Reviews - HelenSmithBooks

THREE SISTERS | SHOWSTOPPERS | INVITATION TO DIE | BEYOND BELIEF
(THE EMILY CASTLES MYSTERIES)

Entertaining British mysteries featuring twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth Emily Castles and her side-kick, eccentric philosophy professor Dr Muriel Crowther. The series can be read in any order.

Invitation to Die is a quintessentially English murder mystery featuring an astutely drawn mix of larger-than-life characters… The book is very funny indeed… There seems to be a winning line on every page. The Bookbag

An intelligent, likeable contemporary heroine and a clever plotline… Like a modern day Agatha Christie. Just a Normal Girl in London

Quirky, whimsical, smart, and engaging… I flat-out loved it. A must-read for romance readers. Connie Brockway, bestselling romance author and two-time RITA award-winner

I love Helen Smith’s writing. Her brand of mystery, shot through with clever observational humour and the sharpest of wit, is something that’s been missing from the genre for far too long. Alex Marwood, bestselling author of The Wicked Girls

This wonderful plot makes for a very unusual mystery, and readers will be enthralled by the cast of characters presented. Suspense Magazine

I love a mystery with a spunky amateur sleuth, and Helen Smith has created a great little cozy series with the charming Emily Castles…Like most of Helen’s books, there’s shades of Agatha Christie and hints of Mary Higgins Clark…I enjoyed this book immensely. It’s intriguing and entertaining. Criminal Element

This was the first Helen Smith book I had read, and while it’s reminiscent of an old-school Agatha Christie novel, it comes with the author’s own unique spin on it. Beyond Belief is light-hearted, quirky, and extremely British. The Geekery Book Review

Smith has a real knack for character development, her quirky and colourful decriptions of people were a delight… I recommend Helen Smith’s Beyond Belief to the many younger closet fans of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and those who appreciate good old-fashioned banter. BookLover Book Reviews

Entertaining, gripping and fast paced with laugh-out loud moments. Bookfabulous

This book is full of great lines, I was giggling through the book. Wall-to-Wall Books

Invitation to Die is a fast, funny, easy read with many enjoyable comic moments. Mystery People

All crime fiction readers will find this a quick and fun read. Fans of MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin or Simon Brett’s Mrs Pargeter series will enjoy the humour and slightly surreal quality of this novel. Crime Fiction Lover

Delightful stuff. Shots Magazine

Crime novels come in all shapes and sizes but not many are as delightfully wonky as Smith’s Emily Castles mysteries… Great fun. Scott Pack, Me and My Big Mouth

Accolades/Awards:
Three Sisters chosen as a Favorite Book of the Year by The Frugal Ereader
Showstoppers chosen as a Favorite Book of the Year by Julie’s Book Reviews

Offbeat comedies featuring the adventures of private detective Alison Temple, her best friend Taron, and Mrs Fitzgerald, Alison’s boss at Fitzgerald’s Bureau of Investigation, an all-female detective agency in Brixton, London.

Smith is at the very least a minor phenomenon. The Times

Smith is gin-and-tonic funny. Booklist

The dialogue is smart and the deadpan humour is perfectly judged. The List

Imagine a satire on Cool Britannia made by the Coen Brothers… This very funny book makes you wonder how it is done. Times Literary Supplement

A screwball comedy that really works. The Independent

Wicked! Time Out

Accolades/Awards:
Alison Wonderland chosen as a Best Book of the Year in the Guardian

Being Light chosen as a Best Book of the Year in The Independent
Being Light chosen as a Best Book of the Year by New Podler Review of Books
Being Light nominated for a Readers’ Choice Award by Books and Pals

A dystopian novel set in England in the near future, The Miracle Inspector follows the story of a young married couple, Lucas and Angela, and their disastrous attempt to escape from London.

The Miracle Inspector is one of the few novels that everyone should read, it’s a powerful novel that’s masterfully written and subtly complex. SciFi and Fantasy Books

Smith has an extraordinarily rich imagination that never fails to surprise and delight. Huffpost Books

A beautifully written, and almost unbearably sad, depiction of a society’s downfall. All-Consuming Books

One of the finest novels of its genre. For Books’ Sake

Helen Smith crafts a story like she’s the British lovechild of Kurt Vonnegut and Philip K. Dick, only with a feminist slant. Journal of Always Reviews

A fantastic book club pick. Bookfabulous

Today after finishing the book, I paid attention to the smell of my lover’s hair as I embraced her when she came home, and I greeted my children with a little more enthusiasm after school. Wired.com

Accolades/Awards:
The Miracle Inspector chosen as a Best Book of the Year by For Books’ Sake
The Miracle Inspector chosen as a Best Book of the Year by The Opinionated Geeks