[Review] The Curious Affair of The Witch at Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle

The characters in this second Jesperson & Lane book by Lisa Tuttle captivated me from the first page even though I had not read the first book. The detective agency duo of Miss Lane (Di, to her friends) and Mr. Jesperson is an interesting pairing. They’re both smart and good at assessing people. Jesperson fancies himself as a Sherlock Holmes type, with a flair for deduction and anticipating people’s actions.

I liked the supernatural elements of this mystery mixed with Victorian social mores of the time. Between investigating a murder and the disappearance of a baby, Jesperson and Lane have more than enough to keep them on their toes and guessing who among the odd cast of characters in the Norfolk countryside is friend or foe. My one complaint is that I found the ending slightly confusing, but overall it was a solid story and I flew through the pages.

As a matter of fact, I enjoyed this book so much that I immediately checked the first one, “The Somnambulist and the Psychic Thief,” out of my local library. I would not hesitated to jump into this second book, however, even if you have not read the first one.

I’m excited to see what more is to come in the Jesperson & Lane series. Thanks to Hydra and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.