Silence in the Library by Katharine Schellman
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: COPYRIGHT: 7/13/2021; PUBLISHER: Crooked Lane Books; ISBN 978- 1643857046; PAGES 352; Unabridged
Digital: Yes

*Audio: COPYRIGHT: 7/13/21; ISBN: 9781666501735; PUBLISHER: Dreamscape Media; DURATION: 12:09:51; PARTS: 12; File Size: 347070 KB; Unabridged

Feature Film or tv: No

SERIES: A Lily Adler Mystery, Book 2

CHARACTERS: (Not comprehensive)
Lily Adler – A widow & amateur sleuth
Mr. Peirce – Lily’s father
Jack Hartley – An off-duty military Captain, Freddy's boyhood friend
Freddy Adler - Lily's deceased husband
Sir Charles Wyatt – Old friend of Mr. Peirce
Frank Wyatt – Charles’ son, Mr. Peirce’s Godson
Arthur Wyatt – Charles’ son
Percy Wyatt – Charles’ Nephew
Lady Winifred Wyatt – Charles newlywed wife
Simon Page – Bow Street Constable

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it: I saw this book on a bookshelf and it looked fun, but I wanted to start with the first book of the series, so had to postpone this one until now. I was right, it was a fun read.
What’s it about? A widow with excellent powers of observation determines to find the killer of her father’s good friend, when most everyone else is convinced his death was simply an accident.
What did I think? It kept me interested. This narrator is still not a favorite. There's a stridency in the tone. It's probably intentional because the Lily character is said to be cold. She does well enough.

AUTHOR:
Katharine Schellman
From KatharineSchellman.com
“My name is Katharine, and some of the people I know call me that. (People named Katharine tend to collect nicknames.)

Though I started my career in political consulting and stage performance, I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember. My debut historical mystery, The Body in the Garden, a whodunnit set in Regency England featuring amateur sleuth Lily Adler, was named a Suspense Magazine Best Book of 2020. Lily’s adventures continue in the Lily Adler Mysteries, the newest of which is coming in August 2022. You can meet her anytime in my free Lily Adler short mystery, Pistols at Dawn.

My second series, the Nightingale Mysteries, is a Jazz Age drama full of grit, glamour, and a whole lot of grey area. The first book, Last Call at the Nightingale, will hit bookshelves in 2022.”

NARRATOR:
Henrietta Meire
From HenriettaMeire.com:
“Film. TV. Theatre. Voice.
SAG-AFTRA. Actors’ Equity.
Los Angeles | London
I’m a British born actress, currently living in Los Angeles. From German-Normandy heritage, born to a very British magical fairy of a ballerina-opera singer Mother and an even more British, gentle Buddha-like, over-grown leprechaun of a Father.
As a teenager I was a concert clarinetist, attempting to play Weber concertos with 50 piece orchestras behind me, whilst my knees knocked in pure terror. How I ever produced a soulful note from that beautiful piece of emotional sorcery, I will never know.
I then traversed into singing… Big band jazz in particular. I was 14 and singing Fever in front of 400 people, which made me high as a kite (naturally… no snorty stuff here: I wasn’t THAT kind of teenager). I still sing and, whilst I may not be the best singer on the block (I’ll leave that to Jenny…), I bloomin’ love it.
Later into my teens I remembered how much I liked to play dress-up as a small child. (…and still do ) “What tiara can I wear today?” So, I started creating plays that involved dance, music, and acting – a musical, one might say, but I think I would stick with the description ‘something weird on a stage.’ I went to a very academic school and creativity “to such an extreme” was seriously not cool. “Henrietta, you can’t be an actress. Just like you can’t be a Princess. You’ve seen too many films.” My quick response… “I could marry Prince William to become a Princess, and that seems a lot more difficult than being an actress.”
I studied Brecht, then Method, then Stanislavski. I was lucky enough to train at the Webber Douglas Academy before it closed, as well as in Classical Theatre & Shakespeare at the Royal National Theatre, London. Then I found a place where it all came together and made perfect sense, in the true Meisner technique. My world turned around and my passion went from a simmer to a supernova.
Since then I have played roles from ISABELLA in “Measure for Measure” to a paranoid-schizophrenic meth head to SALLY BOWLES in “Cabaret.” I’ve thrived in and loved every minute of every role that has ever come my way. I am blessed to have a career I love and head-over-heels excited for all the marvelous roles I will play with in the future.
When people ask me what I do, I tell them I’m a storyteller. I create a space that allows others to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances. We all get lost inside each others worlds, which both belong to someone else. As an artist, I believe that is what we creatives do; we create a space for others to escape to.”

