The Study of Secrets by Cynthia Kuhn

Item: The Study of Secrets
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted June 1, 2020 by karenbaron in Blog Tour, Contest - Giveaway, Mystery, Review / 1 Comment

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Study of Secrets

by Cynthia Kuhn

Series: Lila Maclean Academic Mystery #5
Series Rating:

Published by Henery Press on May 26, 2020
Genres: Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery
Pages: 242
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble

There could be nowhere more fitting for English professor Lila Maclean to spend her sabbatical than in a proper Victorian mansion. The whimsical Callahan House seems to have materialized from the pages of the mystery novels she is researching, with its enchanting towers, cozy nooks, and charming library. Unfortunately, it also features a body in the study.
Residents of Larkston have long believed that the Callahan family is cursed--the murder on the estate sets the town buzzing. Wild rumors are fueled by a gossipy blogger who delights in speculation, and further crimes only intensify the whispers and suspicions. A newly discovered manuscript, however, appears to expose startling facts beneath the fictions. When Lila steps in to sort the truth from the lies, it may cost her everything, as someone wants to make dead certain that their secrets stay hidden.

The Study of Secrets by Cynthia Kuhn is like stepping into the amazing life of a literary professor who specializes in mystery novels by one author named Isabella Dare.

Will Lila be able to figure out what happened to Bibi’s friend Gillian?

Professor Lila Maclean

Professor Lila Maclean is our sleuth, and she is living in Larkston in this installment to finish two books. One book for her to publish and get tenure at her college and the other a mystery novel. Let’s just say that this is a doozy of one. One mystery turns into trying to solve some past crimes and why they happened. Lila is the one to do it, and she does a fantastic job of doing it. I love Lila and that she seems like a great person. I would be her friend and be interested in reading these Isabella Dare novels.

What I like about Lila besides what I mentioned above is that she seems like someone that just wants what is best and doesn’t mean to be solving these crimes. She just happens upon them and has to try to answer them for the greater good.

The Mystery

The mystery is one that had me trying to hunt down the clues with her. Gillian is a retired literary agent who happened to lose a husband the same night that Bibi did a while ago. Not only that, but Lila finds a manuscript, and Gillian goes after it. Well, while she was looking at the document, Gillian dies, and the document is missing. Bibi enlists Lila to help her solve who could have killed Gillian. That isn’t an easy thing to do when the manuscript has a decades-old mystery that happens to have been a real-life crime. Is this what makes Gillian a target?

Let’s just say that I had no clue who did it, but when that was happening, it dawned on me that the killer was perfect. I never suspected the culprit.

Five Stars

The Study of Secrets by Cynthia Kuhn is a great novel, and I am glad to have gotten the time to read this latest one. Ms. Kuhn does a fantastic job, and I loved every minute of reading it. I do have to say that I wouldn’t mind living in a mansion for a semester on vacation to write a manuscript or two. Callahan College will just have to hope that the ghosts in the Callahan House, aka Bibi’s husband’s family’s mansion, don’t scare away the students.

I highly recommend this book to all mystery readers out there.

Other Books in the Series

Giveaway

Prize: (1) Digital Copy of The Subject of Malice + a $10 Amazon Gift Card

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About Cynthia Kuhn

Cynthia Kuhn writes the Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries: The Semester of Our Discontent, The Art of Vanishing, The Spirit in Question, The Subject of Malice, and The Study of Secrets. Honors for the series include an Agatha Award for best first novel and Lefty Award nominations for best humorous mystery.