The Inventor (a Penny Green Mystery Book 4) by Emily Organ

 Independently published

Oh, how I wish I had started this series with the first book by Emily Organ! That said, I really enjoyed reading the Inventor. I didn't really know exactly what I would find and learn in this book beginning in 1884 with a young lady as a reporter for the newspaper, but the story-line was excellent. Everything in this book was well-matched to its time, not to mention a really strong heroine reporting. The Inventor is placed in the time of working with electricity and I'm sure a lot of references were spot on. If not quite in their time, there are notes at the end of the book with dates, names, companies, and even references to what was going on in botany at the time Penny's father disappeared on a hunt for new plants.

This book has over 350 pp. yet I read it in one day. So dedicated to the story I was I simply couldn't put it down. I definitely want to read the previous books Limelight, The Rookery, and The Maid's Secret, (Books 1, 2 & 3 in the series).

A lot of history of Britain especially regarding the work with electricity, chemicals, filaments, but one can just imagine from the descriptions the appearance in a live show of fairies lit up with small lights in their performance. But unfortunately this didn't last on the first live trial. Instead, misfortune soon overtakes witnesses as the man who has created this effect for whatever reason commits suicide. A sad ending. But why? Our intrepid reporter Penny Green is witness, and also as a reporter will certainly be investigating why this happened. When she starts to receive threatening notes, the whole book takes a turnaround. It still is featuring electricity in its earliest days, but the who would single out Penny for very nasty threatening notes and even telegrams? Everything she does for the paper is followed up with threats, but still she can rely on help from her various contacts.

Seriously, I could not put this book down, in fact when I went outside to check on some noises (we live where there is considerable wildlife), I realized I had taken my book out with me!