Book Review: The Scarlet Thread (Gaslamp Gothic #7) by Kat Ross

The Scarlet Thread (Gaslamp Gothic #7)
by Kat Ross

June 24, 2022

Sherlock Holmes meets The X-Files in this Gilded Age paranormal mystery series readers call "page-turning," "stay-up-all-night," "witty, smart, and a little sexy."

Bloody Mary Worth.

Say her name thirteen times in a mirror and you might see the face of your future husband.

Or, less happily, your own shrieking demise.

December 1889. When society girls start dropping like flies at the start of the Winter Ball Season, Harrison Fearing Pell lands her first juicy case since she was suspended from the Society for Psychical Research. And the prime suspect is the very same client who landed her in the soup last time—criminal prodigy and all-around nuisance James Moran.

The victims appear to have been scared to death. But is the real culprit the ghost of a vengeful dead girl—or something even worse? As Harry digs deeper into Mary’s unsolved murder thirty years before, the icy hand of the past reaches into the present. What is the significance of the scarlet thread wound around the victims’ fingers? Is there a connection to the mesmerism fad sweeping New York? And if he’s innocent, why is James still such an insufferable bastard?

Moran’s connections to the city’s seedy underworld might be the key to untangling the mystery—assuming Harry can find the answer before she ends up killing him herself.

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Gaslamp Gothic is an enchanting series featuring shifting points of view. Described by Ross as a “loose collection” these books tackle similar themes, interwoven stories, and intersecting characters. Readers have been gifted a full cast of rich characters and imaginative tales throughout the series. The Scarlet Thread marks the return of paranormal investigator Harrison “Harry” Pell and her loyal partner and companion John Weston. Together the pair attempt to explain the seemingly unexplainable in late 1880s New York City. In The Scarlet Thread, Harry is called upon to solve the seeming serial murders of a tight group of young debutantes. Before long, Harry and John realize they aren’t chasing a human suspect, but the horrific and mythical entity known as Bloody Mary.

As a child, the Bloody Mary tale terrified me. Being in a dark room with a mirror was out of the question. I even begged my dad to remove a mirror in my room as I wholeheartedly believed Bloody Mary reached through the glass and pulled my hair while a slept. When I discovered Mary was the subject of the newest installment in one of my favourite series, curiosity and enthusiasm won out over irrational childhood fear. My bravery was rewarded.

In this installment, Ross characteristically delivers an enthralling, entertaining and charming story. The suspense and action are engaging and the relationship and character building ever so satisfying. Ross paints a rich picture of New York in a bygone era. Her characters are immensely likeable, even the unscrupulous James Moran. Harry is a heroine of a time long past, but very much suitable for the 21st century. She’s fiercely independent, honorable, and charming. She’s determined to forge a path of adventure and enlightenment but isn’t afraid to seek help and friendship along the way.

Kat Ross is a must-read author and Gaslamp Gothic is not to be missed. The next installment will also feature Harry and John and they research the beast of Loch Ness. I anxiously anticipate this next installment. I highly recommend another Ross series, Lingua Magika. The uniquely fascinating sci-fi western trilogy wrapped earlier this year.

Five Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

 

About the Author:

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Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.

Book Review: Balthazar’s Bane (Gaslamp Gothic, #6) by Kat Ross + giveaway

Balthazar’s Bane (Gaslamp Gothic, #6)by Kat Ross
July 31st 2020
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Retelling
A bungled murder.
A ridiculous quest.

And a hero with extremely dodgy credentials.

Christmas 1889. Count Balthazar Jozsef Habsburg-Koháry tries to lead a simple life.

Oh, he enjoys a few hobbies.

Collecting ancient Egyptian artifacts. Hunting necromancers with a wire garrote. Impersonating dead Hungarian nobility. Seducing an endless string of women who never suspect the price of the count’s attentions.

But considering what Balthazar used to be like, these pursuits are harmless. And surely he deserves a reward for assassinating the elusive necromancer John Mortlake in the middle of Cairo’s teeming bazaar. What could be better than a holiday cruise up the Nile with his secretary Lucas Devereaux?

There’s just one thing that might ruin his mood.

If, for example, someone stole the talisman that’s kept him alive for two thousand years.

That would really suck.

Unfortunately for Balthazar, he just killed the wrong necromancer – one with a vengeful daughter and huge debts to some very shady djinn. To get his mojo back, he and Lucas must find a legendary sword and liberate a desert kingdom of magical misfits. For centuries, the people of Al Miraj have sought a valiant champion willing to face the wrath of the arch demon Fulad-zereh!

