Novella Review: The Ducal Detective by Sarah E. Burr (Court of Mystery #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and mystery in a fun setting

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Enter a new realm

With mystery novella

Promising series

Jacqueline Starts Her Reign Solving a Murder

I’ve really enjoyed both of Sarah E. Burr’s series that I’ve read so far, which are contemporary cozy mysteries, so I was intrigued by her Court of Mysteries series.  I got a chance to read The Ducal Detective recently, and I’m hooked on this different set up for a cozy.

This novella introduces us to the Realm of Virtues.  Essentially, this is a fantasy realm, although it is light on the fantasy here.  Outside a mention of a mythological creature, this really could be any medieval type setting with royalty and knights.

Here, we meet Jacqueline Arienta Xavier who has just been crowned Duchess of Saphire.  Jacqueline is still morning the loss of both of her parents in a carriage accident, and is struggling to take on her new responsibilities.

Then she gets word that her parents might not have died in an accident but instead were murdered.  Suddenly, Jacqueline’s world is turned upside down as she hardly knows who among her staff and advisers she can trust.  But she knows she must get to the bottom of it or her own life could be in danger.  Can she do it?

This novella really has a lot to do.  It must introduce the characters and start to create the world while also give us a compelling mystery.  That’s a lot to do in 120 pages.  Yet this book succeeds in spades.  It helps that we immediately can identify with Jacqueline.  And we watch her grow quite a bit here.  We like her, and we want to see her succeed.  We get to know several other characters as well, and I liked them.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of them as the series progresses.

The mystery itself is strong.  Since this is a novella, the mystery is appropriate for the length.  I was entertained the entire time, and I couldn’t wait to see exactly what was going on.  The ending was logical, and I appreciated how Jacqueline figured things out and how she handled the entire situation.

Honestly, that was my favorite thing in the story.  Jacqueline faces several nearly impossible situations, and I enjoyed watching her deal with them diplomatically.  We get a sense for the kind of ruler she is going to be here, and I’m looking forward to seeing her in action again.

Given the fact that Jacqueline is working on solving her parents’ murder, this book has a more melancholy tone at times than the cozies I typically read.  It’s mixed with some truly lovely scenes.  That balance is handled just right.

I actually read this via audio.  Melissa Green is the narrator, and she makes the story lots of fun, including narrating with a British accent.  I’m glad I’ve got the next few in audio already.

I always enjoy it when I can read a mystery with a creative setting and hook.  I’ve found that with The Ducal Detective.  If you are looking for something different, you’ll be happy you checked out this introductory novella.

 I'm looking forward to the rest of the Court of Mystery stories.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.