GENRE:
Historical Fiction; Mystery; Suspense

LOCATIONS:
Regency England; London

TIME FRAME:
1815

SUBJECTS:
Murder; families; friends; detectives

DEDICATION:
“For my parents, Jim and Andrea Schellman, who turned all of their kids into readers.
And for Brian, the only adult I could handle living with during a pandemic lockdown.”

SAMPLE QUOTATION: (From Chapter 1)

"For a moment Lily panicked. The house on Half Moon Street was let to her for the indefinite future, and it had finally begun to feel like home. She had nowhere else to go. If she was forced to leave …
Lily squared her shoulders. She would not be leaving. Forgetting about the captain and not caring which of her too-curious neighbors might be watching, she stalked toward her house.
The postboys, who hadn’t expected a well-dressed lady to elbow past them, fell back. At the top of the steps, Carstairs was nose to nose with a man in the dark suit and painfully starched collar of a valet. Their heated voices tumbled over each other so rapidly that Lily could barely make out what either of them was saying. Mrs. Carstairs, the cook and housekeeper, stood in the doorway just behind her husband, hands on her hips and a duster in one hand as she harangued both men at the top of her lungs. Just as Lily drew in a breath to speak, the strange man turned enough for her to see his profile.
Her resolve crumbled into weary fury, and though she managed to keep her voice from growing too loud, it still cut through the noise. “Branson.” The two servants stopped arguing abruptly and turned toward the foot of the stairs where she stood, one hand gripping the banister so she wouldn’t tremble. Carstairs, a vein visibly throbbing in one temple, opened his mouth to speak, but Lily held up a hand to forestall him.
“Branson, where is he?”
“Miss Pierce.” Robert Branson winced, then quickly corrected himself. “Beg pardon. Mrs. Adler. He is waiting in the drawing room. Your servants—” He cut a quick, irritated look at Carstairs, who instantly jumped in.
“Mrs. Adler, this man is claiming that—”
“No one told us about anything—” Mrs. Carstairs started speaking at the same time.
The small scene began to descend into chaos once more. The postboys took advantage of the confusion to resume their task, and Lily could see the luggage piling up in her front hall. She took a deep breath.
“If you please,” Lily said, pitching the words to carry, though she tried to keep any sharpness out of them as she gestured for everyone to move inside, away from any prying eyes.
They obeyed promptly, all three looking embarrassed, and Lily sighed. She resented being caught in the middle of the confusion and uproar, but the three servants weren’t to blame for it. The man responsible was, no doubt, currently making himself comfortable in the drawing room and growing irritated that no one had yet brought him any refreshments.
“Carstairs, see these men paid and sent on their way. I assume,” Lily said to Branson, fixing him with a narrow-eyed stare before indicating the piled luggage with a sweep of her hand. “I assume that he intends a visit?”
Branson frowned “I understood you were aware of his plans.”
“No doubt he believes everyone is aware of them and prepared to accommodate him at a moment’s notice. Which I must endeavor to do, I suppose. Mrs. Carstairs.” Lily turned to the motherly woman who kept her home comfortable and her life running in perfect order. “It seems we will have a visitor with us. For some time, judging by the amount of luggage he has brought. Will the two of you see his things installed in the best spare room and accommodations for his valet as well? And Branson?” Lily managed to smile, though the expression felt stiff. It wasn’t Branson’s fault his employer was so damned difficult. “You might start by introducing yourself to my servants and explaining the situation. I do not want to hear shouting in my house.” She gave each of them a pointed look. “From anyone.”
“Of course, Mrs. Adler,” Carstairs rumbled, looking embarrassed. “May I ask, madam, who our visitor …” He trailed off, eyeing her warily.
Lily tried to school her expression back to its normal calm, wondering what she must have looked like to make her stoic butler so uneasy. “Our visitor is Mr. George Pierce,” she said. “Branson will explain, I have no doubt. And Mrs. Carstairs, if you could first see tea and some light refreshments brought into the drawing room? No doubt Mr. Pierce is famished after his journey.”
As they nodded and began to move about their tasks, Lily became aware of someone standing just behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she found that her companion had followed her inside and was watching, his arms crossed and his brows raised as he leaned against the doorway.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, the concern in his voice in direct contrast with his casual attitude. “Yes,” Lily said immediately, and a little defensively, before she shook her head. “No. I have a visitor.”
“I gathered. Is it really—”
“Yes.” Lily’s expression grew grim. “You ought to come say hello, Jack.”
Taking a deep breath, she gathered her composure, lifted her chin, and walked briskly to the drawing room door. Throwing it open, she met the eyes of the man waiting for her.
He sat in the tall chair across from the door as regally as if it were his own home, two hands resting on top of the walking stick planted between his feet and, oddly, a small pile of books on the floor beside him. His familiar eagle-eyed stare bored into her.
“Hello, Father,” Lily said, her voice dripping with false pleasantness that she knew didn’t fool him for a moment. “How good to see you. And how unexpected. May I ask what in God’s name you are doing in my house?””

