green pigment and some bizarre vandalism of artworks involving emerald paint. The story also follows the murder and disappearance of artists models, some shady pornographic art works, and a despicable trade in trafficked women.
There is much to like about A Slash of Emerald. The highlights are the Victorian setting and that real hot topics of the day formed part of the plot line (such as the controversial Contagious Diseases Act and the age of consent being 12.) The story has a strong premise and the interwoven strands were neatly knitted together.
This was so close to being a great read, but for me just didn’t quite get there. It’s hard to pin down why, but perhaps it was a nagging impression that Julia led a comfortable existence flitting between the occasional patient and being summoned to do the odd post mortem. She seemed to have a remarkable amount of spare time in which to pursue investigations and with very little at stake personally. Just a minor gripe, but one that wouldn’t go away and stopped me getting more engaged.
A 3.5 star read, rounded up to a 4.

Another enjoyable victorian mystery, the 2nd in the series. Engaging mystery and I didn't guess the killer at all. I hope to see more books in the series.

A Slash of Emerald is the second book featuring Dr Julia Lewis and Inspector Richard Tennant. Female physicians are extremely rare in 1867 London, but Julia earned her degree in America and has taken over her grandfather’s medical practice. She has assisted the police at the request of Inspector Tennant on several cases and she once again is drawn in to help him when several murders occur connected to the London art scene. The plight of females in this era is highlighted as shopgirls go missing, artists’ models are murdered, and women of all ages are forced into prostitution among other horrible situations. The author manages to create interesting characters, authentic historical details, and a twisty plot that kept me turning pages. The ending was a bit of an emotional surprise and I cannot wait to read the next book to see what happens next. #NetGalley. #ASlashofEmerald

This is the second entry in the Dr. Julia Lewis' series.

Well written and well plotted as the first one, it will not disappoint the lovers of historical mysteries.

This one kept me on my toes until the very end, I would never have guessed the culprit!

A page turner, really difficult to put down, and on top of that the huge cliffhanger it ends on has left me wanting for more!

I have received an advance copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily, thanks to the author for it.

A Slash of Emerald by Patrice Mcdonough

Thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on February 25th, 2025.

This Victorian London mystery really grew on me with its abundance of female characters pursuing professions and activities still unusual at the time (1867). Julia Lewis is a doctor and medical examiner who is called on to do post-mortems on women and to inspect suspected prostitutes for venereal disease (!) I love the historical note that Julia — trained in the US — is able to practice medicine in Britain (where medical schools do not admit women) though a loophole: Parliament added doctors with foreign degrees to the medical register in 1858 without specifying that they had to be men. Absolutely delightful piece of (real world) trivia! She is paired with the rather open-minded Inspector Tennant in this second installment of the Dr. Julia Lewis Mysteries.

This episode centers on the art world of Victorian England, the narrative flowing between competition for the Royal Academic annual exhibition and the frustrations of the female artists who wish to pursue art as a profession, rather than a genteel pastime. I enjoyed the fully fleshed out setting which opened an entire world of models, studios, galleries, technique, and inspiration with just enough well-researched detail. I particularly enjoyed the comment of one artist who pointed out that the best models were actresses who were able to channel the painter’s intention while posing.

Decent writing, strong women characters, and full marks for an historical setting that is detailed, interesting, and accurate. I’m going back to read book number one!

Once again, incredible & meticulous historical research was executed here to create the murky but spellbinding backdrop and pave the way for all sorts of intriguing, and some sinister, characters.

Great mystery element and sense of thrill. Pacing was more rampant in the first half and then slowed a tiny bit too languidly in the second, however, the attention to detail was never lost and the urgency to put all the puzzle pieces together never faded.

Very curious to see what the future holds for Doctor Julia Lewis and Inspector Tennant with the way that the story ended. Hopefully their stories continue in a book 3. Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the digital ARC!

I'm a huge fan of historical murder mysteries with female protagonists... and this is one of those. And it was so enjoyable, I'm on the lookout for the author's first book. Quick read; good characters; and will Dr Lewis EVER hook up with Inspector Richard? Fun!