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Snap Shot: An atmospheric historical thriller (Julia McAllister Victorian Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 218 ratings

A brilliant new Victorian mystery series you won’t want to miss! For fans of Sherlock Holmes, Anne Perry, Elizabeth Peters and Victoria Thompson.

Julia turns from murder suspect to England’s first crime scene photographer…

1895, London


Taking risqué photographs is the only way
Julia McAllister can retain her independence as a young widow in London.

But one by one,
her models are dying — and now she is being framed for their murders.

The relentless
Inspector Collingwood is on the case and Julia knows he’s watching her every move.

With young women still dying, and her own life on the line, Julia must unmask the real killer before it is too late…

Can Julia clear her name? Will Collingwood believe her?

Or will the dark secrets of her past come back to haunt her…?

SNAP SHOT is the first book in the Julia McAllister Victorian Mystery series: historical romance murder mysteries with a courageous woman sleuth embarking on a traditional British, private investigation in nineteenth-century London.


Praise for Marilyn Todd:

‘wry and entertaining’ –
Mystery Scene

‘delectably enjoyable’ –
Daily Mail

‘Skilfully tangled plot’ –
Booklist

‘never boring’ –
Kirkus Reviews

‘thoroughly entertaining’ –
The Bookseller

JULIA MCALLISTER VICTORIAN MYSTERY SERIES
BOOK ONE: Snap Shot

BOOK TWO: Cast Iron
BOOK THREE: Bad Blood
BOOK FOUR: Dead Drop

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07S9X121M
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books (July 29, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 29, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 265 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1913028593
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 218 ratings

About the author

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Marilyn Todd
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Marilyn Todd is a critically acclaimed author of short stories and historical thrillers, who "paints antiquity with a particularly suspenseful brush and skillfully tangled plots" (Booklist). Her Roman series features "a gorgeous rich bitch, plotting and spying to survive adverse fortune" (Daily Mail). The Greek novels feature "an abundance of historical tidbits and robust prose" (Kirkus Reviews). All her work embraces humour, suspense and a lively sense of drama, often inspired by the places she visits.

In 2015, her short story "Blood Red Roses" won one of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine's prestigious Readers Awards.

The year before, "The Wickedest Town in the West" scooped the same award.

And another story, "Room for Improvement", about quickie divorces in 1950s Brighton, was nominated for a Shamus.

She and her husband currently live on a French hilltop surrounded by vineyards and woods, and when she isn't killing people, Marilyn enjoys cooking. Which is pretty much the same thing.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
218 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's characters engaging and realistic. They describe the plot as an exciting historical thriller with a surprising ending. Readers praise the book as an enjoyable read with clever writing and an intriguing storyline.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

9 customers mention "Character development"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and their realism. They find the heroine fascinating and the pace fast-paced.

"...sets the background for the protagonists in Cast Iron and adds depth to the protagonists, and to the story not present without it...." Read more

"...So many possibilities, and this will keep you guessing. Great character development, especially "Bug" who leaps off the pages...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the characters, the grittiness of the setting and storylines and will be looking for the next in the series IN SPITE OF a major gaffe near..." Read more

"...It was well written and the characters jumped out of the page with realism. Keep up the good work Marilyn!..." Read more

7 customers mention "Plot"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot. They find it an exciting historical thriller with a great ending. The book provides a clearer picture of the history behind the feisty lady photographer. Readers appreciate that the author knows the Victorian period well and captures its atmosphere.

"...We also have a clearer picture of the history behind our feisty lady photographer...." Read more

"...characters were great, the mystery was exciting and I was blown away by the ending, very well done. On to the next book" Read more

"Historical thriller? Absolutely!..." Read more

"...I enjoyed the characters, the grittiness of the setting and storylines and will be looking for the next in the series IN SPITE OF a major gaffe near..." Read more

7 customers mention "Readability"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it clever, intriguing, and well-written, with an unexpected ending that keeps readers guessing until the end. The characters seem to come alive on the page, making it a fun and enjoyable start to a new series.

"...the mystery was exciting and I was blown away by the ending, very well done. On to the next book" Read more

"The writing is definitely worthwhile, although comparisons to Elizabeth Peters are, in my humble opinion, rather overblown...." Read more

"...It was well written and the characters jumped out of the page with realism. Keep up the good work Marilyn!..." Read more

"...Fun book - I've already pre-ordered the next one." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2020
    Book one of Julia McAllister Victorian Mysteries. Book 2 is Cast Iron, which I thoroughly enjoyed and am reading again keeping the story in sequence. Though each story is stand-alone, Shap Shot sets the background for the protagonists in Cast Iron and adds depth to the protagonists, and to the story not present without it.

    Book One is also 1898 London where lots of things are moving along at top speed. Women's suffrage movements, major crime scene advances including fingerprinting, advances in laboratory testing for information that would point to causes of death other than natural or murder, and a permanent photographic record of the scene of the crime. We also have a clearer picture of the history behind our feisty lady photographer. The childhood abuse, name changes, moving from place to place - the things that make her a good detective who sees into the depth of the crime - hark back to those days in her youth when she lost her miner father and the total lack of support for her destitute family, leading her mother into a marriage to a man little known and sadly not the life-saver they had needed. How young Julia dealt with the family abuse of her step-father begins her life on the run, but also gives her the ability to back-track a crime to its basic denominator, seeing through all the dross and into the mind of the perpetrator.

