Marion Lane Mystery: Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder (Hardcover)

** Vulnerability demonstrated courage, not weakness. ** ** And maybe that spark of courage could now be coaxed into a flame. ** Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg is a delightfully fun new 1950s era detective story featuring a plucky heroine. Marion Lane finds herself able to escape her humdrum life by becoming an apprentice at a secretive, underground detective agency in London Miss Bricketts Investigations and Inquiries. New employees learn the craft of detection, trained to track suspects without being seen, listen to conversations without being noticed, enter buildings without invitation. They were expected to conceal the extraordinary behind a facade of mundane and austere, all while using unique gadgets created by experts at the agency. But when a crime strikes close to home at Miss Bricketts, Marion secretly joins forces with some of her colleagues to save a friend from false conviction. What follows is a fun, intriguing whodunnit filled with spy missions, murder, intriguing gadgets and seemingly impossible situations. Willberg does an incredible job of developing a twisty mystery while creating great and riveting characters. Readers will love the 50s spy mission vibe. Marion is like a Nancy Drew for adults, working in a literal underground lair to solve a mystery. Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a fun whodunnit, but does offer a few lessons to ponder, like finding courage, even while being vulnerable; learning whom to trust; and believing in ones own strengths and abilities. One disclaimer: this book does feature some swearing. This book is due out Dec. 29. Five stars out of five. Park Row Books provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.