3.5/5

For fans of: The Mummy, Indiana Jones, Roaring 20s, slow burn romance, puzzles, mysteries, codes, scavenger hunts, Irish folklore

Synopsis: Book restorer, Samantha Knox, spent her childhood deciphering codes and completing intricate scavenger hunts with her best friend Joanna and Joanna’s brother Bennett. But when her father did not return from the Great War, Samantha put away such things and walked away from those she loved. That is until one night, a pair of men came to her shop looking for a mysterious book. That night would change her life and thrust her into a dangerous adventure. Reunited with her childhood friends, Sam must cross the Atlantic to stop the rise of the Specter Queen by the infamous Hellfire Club.

Review: Overall, a really fun read and great start to a promising series. Sam is a well-rounded main character full of potential. She starts of meek and honestly, annoyingly unsure of herself. She wants nothing more than her quiet little life in her little town, but is one smart cookie who just needs a push. Enter Joanna, her former best friend and my favourite socialite thief. Hellbent on having the time of her life but desperately missing her best friend, Joanna kickstarts the adventure with a stolen car and sneaking onto a transcontinental train bound for the Big Apple. Why are they on the train, well to warn Joanna’s big brother and my least favourite leading man at the moment, Bennett. Now don’t get me wrong, Bennett has a good heart and is a good person, but this being the 1920s and he being a wealth young man, he harbors some very dated view of men’s and women’s roles that irked this millennial’s sensibilities. I loved getting to know this trio throughout the book, even the side characters were a blast. The rip roaring 20s is such a fun setting for the story. Now to the story itself, I wasn’t floored by the plot and action all that much for most of the book. The pacing was off to me with a slow 2/3 of the book of mostly character development and then the sudden rush of the plot-driven third act, which really kicks the action to breakneck speed through the Irish city of Dublin and it’s surrounding areas. The mystery itself of the Specter Queen wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped as well, but boy was that ending satisfying. But now that we know our main characters so well, I’m excited to see what adventures they will have next for our budding archeologists (and socialite thief).