    Now she has to make a clean break again, leave behind the life she had formed for herself before DI Collingsworth can worry out her past. Murder is murder, in his eyes. Unfortunately, it is as well for Julia McAllister.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2021
    Loved this book. Alot if words I had to look up the meaning tho. Lol
    Sometimes it git confusing but I went back to the beginning of the chapter . The characters were great, the mystery was exciting and I was blown away by the ending, very well done. On to the next book
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2022
    The writing is generally strong, with plenty of tension. The book is hard to put down. On the negative side, sometimes it's hard to follow jumps without clear transitions, there are lengthy observations on the time period and place, and it deals with dark subjects. The ending is sad rather than satisfying. I won't read more because I don't like the way this book made me feel.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2021
    Historical thriller? Absolutely! A female photographer is being framed as a serial killer of young girls who have been posing for "French" postcards. Investigation makes her the obvious choice, but she has to follow the twisted, malicious clues to find the real killer and clear her name. So many possibilities, and this will keep you guessing. Great character development, especially "Bug" who leaps off the pages. I loved the fervent pace and the fierce determination of Julia to do what she has to do.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2020
    The writing is definitely worthwhile, although comparisons to Elizabeth Peters are, in my humble opinion, rather overblown. I enjoyed the characters, the grittiness of the setting and storylines and will be looking for the next in the series IN SPITE OF a major gaffe near the end of the novel where the heroine ascribes her motivation for certain actions to her love for her brother, who was a similar type to the victim. Problem: her actions were well in train long before she realized the victim’s true nature and could have drawn the parallel with her brother. Oops. Still, a pretty good read.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2019
    I'm a big fan of Marilyn Todd and have been for a long time. This book was a bit different from the previous books in Rome and Greece but I totally loved it. It was well written and the characters jumped out of the page with realism. Keep up the good work Marilyn! This book was so clever, I never saw the ending coming!!
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2020
    Excellent mystery with a great surprising ending. The author, Marilyn Todd, knows her Victorian period well and catches the atmosphere of it wonderfully. Also, a great study of her lead character, Julia, and also her friends. She knows her character well and is able to get into her and why she does things. Keep it coming!
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2019
    Exciting mystery! Really good character development especially for the main players. The surprises continued right up to the end - didn't have a clue who the villain was! For those souls like me who really want to place the location of the story quite firmly both in place and time, a little research proves entertaining and worthwhile about canals and such in the northern London area of the late1800s. Fun book - I've already pre-ordered the next one.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • RogTheDog
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read. What more can one want?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2019
    Here is something that is as enjoyable as a sunny day, and as dark as a moonless night.
    And something I was a little nervous about reading. I’m not a Victorian era fan, in novels, normally; and Marylin Todd has taken a leap into this timeframe from one of my favourite - The times of Ancient Rome, which she did with such aplomb and wit.
    So yes, I was nervous, having enjoyed her previous novels.
    I needn’t have worried.
    The writing is superb, the storyline well-paced, and the atmosphere of the times deep, and into which one is immersed totally.
    The characters are excellent, voices of hints of what went before, but new, vibrant and witty. Ms.Todd had me laughing one minute, and groaning the next - she loves a good play on words!
    And then things take a darker turn, and, for all the lightness, one is drawn in to the shady world of the 1890s; and Marilyn Todd knows how to shock, and knows how to keep your nerves taut; you cannot rely only saccharine endings or outcomes, there’s no relaxing here.
    I devoured the book. I found it delightful. And, as is so often the way with this author’s tales, I didn’t see the ending coming.
    A good read. An enjoyable time away from reality!
  • Margot McLennan
    5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting twist in the tale
    Reviewed in Australia on August 19, 2019
    A great read with very evocative characters in a well written Victorian setting.
  • Sean Gibbons
    5.0 out of 5 stars Every word paints a thousand pictures...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2019
    This is a snappily paced snippet of a slice of Victorian life that is so easily overlooked. Julia McAllister is a stand-out protagonist who brings us into the heart of the saucy pictures industry of the times and dethrones the apparent innocence captured in the familiar images. Marilyn Todd's writing captures atmosphere and context very capably, and had this reader feeling he too was treading the streets of Victorian London. The investigation makes nice use of the innovations of the time and moves along without any hiccups. I particularly liked the touches of humour that so opportunely unburden the story of some of its understandable bleakness. It's a real page-turner that I read in a couple of sittings. I'm looking forward to taking the opportunity to reacquaint myself with Julia McAllister.
  • Royden Hales
    3.0 out of 5 stars presentation
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2020
    Annoying number of typographical errors - needs a decent proof reader
  • C Jennings
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, highly recommend
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2022
    Good characters, humorous in parts, serious in others, just really well written and enjoyable. Makes you think about how hard things were for people then, and unfortunately still can be.

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