#BookReview The Blue and the Grey by M.J. Trow

The Blue and the Grey by M.J. Trow
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

"Introducing 19th-century private investigators Matthew Grand and James Batchelor in the first of a brand-new historical mystery series."
April, 1865. Having been an eye witness to the assassination of President Lincoln, Matthew Grand, a former captain of the 3rd Cavalry of the Potomac, has come to London on an undercover assignment to hunt down the last of the assassin's co-conspirators. Ambitious young journalist Jim Batchelor has been charged with writing a feature article on the visiting American, with the aim of getting the inside story on the assassination. Both men are distracted from their missions by the discovery of a body behind the Haymarket Theatre in London s Soho district. It's the latest in a series of grisly garrottings by a killer known as the Haymarket Strangler.

As Grand and Batchelor team up to pursue their investigations through the dark underbelly of Victorian London, it becomes clear that there may be a disturbing connection between the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the Haymarket Strangler.

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This is the first book in a planned historical mystery series and what a great first book it was. Matthew Grand and Jim Batchelor are an excellent team, and it was great fun watching poor Grand trying to get used to London and its different "language" just a simple thing like ordering muffins at a coffee house and not at all getting the American muffin you excepted. Hell, I would have been confused as well.

But even though I liked both Grand and Batchelor I actually like Inspector Tanner the best, there was just something about the man I just liked as soon as he was introduced into the story and I hope he will get a larger part in the future books.

It was an enjoyable book to read, a good introduction to a new series. The cases were OK, not earth-shattering, I mean I wasn't that surprised when the culprits were revealed. There was no "OMG I didn't see that coming" moment. I think back in my head I was already a bit suspicious when it came to the killers. I mean there wasn't that many to pick from and it is seldom the first person that the police suspect.

The Blue and the Grey was a nice historical mystery book, precisely the kind I like to read and I'm looking forward to the next one!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!