Mary Miley

Spirits and Smoke by Mary Miley is a 2022 Severn Publication.

Maddie, a young widow with a small son, finds a home with Carlotta, a fraudulent medium. Maddie’s job is to investigate potential clients prior to their séance sessions. Maddie’s conscience does bother her, but she also finds she is a darned good investigator.

When she begins investigating one of Carlotta’s clients, she learns he is not who he claims to be, which leads her to the discovery that an innocent man who died from tainted alcohol, might have been murdered. This suspicion leads her into the dangerous world of gangsters and embezzlement, while under the watchful eye of the Chicago police who are skeptical of Carlotta’s ‘skills’….

I have enjoyed Mary Miley’s historical mysteries over the years and jumped on this one the minute it popped up on my radar. Somehow, though, I had not realized this book was the second book in a different series from the one I’d been following.

No worries, though, really. The author provides enough background so that one can jump in without feeling lost. I absolutely love stories set during the 1920s- and Miley does a great job of capturing the popular interest in spiritualism during that era, as well as describing the landscape and climate of Chicago- which was run by gangsters. The mystery is compelling, with a few surprises here and there. The story is light on violence, but also has a good crime drama quality to it, as well.

I also enjoyed the way Miley had the characters speak and act in the way a real person would during this decade- with no modern vernacular. Naturally, today we wouldn't say or do these things, as we are better informed- but this gave the story more authenticity, and I appreciated that quality about the book.

Overall, this is fun, clean, jazz age mystery. I enjoyed the characters, atmosphere, and attention to historical details.

4 stars… (més)

Silent Murders by Mary Miley is a 2014 Minotaur Books publication.

This is the second installment in the “Roaring Twenties’ series by Mary Miley. I loved the first installment, but this follow up got lost in my massive TBR pile. Thankfully, in my quest to thin out my reading list, I found it again, and excitedly dived in.

Jessie is now working in Hollywood, doing some work for the silent film studios. She gets to meet and mingle with the famous stars of the day, and even manages to receive a personal invitation to a party given by a studio heavy weight- Bruno Heilmann.

While at the party, Jessie sees a familiar face in the crowd and the two decide to meet up later. But Jessie finds her friend dead, and quickly finds herself under investigation. Only a short time later, she is given the horrible news that Bruno was found murdered.

It couldn’t possibly be a coincidence that two people attending the same party were murdered on the same night. With Jessie’s acting chops, and with access to the studio’s wardrobe, she begins her own investigation into the murders…

I enjoyed this second book in the series as much as the first. I love, love, love the roaring twenties and the silent film era, so of course, I love the premise for this series. I so enjoyed having Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Minter and Myrna Loy included in the cast!

Old Hollywood certainly had its fair share of scandals and Miley knew how to draw from some of those old mysteries to make this an exciting whodunit!!

Overall, an enjoyable, clean historical mystery- looking forward to the next installment!!

4 stars… (més)

I enjoyed The Impersonator, the first book in Mary Miley's Roaring Twenties series so much that I knew I'd be coming back for more. Silent Murders does not disappoint. In the first book, Jessie was hired to impersonate an heiress. Growing up in vaudeville had given her all the tools for deception that she needed for this role. Now she's on the straight and narrow with a new name and a new life in Hollywood.

Jessie is just the sort of wise-cracking, thinks-on-her-feet, good-hearted sort of character that I enjoy, and there's something about the Roaring Twenties and the silent film industry that draws me like a magnet. I liked how Miley blended fact and fiction in the sort of story that would blend in seamlessly with the actual Hollywood history of the era. Her use of real-life people like Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Myrna Loy rang true, with Fairbanks and Pickford accustomed to their roles as silent film royalty and Loy as a young girl just beginning to break into the movies. A young Gary Cooper can even be seen on the sidelines from time to time.

The movie industry has had a part in shaping this country's history for good or ill, and I really enjoy seeing the Old Hollywood used as a backdrop for a mystery series. Combine this setting with a strong main character and that gives me just the perfect reading when I need an escape.… (més)