RATING:.
4

STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
11-20-2022 to 11-25-2022

I enjoyed the book. Great sequel to the first Lily Adler book. Lily endures a visit from her stern father, which drives her crazy. She and her friends, Margaret, Captain Jack Hartley and recently married Ofelia find ways to assist Bow Street Simon Page in the investigation into the murder of Sir Charles Wyatt. Her father‘s good friend. It keeps you guessing and interested to the end, especially as to the motive. Good book I can’t wait for the next one. ( )

When Lily Adler goes to pay a call on some old family friends, she finds herself in the midst of an uncomfortable family scene -- but that is eclipsed the following day when the patriarch of that same family is found dead in his own library. When it becomes clear that the death was a murder, Bow Street is once again involved, to the chagrin of the upper classes, and Lily finds herself in a position to once again assist with the investigation. Someone within the household is almost certainly the killer -- does Lily really want to know which of her acquaintances is capable of such an act?

I enjoyed this second entry in the series even more than the first. I thought the mystery element was stronger and the newly introduced characters more interesting. I'd recommend this series to readers who enjoy both mysteries and Regencies. ( )

The second installment in the Lily Adler Mysteries, and it's even better than book one. Again, the mystery is well plotted and had me waffling on whodunit until close to the end. I'm loving this series, and am very excited for book 3! ( )

The perfect treat for those that enjoy historical mysteries, Katharine Schellman perfectly encompasses the era and takes you directly into the year 1815. The mystery comes to life through the norms of the time period with Lily Adler breaking every rule of society through her independence and spirit. She breaks the stereotypes of women in the century by being a single (widowed) woman that lives on her own and investigates murders. A voice like hers brings the genre of historical fiction to life and adds a brazen quality to the lighthearted tone of a cozy. Schellman captures the essence of both historical mysteries and cozies with such ease that it makes for a compelling and addicting read.

Lily encounters various characters throughout the story that have different impacts on her character. Several threads of the plot focus on the relationships in Lily's life such as the respect she receives from Constable Page, the partnership she has with Captain Jack Hartley, and the strained dynamic with her father. Set against the backdrop of the time period, Lily lives among a society of principles and expectations that are expected of her with everyone (especially her father) dictating how she (as a woman) should behave. Her father represents the typical attitude (and man) of the time and is often criticizing her or disapproving of her behavior (even her green riding outfit). Despite the time and the pressure from her father and society, Lily is a brazen character whose strong qualities are encouraged by various characters in her life such as Constable Page and Captain Jack. They each encourage her to investigate the murder and help her step outside of the "appropriate" attitude. Schellman strikes the ideal balance of cozy mystery, historical fiction, and strong female lead with Silence in the Library. ( )