Review: A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Published: May 25, 2021

Source: ARC Paperback via Publisher

 

Summary:

The first in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, set in England during World War II, A Peculiar Combination is a delightful mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and the author’s signature wit.

Electra McDonnell has always known that the way she and her family earn their living is slightly outside of the law. Breaking into the homes of the rich and picking the locks on their safes may not be condoned by British law enforcement, but World War II is in full swing, Ellie’s cousins Colm and Toby are off fighting against Hitler, and Uncle Mick’s more honorable business as a locksmith can’t pay the bills any more.

So when Uncle Mick receives a tip about a safe full of jewels in the empty house of a wealthy family, he and Ellie can’t resist. All goes as planned–until the pair are caught redhanded. Ellie expects them to be taken straight to prison, but instead they are delivered to a large townhouse, where government official Major Ramsey is waiting with an offer: either Ellie agrees to help him break into a safe and retrieve blueprints that will be critical to the British war effort, before they can be delivered to a German spy, or he turns her over to the police.

Ellie doesn’t care for the Major’s imperious manner, but she has no choice, and besides, she’s eager to do her bit for king and country. She may be a thief, but she’s no coward. When she and the Major break into the house in question, they find instead the purported German spy dead on the floor, the safe already open and empty. Soon, Ellie and Major Ramsey are forced to put aside their differences to unmask the double-agent, as they try to stop allied plans falling into German hands.

 

My thoughts:

Historical mysteries are quickly becoming one of my favorite sub-genres and so of course I was thrilled when I saw that this was the start of a new series. Ashley Weaver is a new-to-me author and I just loved her witty writing and engaging plot.

I loved that this story is set in London during WWII…this is just a time period I cannot seem to get enough of. Here we have Electra and her family of thieves…they are masters of safe cracking and that’s a skill I don’t think we have seen utilized much before. And when one robbery attempt goes awry, Electra finds herself using those skills to help the government seize information that will help with the war effort.

I just loved the characters here – they were all so well-developed, which made for an enjoyable read. Electra in particular was a complex character and I am looking forward to seeing her character grow more in future books. And I also loved Uncle Mick – he might be a safecracker, but he had a pretty strict moral code that he lived by.

I think this series is off to a good start and definitely plan to continue reading. A few developments happened that have me eager to see what will happen next.

 

Books in this series:

1. A Peculiar Combination
2. The Key to Deceit – out May 2022