What they get is Balthazar.

But the gods always did like a good joke.

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Kat Ross continues to utterly impress with everything she writes. I’m currently deeply invested in both her Gaslamp Gothic and Lingua Magika series. Balthazar’s Bane, the sixth installment in Gaslamp Gothic, entranced me from start to finish. I understand Balthazar is a character featured in another of Ross’s series, however, I was best acquainted with him in Dead Ringer (Gaslamp Gothic #5). 

Count Balthazar Jozef Habsburg-Koháry is a counterfeit count with a Dorian Gray-esque ability to retain his youth. Befitting Balthazar’s appetites, he siphons life essence from his sexual partners during their climax via a powerful talisman. When a mysterious woman seduces the seducer and absconds with the talisman, a chain of events forces Balthazar and his long-suffering secretary Lucas Devereaux to travel to the mythical desert kingdom Al Miraj. Balthazar becomes the kingdom’s reluctant champion in a battle against a powerful demon holding a centuries-long grudge. 

Balthazar’s Bane is a delightful adventure story with plenty of action and intrigue. The setting and scope of the story are deeply imaginative and descriptive. Balthazar is a likable antihero whose questionable choices lead to questionable paths. His charm, however, is irresistible. The peripheral characters wonderfully support Balthazar in his quest. There is something for every reader in this epic tale. What I adore about this series is Ross’s adept ability to shift perspective from book to book. She lets characters and storylines simmer while treating readers to a whole set of figures and adventures. This grants an enjoyable, rare richness to the series. I eagerly anticipate the next installment in Gaslamp Gothic.

Five Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

 

About the Author:

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Goodreads
Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
5 ebook copies of the Gaslamp Gothic Box Set (which contains the first 5 books) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Double Book Review: Dead Ringer (Gaslamp Gothic Book 5) by Kat Ross

Dead Ringer (Gaslamp Gothic Book 5)
by Kat Ross
December 13, 2019
256 pages
A poisonous secret.

A terrifying curse.

And a client she’d just as soon see dead in a ditch….

Summer 1889. Harrison Fearing Pell hoped for adventure when she signed on with the Society for Psychical Research as an occult investigator. Slogging through New York’s sewers in pursuit of a “mud man” wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. But the reeking monster terrorizing the dance halls of the Tenderloin leads her to an even more peculiar mystery — and the last man on earth Harry wishes to become entangled with.

James Moran is a prodigy in music, mathematics . . . and crime. Harry’s older sister, the famed detective Myrtle Fearing Pell, has vowed to put him behind bars. But Harry owes Moran a personal debt, so when he demands her aid she can hardly refuse. It turns out that the brilliant black sheep of New York Society is part of a secret club at Columbia College whose members have started dying in bizarre ways that may not be accidents.

Thus begins one of the strangest cases of Harry’s career, a tale of murder, cold-blooded revenge and fairytale bogeymen to make the Brothers Grimm shudder. As the bodies pile up, each preceded by sightings of the victim’s doppelgänger, Harry and her stalwart friend John Weston must race against time to save a man who arguably deserves his macabre fate.

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Bianca Greenwood

5 Sheep

Kat Ross’s Gaslamp Gothic is an outstanding series not to be missed. If you haven’t read previous installments, by all means, drop everything and commence reading. Dead Ringer is the outstanding fifth installment, but to start here would be doing yourself a grave disservice.

The series follows a cast of inquisitive female main characters looking to reconcile reality and the supernatural. Harrison “Harry” Fearing Pell resumes the spotlight in Dead Ringer along with her faithful friend and sleuthing partner John Weston. Harry and John have been asked to locate and dispatch a mysterious “mud man” lurking in sewers of New York City terrorizing citizens and tourists alike. The pair soon discover their fabled foe is part of a larger, more sinister, web. 

In book five, readers finally get a deeper dive into the enigmatic James Moran. Moran has been an unsettling, albeit intriguing, feature in previous books. And while I’m not sure I know him better having read Dead Ringer, I’m definitely more invested in his character and the sphere of Harrison Fearing Pell. I’m also certain of one thing: I want more Moran. 

I’ve said it before, particularly in my 2019 “best discoveries” post; Ross is a formidable storyteller. I’ve savoured every word of every book in this series. Gaslamp Gothic is witty, smart, and a little sexy. Dead Ringer is an excellent addition to this collection.

