Killing at the Carnival (Cassie Pengear Mysteries Book 1)

Author: L. A. Nisula

4 out of 5 stars

Cassie Pengear expects to eat some fried food and watch a few carnival acts when she agrees to attend with her landlady, Mrs. Albright and Mrs. Albright’s nephew, Davy. What she doesn’t expect is to witness a murder during the cowboy’s act. The case seems straightforward, but Davy is convinced the cowboy didn’t do it. After talking to Inspector Burrows and finding out that the carnival was under suspicion because of some robbery money that had turned up, Cassie thinks there might be more going on.

I liked the mystery. It was intriguing without being very complex. But it also wasn’t too easy to figure out, and I was able follow along as Cassie found clues. I put all the pieces together at the same time Cassie did.

I really liked all of the characters. I liked Cassie’s personality. And I liked that Inspector Burrows was good at his job and took it seriously, but he was also willing to listen to Cassie, which doesn’t always happen in mysteries with amateur sleuths. I also enjoyed the sometimes humorous interactions between the characters. The only negative was that little was revealed about Cassie’s past and why she left the United States.

I wish the world-building had been a bit better. According to the Amazon listing, It’s supposed to be a steampunk setting. And it does have a steampunk feel, but it’s vague with just mentions of things like steamcabs, steam typewriters, and automated ticket machines that were left clear to show the gears turning.

Overall, this was a good book, and there is also an extra short story at the end, which I liked. The couple of negatives are things that might improve as the series progresses, so I’ve decided to rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Current price through Amazon Kindle: $0

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RHWHOBM

(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)