Review: "The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter" (The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire #1) by Rod Duncan

Synopsis:

 

Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life—as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus. But when she comes up against an agent of the all-powerful Patent Office, her life and the course of history will begin to change. And not necessarily for the better…*(summary courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review:

The cover art of this book is as creative as the actual story. It gave me the feeling that I was reading a combination of The Master of Disguise and She's the Man, except this was more of a detective mystery with a steampunk element to it. I was definitely on the edge of my seat while reading. Also, the characters were likable for the most part.

Elizabeth is a pretty street-smart and cunning character. How she manages to lead a double life as her "twin brother Edwin, the detective" with none the wiser, is a mystery to me. There wasn't a lot of her past shown in the book, but what the reader does learn about her past is shocking indeed. Her strength of character is admirable, and I enjoyed her scenes with the illustrious John Farthing. The reader certainly doesn't know anything about Agent John
Farthing except that he's American; we do, however, see his attraction to Elizabeth. Tinker and Julia might be my favorite characters thus far. Julia's loyalty to Elizabeth is quite refreshing, and Tinker's cuteness is endearing. There are some sketchy characters as well..you'll see.

As for the story, "woah" is all I can say. I liked the "dancing bear trick" that was pulled on a certain character; it surprised me since I usually can guess the outcome of a story. The tie-in with the book's title was very clever as well. I am definitely tuning in for the next book. On a side note: I am still questioning if there was ever a brother? I have no idea.

384 pages

Expected publication: August 26th 2014 by Angry Robot
 

Rating:  🔔🔔🔔🔔

Recommend?    Oh Yeah!