by Liza Tully
First sentence: “Aubrey Merrit opened the door.”
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Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: July 8, 2025
Content: There are dead bodies, of course, talk of an affair, and some swearing, including a few f-bombs. It will be in the Mystery section of the bookstore.

Olivia Blunt is a fact-checker but wants something more out of life. So she decides to answer the call and apply to be the assistant of the “world’s greatest detective”, Aubrey Merritt. Merritt is older, cranky, and hard to impress. After weeks of being frustrated, Olivia fields a call that intriuges her: the matriarch of the preeminent Summersworth family has fallen to her death on the eve of her 65th birthday party, and her daughter thinks it’s foul play.

As Merritt and Olivia investigate the case, Olivia is determined to prove herself to her boss, and as the case gets ever more complicated, she’s not entirely sure she can.

On the one hand, this was a fun gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes – a brilliant, cranky, master detective and her not-quite-there-yet assistant. They have a report, but Merritt is always “did you catch this Watson”-ing Olivia. (Including in the end, when Merritt throws Olivia under the bus more than once.) It was cleverly written, and I enjoyed trying to figure out who did it, along with Merritt and Olivia.

My problem was with the ending. Without being spoiler-y, it was trite and leaned into some not-great (and possibly harmful) stereotypes. I’m not entirely sure that ruined the book for me, but it did lower my estimation of it. If this ends up being a series (and I can see it going that direction), I might give the next one a try.