 

Jeanie G

Getting 4 “mirrored” sheep

I am not sure how I have totally missed this author’s works. New for me but now added as a go-to for further publishings if this writing is any indication of her other books.

Starting with the 5th installment of her Gaslight Gothic series might have put me at a slight disadvantage in the beginning but it didn’t take me long to enjoy the main characters’ (Harry and John) relationship and the “villain” Mr. Moran. I didn’t feel overwhelmed with the setting of early 1900s in the brogue or “stereotypes”. Most of the time I forgot the time period all together.

The mixture of mystery, paranormal, danger, and underlying attraction fit well in this tale. I did have to backtrack a couple times to make sure I had the storyline correct but I didn’t have a problem with making sure I read thru to the last page! I thought the doppelgänger an interesting mystery plot.

I know I will be going back to pick up the first 4 books to find out a little more background on Harry.

About the Author:
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Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)

$20 Amazon gift card

5x ebook copies of A Bad Breed

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Series Review: Gaslamp Gothic Series by Kat Ross

"Gaslamp Gothic is a masterclass in genre-blending; combining horror, mystery, crime, comedy, fantasy, history, and romance in a wonderfully addictive read." - Bianca Greenwood (I Smell Sheep Reviewer)

The Necromancer’s Bride (Gaslamp Gothic, #4)by Kat Ross
May 31st 2019
Acorn Publishing
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Retelling
Forgiveness is not Gabriel D’Ange’s strong suit.

A self-appointed soldier of God with a penchant for ruthlessly punishing his enemies, he vanished after Anne Lawrence stabbed him with his own dagger.

The smart thing would be to let him go.

Unfortunately, Anne’s life isn’t just lonely without Gabriel. It’s insufferably boring.

Determined to heal the rift between them, she goes in search of her tempestuous former lover, black parasol in hand and daeva magic crackling at her fingertips. But Gabriel has his own plans afoot and Anne finds herself drawn into one of his tangled webs, much against her better judgment.

Gabriel’s nemesis has reappeared in Brussels, a vile slaver who’s plundering the Congo Free State with the blessing of King Leopold. Gabriel might be willing to give Anne a second chance, but not until Jorin Bekker’s head is lying at his feet.

Back in London, the quasi-reformed necromancer Balthazar sets his sights on the same quarry. He holds a very personal grudge against Bekker — and killing him might be the only way to keep Gabriel D’Ange from Balthazar’s own throat.

When the hunters collide at a lavish gala thrown by the king, Anne learns just how far she’ll go to save the man she loves.

Note: The Necromancer’s Bride is the sequel to A Bad Breed, which should be read first.

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Gaslamp Gothic is my newest series obsession. In preparation for this review I went back to the beginning and started with book one, The Daemonic. I was easily swept up in the Victorian-era tale of Harrison Fearing Pell an amateur detective and her colourful cast of supporters. ‘Harry’ is single-minded and recklessly brave in her search for the truth. She is a formidable character; a thoroughly modern rewrite of the repressed Victorian lady. As I dove into the series, I came to adore Kat Ross’ writing and her lovable characters.

The series weaves in and out of the lives of three principle characters; Harry, Lady Vivienne Cumberland, and Ann Lawrence. These women are all truth-seekers set on bravely unravelling the mysteries of the real and paranormal universe. They face terrifying foes of both the human and supernatural variety. While Ross’ male characters are magnetic and well-developed, they play a crucial supporting role to these clever, courageous women. The Necromancer’s Bride centres on Ann Lawrence and the enigmatic, fanatical necromancer Gabriel D’Ange. I’d be doing a disservice to readers and the series, if I revealed too much about this installment. While the first two books stand alone, The Necromancer’s Bride builds on A Bad Breed, book three. But please. I implore you. Start with book one. You won’t be sorry.

Gaslamp Gothic is a masterclass in genre-blending; combining horror, mystery, crime, comedy, fantasy, history, and romance in a wonderfully addictive read. I ran the gambit of emotion while reading this series and was wholly riveted the entire time. There is something within Gaslamp Gothic for every reader. This is fresh historical fiction with contemporary relevance.

The Daemonic (book one) is free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. The Thirteenth Gate (book two) is free with author newsletter sign up. Book five, Dead Ringer, is set for release December 13 of this year. I can’t wait.

I give the entire series Five Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:
Website-FB-Twitter
Goodreads
Newsletter
Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.