Review: Lessons for Suspicious Minds by Charlie Cochrane

This book was published by Riptide Publishing on April 18th, 2015. I received a copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review. 

In the innocent pre-war days, an invitation to stay at the stately country home of a family friend means a new case for amateur sleuths Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith. In fact, with two apparently unrelated suicides to investigate there, a double chase is on. 

But things never run smoothly for the Cambridge fellows. In an era when their love dare not speak its name, the risk of discovery and disgrace is ever present. How, for example, does one explain oneself when discovered by a servant during a midnight run along the corridor? 

Things get even rougher for Orlando when the case brings back memories of his father’s suicide and the search for the identity of his grandfather. Worse, when they work out who the murderer is, they are confronted with one of the most difficult moral decisions they’ve ever had to make. - Goodreads.com

I loved it. Absolutely loved the way they wrote it. I rated this book 5/5 because I adore mystery books. I live for watching shows like this where they have to figure out who did it. Ms. Cochrane completely pulled me in with this book. It is the tenth volume in the set, but can (obviously) be read as a stand-alone novel. 

Jonty and Orlando are experienced sleuths by the time this book is set. They have been called out to investigate an apparent suicide at the home of Jonty's mother's godmother. On their way there they stop at an island for lunch and are asked to look into another suicide that someone believes was not a suicide at all, but a murder. Everyone believes the two cases to be completely separate and that they were simple cases of suicide and nothing more.

Leave it to Jonty and Orlando to connect the dots and figure out what happened. I thought it was interesting that the actual perpetrator was never accused of doing anything. He came forward of his own free will and just spilled the story when they were talking about a completely separate case. I didn't see it coming and I don't think many other people would either. Especially fans of Sherlock Holmes (which I am).

I don't think I've ever seen sex described quite that way before. I actually had to pause and take a picture of my Kindle screen over one and send it to my mother. Ms. Cochrane describes the act of intercourse as if it were a naval battle and refers to their sexual organs as "great guns" which I think made me laugh harder than it should have. I will admit to having a juvenile sense of humor. 

I loved the book and and would definitely recommend it to anybody. In fact, I've already told my fiance she has to read it.