[review] The Case of the Curious Client by T.G. Campbell

The Case of the Curious Client is the first book in the Bow Street Society mystery series by T.G. Campbell. This mystery series is set in the Victorian era and as soon as I read the premise I knew I had to give this book a read.

Title: The Case of The Curious Client
Author: T.G. Campbell
Series: Bow Street Society #1
First Published: June 30, 2016
Publisher: n/a
Categories: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Acquired: from the author 

*** Thank you to the author, T.G. Campbell, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***

The Bow Street Society is a fictional group made up of civilian amateur detectives operating in London in 1896. Each of its members has been chosen for their unique skill or exceptional knowledge in a particular field. This ensures the Society may work to solve cases on the behalf of their clients regardless of their client’s social class or wealth; cases that the police either can’t or won’t investigate. From an artist to an illusionist, from an architect to a veterinary surgeon, the Bow Street Society is justice by all and for all.

In the debut book, The Case of The Curious Client, the Bow Street Society is hired by Thaddeus Dorsey to locate a missing friend he knows only as ‘Palmer’. When Dorsey’s credibility is cast into doubt almost immediately after they meet him, the members of the Society are forced to consider whether they’ve been sent on a wild goose chase or not.

The Case of the Curious Client definitely reminds me of reading a good Sherlock Holmes story. Set in Victorian London, Campbell paints the setting with such detail and authenticity that it is very easy for the reader to be transported back in time. This book feels very well researched and you can tell the author has a good feel for navigating her chosen setting.

I know some people don’t like getting bogged down by a lot of extra details, but I’m one of those readers that love it. I feel like it’s the experience of reading historical fiction – you need all those small details describing the look of a building or the ingredients of a dish, to really make a story feel authentic and allow the reader to vividly imagine the whole story.

And just like Holmes, the detectives in this story are unique and memorable. The Bow Street Society is made up of a variety of characters – people from all different backgrounds and jobs, all with different skills and interests – but at least a few of them have skills relevant to the mystery at hand. Each time the Society is presented with a case, they decide if they’ll take it, and if they do, certain members are chosen to take the case on. Not everyone works on every case, and the members don’t even all know each other, which makes for a very interesting dynamic.

Can the Bow Street Society trust their own client?

Speaking of the mystery, this one was a doozy. There were a lot of plot twists and red herrings, but overall, the mystery was really fun and enjoyable to read. There are actually two mysteries and how they’re related to each other isn’t quite so obvious at first. I had a tough time figuring out the link and “whodunnit” until most of the clues and reveals were handed to me.

Thaddeus Dorsey, who is the client at the heart of this case is a mystery himself. At first the Bow Street Society members don’t know whether or not they can even trust him. When Dorsey hires them to find his missing friend ‘Palmer’, he doesn’t give them a lot to go on. As the story progresses, Dorsey becomes the prime suspect in a murder when he’s found in a locked room with a dead body. Whew!

As I said, there were a lot of twists and turns and watching the mysteries unravel was an enjoyable ride.

Bow Street Society … assemble!

I love the idea of a Society of detectives, all brought together to solve cases that the police refuse to take (or can’t solve). It’s almost like The Avengers or The Justice League – not every member is used in the story, but you just know that they’ll be taking the lead in a future adventure. I know that this is the first book in a series and I’m looking forward to reading future stories, and meeting other members of the Bow Street Society.

Read The Case of the Curious Client for yourself

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Although this isn’t quite like the other cozy mysteries I’ve been reading, it’s not a hard-boiled mystery or crime novel so I’m going to count it as part of my #AtoZCozy2020 Reading Challenge!

TG Campbell crosses off the “C” in this year-long alphabet challenge!

Learn more about the challenge or want to join in, check out my blog post about it here.